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Sample records for measured physiological immunological

  1. The Conservative Physiology of the Immune System. A Non-Metaphoric Approach to Immunological Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nelson M. Vaz

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Historically, immunology emerged as a biomedical science, concerned with host defense and production of anti-infectious vaccines. In the late 50s, selective theories were proposed and from then on, immunology has been based in a close association with the neo-Darwinian principles, such as random generation of variants (lymphocyte clones, selection by extrinsic factors (antigens—and, more generally, on genetic determinism and functionalism. This association has had major consequences: (1 immunological jargon is full of “cognitive” metaphors, founded in the idea of “foreignness”; (2 the immune system is described with a random clonal origin, coupled to selection by random encounters; and (3 physiological events are virtually absent from immunological descriptions. In the present manuscript, we apply systemic notions to bring forth an explanation including systemic mechanisms able to generate immunological phenomena. We replace “randomness plus selection” and the notion of foreignness by a history of structural changes which are determined by the coherences of the system internal architecture at any given moment. The importance of this systemic way of seeing is that it explicitly attends to the organization that defines the immune system, within which it is possible to describe the conservative physiology of the immune system. Understanding immune physiology in a systemic way of seeing also suggests mechanisms underlying the origin of immunopathogeny and therefore suggests new insights to therapeutic approaches. However, if seriously acknowledged, this systemic/historic approach to immunology goes along with a global conceptual change which modifies virtually everything in the domain of biology, as suggested by Maturana.

  2. Developing the Immunology Book for Animal and Human Physiology Subject

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuni Mitasari

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available he objective of the study was to develop an immunology book for Animal and Human Physiology subject. This book was developed based on the Thiagarajan development model which was modified of: Define, Design, Develop, dan Disseminate (4D. The data expert validation instrument was questionnaire using Likert scales, comments, and recommendation sheets. Expert appraisal was done by material expert and media and design learning expert. The developmental testing was conducted using questionnaire to test the readibility. The expert validation was conducted by material expert as well as design and media learning expert validator; meanwhile, the field test was done to measure the readability. The validity test results were: the material expert state that the material is valid (97.14%, as well as the design and learning media expert (84.88% and field test by students (88.17%.

  3. Virtual immunology: software for teaching basic immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berçot, Filipe Faria; Fidalgo-Neto, Antônio Augusto; Lopes, Renato Matos; Faggioni, Thais; Alves, Luiz Anastácio

    2013-01-01

    As immunology continues to evolve, many educational methods have found difficulty in conveying the degree of complexity inherent in its basic principles. Today, the teaching-learning process in such areas has been improved with tools such as educational software. This article introduces "Virtual Immunology," a software program available free of charge in Portuguese and English, which can be used by teachers and students in physiology, immunology, and cellular biology classes. We discuss the development of the initial two modules: "Organs and Lymphoid Tissues" and "Inflammation" and the use of interactive activities to provide microscopic and macroscopic understanding in immunology. Students, both graduate and undergraduate, were questioned along with university level professors about the quality of the software and intuitiveness of use, facility of navigation, and aesthetic organization using a Likert scale. An overwhelmingly satisfactory result was obtained with both students and immunology teachers. Programs such as "Virtual Immunology" are offering more interactive, multimedia approaches to complex scientific principles that increase student motivation, interest, and comprehension. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  4. Lessons from reproductive immunology for other fields of immunology and clinical approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markert, Udo R; Fitzgerald, Justine S; Seyfarth, Lydia; Heinzelmann, Joana; Varosi, Frauke; Voigt, Sandra; Schleussner, Ekkehard; Seewald, Hans-Joachim

    2005-01-01

    Reproduction is indispensable to evolution and, thus, life. Nonetheless, it overcomes common rules known to established life. Immunology of reproduction, and especially the tolerance of two genetically distinct organisms and their fruitful symbiosis, is one of the most imposing paradox of life. Mechanisms, which are physiologically used for induction of said tolerance, are frequently abused by pathogens or tumors intending to escape the host's immune response. Understanding the regulation of immune responses in pregnancy and the invasion of allogeneic fetus-derived trophoblast cells into the decidua may lead to new therapeutic concepts. In transplantation, knowledge concerning local physiological immunotolerance may be useful for the development of new therapies, which do not require a general immune suppression of the patient. In immunological disorders, such as autoimmune diseases or allergies, immune deviations occur which are either prevented during pregnancy or have parallels to pregnancy. Vice versa, lessons from other fields of immunology may also offer new notions for the comprehension of reproductive immunology and may lead to new therapies for the treatment of pregnancy-related problems.

  5. Behavioral phenotype relates to physiological differences in immunological and stress responsiveness in reactive and proactive birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pusch, Elizabeth A; Navara, Kristen J

    2018-05-15

    It has now been demonstrated in many species that individuals display substantial variation in coping styles, generally separating into two major behavioral phenotypes that appear to be linked to the degree of physiological stress responsiveness. Laying hens are perfect examples of these dichotomous phenotypes; white laying hens are reactive, flighty, and exhibit large hormonal and behavioral responses to both acute and chronic stress, while brown laying hens are proactive, exploratory, and exhibit low hormonal and behavioral responses to stress. Given the linkages between stress physiology and many other body systems, we hypothesized that behavioral phenotype would correspond to additional physiological responses beyond the stress response, in this case, immunological responses. Because corticosterone is widely known to be immunosuppressive, we predicted that the reactive white hens would show more dampened immune responses than the proactive brown hens due to their exposure to higher levels of corticosterone throughout life. To assess immune function in white and brown hens, we compared febrile responses, corticosterone elevations, feed consumption, and egg production that occurred in response an injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline, inflammatory responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) injection in the toe web, innate phagocytic activity in whole blood, and antibody responses to an injection of Sheep Red Blood Cells (SRBCs). Contrary to our predictions, white hens had significantly greater swelling of the toe web in response to PHA and showed a greater inhibition of feeding and reproductive output in response to LPS. These results indicated that reactive individuals are more reactive in both stress and immunological responsiveness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Effects of waterborne nickel on the physiological and immunological parameters of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai during thermal stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, Eun Young; Cha, Yong-Joo; Kang, Ju-Chan

    2015-09-01

    In this study, the 96-h LC50 at 22 and 26 °C values was 28.591 and 11.761 mg/L, respectively, for NiCl2 exposure in the abalone. The alteration of physiological and immune-toxicological parameters such as the total hemocyte count (THC), lysozyme, phenoloxidase (PO), and phagocytosis activity was measured in the abalone exposed to nickel (200 and 400 μg/L) under thermal stress for 96 h. In this study, Mg and THC decreased, while Ca, lysozyme, PO, and phagocytosis activity increased in the hemolymph of Pacific abalone exposed to NiCl2 when compared to a control at both 22 and 26 °C. However, these parameters were not affected by a rise in temperature from 22 to 26 °C in non-exposed groups. Our results showed that NiCl2 below 400 μg/L was able to stimulate immune responses in abalone. However, complex stressors, thermal changes, or NiCl2 can modify the immunological response and lead to changes in the physiology of host-pollutant interactions in the abalone.

  7. IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF LOCAL INFLAMMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Chereshnev

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract.  The  lecture  presents  current  data,  as  well  as  authors’  view  to  the  issue  of  immune  system involvement into inflammation. General physiological principles of immune system functioning are considered in details. Immunological mechanisms of local inflammation and participation of immune system components are analyzed with regard of protective/adaptive reactions in inflammatory foci. Original formulations of basic concepts are presented from the viewpoint of pathophysiology, immunopathology and clinical immunology, as being applied to the issues discussed. (Med. Immunol., 2011, vol. 13, N 6, pp 557-568

  8. L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) induces neuroendocrinological, physiological, and immunological regulation in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mapanao, Ratchaneegorn; Kuo, Hsin-Wei; Chang, Chin-Chuan; Liu, Kuan-Fu; Cheng, Winton

    2018-03-01

    L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) is a precursor for dopamine (DA) synthesis. Assessments were conducted to analyze the effects of l-DOPA on mediating regulation of neuroendocrinological, immunological, and physiological parameters in the shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei when they were individually injected with 0.01 N HCl or l-DOPA at 0.5 or 1.0 μmol shrimp -1 for 60, 120, and 240 min. For catecholamine synthesis evaluation, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and DA beta hydroxylase (DBH) activities, l-DOPA, DA, and norepinephrine (NE) levels in hemolymph were determined. The total hemocyte count (THC), differential hemocyte count (DHC), phenoloxidase (PO) activity, respiratory bursts (RBs), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, phagocytic activity, and clearance efficiency in response to the pathogen, Vibrio alginolyticus were assessed for immune responses, and plasma glucose and lactate levels were for physiological response. Results showed that the TH activity, THC, hyaline cells (HCs), and semigranular cells (SGCs) at 120 min, DA levels at 60-240 min, PO activity in hemocytes per 50 μL of hemolymph at 60-120 min, and PO activity per granulocyte (granular cells (GCs) + SGCs) at 60 min significantly increased, but TH activity, l-DOPA levels, GCs, SGCs, and respiratory bursts in hemocytes per 10 μL of hemolymph at 60 min, respiratory bursts per hemocyte and SOD activity at 120 min, phagocytic activity at 60-240 min, and the clearance efficiency at 60-120 min significantly decreased in shrimp injected with l-DOPA at 1.0 μmol shrimp -1 . In another experiment, 60 min after shrimp had received l-DOPA at 0.5 or 1.0 μmol shrimp -1 , they were challenged with an injection of V. alginolyticus at 2 × 10 5  colony-forming units (cfu) shrimp -1 . The injection of l-DOPA at 1.0 μmol shrimp -1 also significantly increased the cumulative mortality of shrimp by 16.7%, compared to the HCl-challenged control after 120 h. These results suggest

  9. Immunology of the eye

    OpenAIRE

    Weronika Ratajczak; Beata Tokarz-Deptuła; Wiesław Deptuła

    2018-01-01

    The eye is an organ of sight characterized by unusual immunological properties, resulting from its anatomical structure and physiology, as well as the presence of specific elements that, through the mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity, provide homeostasis of the eyeball. This article reviews the defensive elements of individual eye structures: conjunctiva, cornea, lacrimal gland, anterior chamber of the eye, uvea, retina and eye-associated lymphoid tissue (EALT), where we distinguish a...

  10. Physiological and biochemical aspects of the effect of ionizing radiations on the lung parenchyma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasquier, Christian.

    1975-03-01

    Concerning the biochemical reactions of the lung parenchyma to irradiation the following points have been developed. Role of biochemically active substances (histamine, serotonin, kinins, catecholamines, prostaglandins) in the early reaction of the lung to irradiation, their common feature being their vascular impact point. Lung irradiation and lipids (fatty acids and lipid metabolism in general); irradiation, by raising the proportion of unsaturated at the expense of saturated fatty acids, may give rise to serious physiological respiratory disorders. Lung irradiation and blood fluidity (fibrinolytic activity, heparin, platelet factors). Pulmonary interstitium and irradiation (of the three interstitium components collagen plays a preferential part). Irradiation and immunological lung reaction (reasons behind the immunological theory, immunological assistance, immunological mechanism of pulmonary reactions towards pollutants). Enzymatic lung radiolesion indicators. Three kinds of physiological changes have been considered. Vascular physiology disturbances caused by the initial biochemical reactions; anomalies of physiological or functional trials, images of the lesion formed; disorders of the cell physiology of carcinogenesis [fr

  11. Importance of exercise immunology in health promotion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neto, J C Rosa; Lira, F S; de Mello, M T; Santos, Ronaldo Vagner T

    2011-11-01

    Chronic physical exercise with adequate intensity and volume associated with sufficient recovery promotes adaptations in several physiological systems. While intense and exhaustive exercise is considered an important immunosuppressor agent and increases the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), moderate regular exercise has been associated with significant disease protection and is a complementary treatment of many chronic diseases. The effects of chronic exercise occur because physical training can induce several physiological, biochemical and psychological adaptations. More recently, the effect of acute exercise and training on the immunological system has been discussed, and many studies suggest the importance of the immune system in prevention and partial recovery in pathophysiological situations. Currently, there are two important hypotheses that may explain the effects of exercise and training on the immune system. These hypotheses including (1) the effect of exercise upon hormones and cytokines (2) because exercise can modulate glutamine concentration. In this review, we discuss the hypothesis that exercise may modulate immune functions and the importance of exercise immunology in respect to chronic illnesses, chronic heart failure, malnutrition and inflammation.

  12. Benefits of extra begging fail to compensate for immunological costs in southern shrike (Lanius meridionalis nestlings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregorio Moreno-Rueda

    Full Text Available Theoretical models aimed at explaining the evolution of honest, informative begging signals employed by nestling birds to solicit food from their parents, require that dishonest signalers incur a net viability cost in order to prevent runaway escalation of signal intensity over evolutionary time. Previous attempts to determine such a cost empirically have identified two candidate physiological costs associated with exaggerated begging: a growth and an immunological cost. However, they failed to take into account the fact that those costs are potentially offset by the fact that nestlings that invest more in begging are also likely to obtain more food. In this study, we test experimentally whether a 25% increase in ingested food compensates for growth and immunological costs of extra begging in southern shrike (Lanius meridionalis nestlings. Three nestmates matched by size were given three treatments: low begging, high begging-same food intake, and high begging-extra food intake. We found that, while a higher food intake did effectively compensate for the growth cost, it failed to compensate for the immunological cost, measured as T-cell mediated immune response against an innocuous mitogen. Thus, we show for the first time that escalated begging has an associated physiological net cost likely to affect nestling survival negatively.

  13. Understanding Immunology via Engineering Design: The Role of Mathematical Prototyping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klinke, David J.; Wang, Qing

    2012-01-01

    A major challenge in immunology is how to translate data into knowledge given the inherent complexity and dynamics of human physiology. Both the physiology and engineering communities have rich histories in applying computational approaches to translate data obtained from complex systems into knowledge of system behavior. However, there are some differences in how disciplines approach problems. By referring to mathematical models as mathematical prototypes, we aim to highlight aspects related to the process (i.e., prototyping) rather than the product (i.e., the model). The objective of this paper is to review how two related engineering concepts, specifically prototyping and “fitness for use,” can be applied to overcome the pressing challenge in translating data into improved knowledge of basic immunology that can be used to improve therapies for disease. These concepts are illustrated using two immunology-related examples. The prototypes presented focus on the beta cell mass at the onset of type 1 diabetes and the dynamics of dendritic cells in the lung. This paper is intended to illustrate some of the nuances associated with applying mathematical modeling to improve understanding of the dynamics of disease progression in humans. PMID:22973412

  14. IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF LOCAL INFLAMMATION

    OpenAIRE

    V. A. Chereshnev; M. V. Chereshneva

    2011-01-01

    Abstract.  The  lecture  presents  current  data,  as  well  as  authors’  view  to  the  issue  of  immune  system involvement into inflammation. General physiological principles of immune system functioning are considered in details. Immunological mechanisms of local inflammation and participation of immune system components are analyzed with regard of protective/adaptive reactions in inflammatory foci. Original formulations of basic concepts are presented from the viewpoint of pathophysiol...

  15. Using measures of single-cell physiology and physiological state to understand organismic aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendenhall, Alexander; Driscoll, Monica; Brent, Roger

    2016-02-01

    Genetically identical organisms in homogeneous environments have different lifespans and healthspans. These differences are often attributed to stochastic events, such as mutations and 'epimutations', changes in DNA methylation and chromatin that change gene function and expression. But work in the last 10 years has revealed differences in lifespan- and health-related phenotypes that are not caused by lasting changes in DNA or identified by modifications to DNA or chromatin. This work has demonstrated persistent differences in single-cell and whole-organism physiological states operationally defined by values of reporter gene signals in living cells. While some single-cell states, for example, responses to oxygen deprivation, were defined previously, others, such as a generally heightened ability to make proteins, were, revealed by direct experiment only recently, and are not well understood. Here, we review technical progress that promises to greatly increase the number of these measurable single-cell physiological variables and measureable states. We discuss concepts that facilitate use of single-cell measurements to provide insight into physiological states and state transitions. We assert that researchers will use this information to relate cell level physiological readouts to whole-organism outcomes, to stratify aging populations into groups based on different physiologies, to define biomarkers predictive of outcomes, and to shed light on the molecular processes that bring about different individual physiologies. For these reasons, quantitative study of single-cell physiological variables and state transitions should provide a valuable complement to genetic and molecular explanations of how organisms age. © 2015 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Élie Metchnikoff (1845-1916): celebrating 100 years of cellular immunology and beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Underhill, David M; Gordon, Siamon; Imhof, Beat A; Núñez, Gabriel; Bousso, Philippe

    2016-10-01

    The year 2016 marks 100 years since the death of Élie Metchnikoff (1845-1916), the Russian zoologist who pioneered the study of cellular immunology and who is widely credited with the discovery of phagocytosis, for which he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1908. However, his long scientific career spanned many disciplines and has had far-reaching effects on modern immunology beyond the study of phagocytosis. In this Viewpoint article, five leading immunologists from the fields of phagocytosis, macrophage biology, leukocyte migration, the microbiota and intravital imaging tell Nature Reviews Immunology how Metchnikoff's work has influenced past, present and future research in their respective fields.

  17. Systems immunology: just getting started.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Mark M; Tato, Cristina M; Furman, David

    2017-06-20

    Systems-biology approaches in immunology take various forms, but here we review strategies for measuring a broad swath of immunological functions as a means of discovering previously unknown relationships and phenomena and as a powerful way of understanding the immune system as a whole. This approach has rejuvenated the field of vaccine development and has fostered hope that new ways will be found to combat infectious diseases that have proven refractory to classical approaches. Systems immunology also presents an important new strategy for understanding human immunity directly, taking advantage of the many ways the immune system of humans can be manipulated.

  18. 21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious mononucleosis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

  19. Environmental physiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1979-01-01

    Summaries of research projects conducted during 1978 and 1979 are presented. Subject areas include: the effects of environmental pollutants on homeostasis of the hematopoietic system; pollutant effects on steroid metabolism; pollutant effects on pulmonary macrophages; effects of toxic gases on lung cells; the development of immunological methods for assessing lung damage at the cellular level; the response of erythropoietin concentration to various physiological changes; and the study of actinide metabolism in monkey skeletons

  20. Wild immunology assessed by multidimensional mass cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Japp, Alberto Sada; Hoffmann, Kerstin; Schlickeiser, Stephan; Glauben, Rainer; Nikolaou, Christos; Maecker, Holden T; Braun, Julian; Matzmohr, Nadine; Sawitzki, Birgit; Siegmund, Britta; Radbruch, Andreas; Volk, Hans-Dieter; Frentsch, Marco; Kunkel, Desiree; Thiel, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    A great part of our knowledge on mammalian immunology has been established in laboratory settings. The use of inbred mouse strains enabled controlled studies of immune cell and molecule functions in defined settings. These studies were usually performed in specific-pathogen free (SPF) environments providing standardized conditions. In contrast, mammalians including humans living in their natural habitat are continuously facing pathogen encounters throughout their life. The influences of environmental conditions on the signatures of the immune system and on experimental outcomes are yet not well defined. Thus, the transferability of results obtained in current experimental systems to the physiological human situation has always been a matter of debate. Studies elucidating the diversity of "wild immunology" imprintings in detail and comparing it with those of "clean" lab mice are sparse. Here, we applied multidimensional mass cytometry to dissect phenotypic and functional differences between distinct groups of laboratory and pet shop mice as a source for "wild mice". For this purpose, we developed a 31-antibody panel for murine leukocyte subsets identification and a 35-antibody panel assessing various cytokines. Established murine leukocyte populations were easily identified and diverse immune signatures indicative of numerous pathogen encounters were classified particularly in pet shop mice and to a lesser extent in quarantine and non-SPF mice as compared to SPF mice. In addition, unsupervised analysis identified distinct clusters that associated strongly with the degree of pathogenic priming, including increased frequencies of activated NK cells and antigen-experienced B- and T-cell subsets. Our study unravels the complexity of immune signatures altered under physiological pathogen challenges and highlights the importance of carefully adapting laboratory settings for immunological studies in mice, including drug and therapy testing. © 2016 International Society

  1. Immunological reactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shubik, V.M.

    1984-01-01

    Materials on comparative characteristics of state of some immunological parameters under the effect of toxic radioactive and non-radioactive chemical substances on organism of experimental animas as well as data on possible role of disclosed immunological changes are presented. Data on the possible role of immunological mechanisms in shortening life span and distortions of reproduction function are given

  2. Systems immunology: just getting started

    OpenAIRE

    Davis, Mark M; Tato, Cristina M; Furman, David

    2017-01-01

    Systems-biology approaches in immunology take various forms, but here we review strategies for measuring a broad swath of immunological functions as a means of discovering previously unknown relationships and phenomena and as a powerful way of understanding the immune system as a whole. This approach has rejuvenated the field of vaccine development and has fostered hope that new ways will be found to combat infectious diseases that have proven refractory to classical approaches. Systems immun...

  3. Emotion Monitoring – Verification of Physiological Characteristics Measurement Procedures

    OpenAIRE

    Landowska Agnieszka

    2014-01-01

    This paper concerns measurement procedures on an emotion monitoring stand designed for tracking human emotions in the Human-Computer Interaction with physiological characteristics. The paper addresses the key problem of physiological measurements being disturbed by a motion typical for human-computer interaction such as keyboard typing or mouse movements. An original experiment is described, that aimed at practical evaluation of measurement procedures performed at the emotion monitoring stand...

  4. Regulatory T Cells in HIV-Infected Immunological Nonresponders Are Increased in Blood but Depleted in Lymphoid Tissue and Predict Immunological Reconstitution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaardbo, Julie C; Hartling, Hans J; Ronit, Andreas

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: HIV-infected immunological nonresponders fail to immune reconstitute despite optimal treatment. We hypothesized that regulatory T cells (Tregs) are involved in immunological reconstitution. Tregs and Treg subpopulations were measured in blood and Foxp3 cells in lymphoid tissue......, and the impact of Tregs on immunological reconstitution was determined. METHODS: HIV-infected individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy for a minimum of 2 years were included. The study population included 14 immunological nonresponders (INR; CD4 T-cell count .... In contrast, responders resembled healthy controls. Finally, in INR, high level of Tregs in blood and Foxp3 cells in lymphoid tissue were associated with higher level of immunological reconstitution after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, altered distribution of Tregs was found in INR...

  5. Tumor immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otter, W. den

    1987-01-01

    Tumor immunology, the use of immunological techniques for tumor diagnosis and approaches to immunotherapy of cancer are topics covered in this multi-author volume. Part A, 'Tumor Immunology', deals with present views on tumor-associated antigens, the initiation of immune reactions of tumor cells, effector cell killing, tumor cells and suppression of antitumor immunity, and one chapter dealing with the application of mathematical models in tumor immunology. Part B, 'Tumor Diagnosis and Imaging', concerns the use of markers to locate the tumor in vivo, for the histological diagnosis, and for the monitoring of tumor growth. In Part C, 'Immunotherapy', various experimental approaches to immunotherapy are described, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies to target drugs, the use of interleukin-2 and the use of drugs inhibiting suppression. In the final section, the evaluation, a pathologist and a clinician evaluate the possibilities and limitations of tumor immunology and the extent to which it is useful for diagnosis and therapy. refs.; figs.; tabs

  6. Virtual Immunology: Software for Teaching Basic Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berçot, Filipe Faria; Fidalgo-Neto, Antônio Augusto; Lopes, Renato Matos; Faggioni, Thais; Alves, Luiz Anastácio

    2013-01-01

    As immunology continues to evolve, many educational methods have found difficulty in conveying the degree of complexity inherent in its basic principles. Today, the teaching-learning process in such areas has been improved with tools such as educational software. This article introduces "Virtual Immunology," a software program available…

  7. Intense flight and endotoxin injection elicit similar effects on leukocyte distributions but dissimilar effects on plasma-based immunological indices in pigeons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Matson, Kevin D.; Horrocks, Nicholas P. C.; Tieleman, B. Irene; Haase, Eberhard

    Most birds rely on flight for survival. Yet as an energetically taxing and physiologically integrative process, flight has many repercussions. Studying pigeons (Columba livia) and employing physiological and immunological indices that are relevant to ecologists working with wild birds, we determined

  8. Intense flight and endotoxin injection elicit similar effects on leukocyte distributions but dissimilar effects on plasma-based immunological indices in pigeons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Matson, Kevin D.; Horrocks, Nicholas P. C.; Tieleman, B. Irene; Haase, Eberhard

    2012-01-01

    Most birds rely on flight for survival. Yet as an energetically taxing and physiologically integrative process, flight has many repercussions. Studying pigeons (Columba livia) and employing physiological and immunological indices that are relevant to ecologists working with wild birds, we determined

  9. CCL8 BASED IMMUNOLOGICAL MONITORING

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2008-01-01

    The present invention relates to an immunological method and, more particularly, a method for measuring cell-mediated immune reactivity (CMI) in mammals based on the production of CCL8.The invention further discloses an assay and a kit for measuring CMI to an antigen using whole blood or other...

  10. Consortium biology in immunology: the perspective from the Immunological Genome Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benoist, Christophe; Lanier, Lewis; Merad, Miriam; Mathis, Diane

    2012-10-01

    Although the field has a long collaborative tradition, immunology has made less use than genetics of 'consortium biology', wherein groups of investigators together tackle large integrated questions or problems. However, immunology is naturally suited to large-scale integrative and systems-level approaches, owing to the multicellular and adaptive nature of the cells it encompasses. Here, we discuss the value and drawbacks of this organization of research, in the context of the long-running 'big science' debate, and consider the opportunities that may exist for the immunology community. We position this analysis in light of our own experience, both positive and negative, as participants of the Immunological Genome Project.

  11. Widespread immunological functions of mast cells: fact or fiction?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodewald, Hans-Reimer; Feyerabend, Thorsten B

    2012-07-27

    Immunological functions of mast cells are currently considered to be much broader than the original role of mast cells in IgE-driven allergic disease. The spectrum of proposed mast cell functions includes areas as diverse as the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, protective immunity against viral, microbial, and parasitic pathogens, autoimmunity, tolerance to graft rejection, promotion of or protection from cancer, wound healing, angiogenesis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and others. The vast majority of in vivo mast cell data have been based on mast cell-deficient Kit mutant mice. However, work in new mouse mutants with unperturbed Kit function, which have a surprisingly normal immune system, has failed to corroborate some key immunological aspects, formerly attributed to mast cells. Here, we consider the implications of these recent developments for the state of the field as well as for future work, aiming at deciphering the physiological functions of mast cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Some notes on radiation immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sado, Toshihiko

    1977-01-01

    Immunological movement related to radiation immunology were reviewed. Basic items about cell mechanism of immunological reaction were explained, and then, relationship between immunity and radiation was given an outline. As to radiation effects on immunological lymphatic system, radiosensitivity of lymphocytes and immunological reaction, radiation effects on T and B cells, and radiosensitivity of lymphatic system, especially thymus were mentioned, and furthermore, delayed effects of radiation on immunological system were described. Radiation effects on relationship between bone marrow transplantation and genesis of reticulum cell tumor and delayed effects of radiation on them were mentioned, and genetic resistance against hematopoietic cell transplantation and its radiosensitivity were also described. Relationship between carcinogenesis due to radiation and immunity, and a state of specific immunological in an individual non-responsiveness having cancer, were also referred to. (Kanao, N.)

  13. Physiology and immunology of mucosal barriers in catfish (Ictalurus spp.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The mucosal barriers of catfish (Ictalurus spp.) constitute the first line of defense against pathogen invasion while simultaneously carrying out a diverse array of other critical physiological processes, including nutrient adsorption, osmoregulation, waste excretion, and environmental sensing. Catf...

  14. IP-I0 BASED IMMUNOLOGICAL MONITORING

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2008-01-01

    The present invention relates to an immunological method and, more particularly, a method for measuring cell-mediated immune reactivity (CMI) in mammals based on the production of IP-10.The invention further discloses an assay and a kit for measuring CMI to an antigen using whole blood or other...

  15. Host Competence: An Organismal Trait to Integrate Immunology and Epidemiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Lynn B; Burgan, S C; Adelman, James S; Gervasi, Stephanie S

    2016-12-01

    The new fields of ecological immunology and disease ecology have begun to merge, and the classic fields of immunology and epidemiology are beginning to blend with them. This merger is occurring because the integrative study of host-parasite interactions is providing insights into disease in ways that traditional methods have not. With the advent of new tools, mathematical and technological, we could be on the verge of developing a unified theory of infectious disease, one that supersedes the barriers of jargon and tradition. Here we argue that a cornerstone of any such synthesis will be host competence, the propensity of an individual host to generate new infections in other susceptible hosts. In the last few years, the emergence of systems immunology has led to novel insight into how hosts control or eliminate pathogens. Most such efforts have stopped short of considering transmission and the requisite behaviors of infected individuals that mediate it, and few have explicitly incorporated ecological and evolutionary principles. Ultimately though, we expect that the use of a systems immunology perspective will help link suborganismal processes (i.e., health of hosts and selection on genes) to superorganismal outcomes (i.e., community-level disease dynamics and host-parasite coevolution). Recently, physiological regulatory networks (PRNs) were cast as whole-organism regulatory systems that mediate homeostasis and hence link suborganismal processes with the fitness of individuals. Here, we use the PRN construct to develop a roadmap for studying host competence, taking guidance from systems immunology and evolutionary ecology research. We argue that PRN variation underlies heterogeneity in individual host competence and hence host-parasite dynamics. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. The size of the thymus: an important immunological diagnostic tool?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jeppesen, Dorthe Lisbeth

    2003-01-01

    of the thymus relevant to its function and could measurement of the thymus be a useful immunological diagnostic tool in the investigation of thymic function in humans with a depressed immune system? Conclusion: Studies using the size of the thymus as an immunological diagnostic tool should be encouraged....

  17. A systematic review investigating measurement properties of physiological tests in rugby.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiwaridzo, Matthew; Oorschot, Sander; Dambi, Jermaine M; Ferguson, Gillian D; Bonney, Emmanuel; Mudawarima, Tapfuma; Tadyanemhandu, Cathrine; Smits-Engelsman, Bouwien C M

    2017-01-01

    This systematic review was conducted with the first objective aimed at providing an overview of the physiological characteristics commonly evaluated in rugby and the corresponding tests used to measure each construct. Secondly, the measurement properties of all identified tests per physiological construct were evaluated with the ultimate purpose of identifying tests with strongest level of evidence per construct. The review was conducted in two stages. In all stages, electronic databases of EBSCOhost, Medline and Scopus were searched for full-text articles. Stage 1 included studies examining physiological characteristics in rugby. Stage 2 included studies evaluating measurement properties of all tests identified in Stage 1 either in rugby or related sports such as Australian Rules football and Soccer. Two independent reviewers screened relevant articles from titles and abstracts for both stages. Seventy studies met the inclusion criteria for Stage 1. The studies described 63 tests assessing speed (8), agility/change of direction speed (7), upper-body muscular endurance (8), upper-body muscular power (6), upper-body muscular strength (5), anaerobic endurance (4), maximal aerobic power (4), lower-body muscular power (3), prolonged high-intensity intermittent running ability/endurance (5), lower-body muscular strength (5), repeated high-intensity exercise performance (3), repeated-sprint ability (2), repeated-effort ability (1), maximal aerobic speed (1) and abdominal endurance (1). Stage 2 identified 20 studies describing measurement properties of 21 different tests. Only moderate evidence was found for the reliability of the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness. There was limited evidence found for the reliability and/or validity of 5 m, 10 m, 20 m speed tests, 505 test, modified 505 test, L run test, Sergeant Jump test and bench press repetitions-to-fatigue tests. There was no information from high-quality studies on the measurement properties of all the other tests

  18. Effect of intratracheally instilled depleted uranium on immunological function of rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You Hanhu; Yang Zhihua; Cao Zhenshan; Zhu Maoxiang; Liu Xingrong

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To study immunological effects of depleted uranium in rats. Methods: Wistar rats were exposed to depleted uranium by single intratracheal instillation. Body weight and peripheral blood cells were measured weekly and immunological functions were evaluated by weight coefficient of immune organs, plague forming cells of splenocytes, total and subpopulation counts of lymphocytes in thymus. Results: Early after administration, body weight decreased and red blood cells as well as platelets reduced while white blood cells increased, which returned to normal within 1 or 2 months. Immunological functions of splenocytes and thymocytes were affected dose-dependently by depleted uranium. Conclusion: Depleted uranium induces immunological dysfunction in rats. (authors)

  19. Emotion Monitoring – Verification of Physiological Characteristics Measurement Procedures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Landowska Agnieszka

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns measurement procedures on an emotion monitoring stand designed for tracking human emotions in the Human-Computer Interaction with physiological characteristics. The paper addresses the key problem of physiological measurements being disturbed by a motion typical for human-computer interaction such as keyboard typing or mouse movements. An original experiment is described, that aimed at practical evaluation of measurement procedures performed at the emotion monitoring stand constructed at GUT. Different locations of sensors were considered and evaluated for suitability and measurement precision in the Human- Computer Interaction monitoring. Alternative locations (ear lobes and forearms for skin conductance, blood volume pulse and temperature sensors were proposed and verified. Alternative locations proved correlation with traditional locations as well as lower sensitiveness to movements like typing or mouse moving, therefore they can make a better solution for monitoring the Human-Computer Interaction.

  20. Immunologic manifestations of autophagy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deretic, Vojo; Kimura, Tomonori; Timmins, Graham

    2015-01-01

    The broad immunologic roles of autophagy span innate and adaptive immunity and are often manifested in inflammatory diseases. The immune effects of autophagy partially overlap with its roles in metabolism and cytoplasmic quality control but typically expand further afield to encompass unique...... immunologic adaptations. One of the best-appreciated manifestations of autophagy is protection against microbial invasion, but this is by no means limited to direct elimination of intracellular pathogens and includes a stratified array of nearly all principal immunologic processes. This Review summarizes...... the broad immunologic roles of autophagy. Furthermore, it uses the autophagic control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a paradigm to illustrate the breadth and complexity of the immune effects of autophagy....

  1. Molecular and physiological manifestations and measurement of aging in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Sadiya S; Singer, Benjamin D; Vaughan, Douglas E

    2017-08-01

    Biological aging is associated with a reduction in the reparative and regenerative potential in tissues and organs. This reduction manifests as a decreased physiological reserve in response to stress (termed homeostenosis) and a time-dependent failure of complex molecular mechanisms that cumulatively create disorder. Aging inevitably occurs with time in all organisms and emerges on a molecular, cellular, organ, and organismal level with genetic, epigenetic, and environmental modulators. Individuals with the same chronological age exhibit differential trajectories of age-related decline, and it follows that we should assess biological age distinctly from chronological age. In this review, we outline mechanisms of aging with attention to well-described molecular and cellular hallmarks and discuss physiological changes of aging at the organ-system level. We suggest methods to measure aging with attention to both molecular biology (e.g., telomere length and epigenetic marks) and physiological function (e.g., lung function and echocardiographic measurements). Finally, we propose a framework to integrate these molecular and physiological data into a composite score that measures biological aging in humans. Understanding the molecular and physiological phenomena that drive the complex and multifactorial processes underlying the variable pace of biological aging in humans will inform how researchers assess and investigate health and disease over the life course. This composite biological age score could be of use to researchers seeking to characterize normal, accelerated, and exceptionally successful aging as well as to assess the effect of interventions aimed at modulating human aging. © 2017 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Effects of immune supplementation and immune challenge on oxidative status and physiology in a model bird: implications for ecologists

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Crommenacker, van de J.; Horrocks, N.P.C.; Versteegh, M.A.; Tieleman, B.I.; Komdeur, J.; Matson, K.D.

    2010-01-01

    One route to gain insight into the causes and consequences of ecological differentiation is to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms. We explored the relationships between immunological and oxidative status and investigated how birds cope physiologically with the effects of

  3. Performance of immunological response in predicting virological failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingole, Nayana; Mehta, Preeti; Pazare, Amar; Paranjpe, Supriya; Sarkate, Purva

    2013-03-01

    In HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART), the decision on when to switch from first-line to second-line therapy is dictated by treatment failure, and this can be measured in three ways: clinically, immunologically, and virologically. While viral load (VL) decreases and CD4 cell increases typically occur together after starting ART, discordant responses may be seen. Hence the current study was designed to determine the immunological and virological response to ART and to evaluate the utility of immunological response to predict virological failure. All treatment-naive HIV-positive individuals aged >18 years who were eligible for ART were enrolled and assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months clinically and by CD4 cell count and viral load estimations. The patients were categorized as showing concordant favorable (CF), immunological only (IO), virological only (VO), and concordant unfavorable responses (CU). The efficiency of immunological failure to predict virological failure was analyzed across various levels of virological failure (VL>50, >500, and >5,000 copies/ml). At 6 months, 87(79.81%), 7(5.5%), 13 (11.92%), and 2 (1.83%) patients and at 12 months 61(69.3%), 9(10.2%), 16 (18.2%), and 2 (2.3%) patients had CF, IO, VO, and CU responses, respectively. Immunological failure criteria had a very low sensitivity (11.1-40%) and positive predictive value (8.3-25%) to predict virological failure. Immunological criteria do not accurately predict virological failure resulting in significant misclassification of therapeutic responses. There is an urgent need for inclusion of viral load testing in the initiation and monitoring of ART.

  4. Physiological and immunological characterization of Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus naturally infected with Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascual Jiménez, Cristina; Huchin-Mian, Juan Pablo; Simões, Nuno; Briones-Fourzán, Patricia; Lozano-Álvarez, Enrique; Sánchez Arteaga, Ariadna; Pérez-Vega, Juan Antonio; Simá-Álvarez, Raúl; Rosas Vazquez, Carlos; Rodríguez-Canul, Rossanna

    2012-08-27

    The present study compares 13 physiological and immunological variables between a group of healthy Panulirus argus lobsters and a group of lobsters naturally infected with Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1). Viral infection was determined through histopathology and PCR. Ten of the 13 variables differed significantly between the 2 groups. Using these variables, a principal component analysis yielded 2 separate clusters: one corresponding to the healthy group and the other corresponding to the infected group. In particular, infected lobsters exhibited significantly lower levels of osmotic pressure, total hemocyte counts, plasmatic proteins, and total phenoloxidase (PO) activity in plasma, as well as significantly higher levels of cholesterol and acylglycerides. These features are consistent with metabolic wasting, hyperlipidemia, and presumed immune suppression. Infection with PaV1 appears to increase the susceptibility of lobsters to some other opportunistic pathogens, as 61.1% of infected lobsters presented infestations of ciliate epibionts (Epystilis and Zoothamniun) in the gill chamber compared with 11.5% lobsters in the healthy group. Infected lobsters also showed significantly higher levels of total PO activity in degranulated hemocytes and trypsin inhibitor activity, potentially indicating activation of immune response by the PO system during the systemic infection with PaV1.

  5. Tumor immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mocellin, Simone; Lise, Mario; Nitti, Donato

    2007-01-01

    Advances in tumor immunology are supporting the clinical implementation of several immunological approaches to cancer in the clinical setting. However, the alternate success of current immunotherapeutic regimens underscores the fact that the molecular mechanisms underlying immune-mediated tumor rejection are still poorly understood. Given the complexity of the immune system network and the multidimensionality of tumor/host interactions, the comprehension of tumor immunology might greatly benefit from high-throughput microarray analysis, which can portrait the molecular kinetics of immune response on a genome-wide scale, thus accelerating the discovery pace and ultimately catalyzing the development of new hypotheses in cell biology. Although in its infancy, the implementation of microarray technology in tumor immunology studies has already provided investigators with novel data and intriguing new hypotheses on the molecular cascade leading to an effective immune response against cancer. Although the general principles of microarray-based gene profiling have rapidly spread in the scientific community, the need for mastering this technique to produce meaningful data and correctly interpret the enormous output of information generated by this technology is critical and represents a tremendous challenge for investigators, as outlined in the first section of this book. In the present Chapter, we report on some of the most significant results obtained with the application of DNA microarray in this oncology field.

  6. Anorectal physiology measurements are of no value in clinical practice. True or false?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carty, N. J.; Moran, B.; Johnson, C. D.

    1994-01-01

    This article examines whether there is any clinical value in anorectal physiology measurements. The function of the human rectum is poorly understood and the factors which affect function of the anal sphincters are complex. Several laboratories have reported results of anorectal physiology measurements, but there is extensive variation between normal values in different laboratories. It is argued that anorectal physiology measurements fail to meet the criteria of a useful clinical test: 1. It is not widely available to clinicians; 2. It is not possible to establish a reproducible normal range; 3. Abnormal measurements do not correlate with disease entities or explain symptoms; 4. The results are often unhelpful in diagnosis and management; 5. Clinical outcome after intervention does not correlate with alteration in the measurements obtained. On the other hand it can be argued that anorectal physiology measurements do provide information that assists in the management of conditions such as constipation, anismus, Hirschsprung's disease, faecal incontinence and tenesmus. Management based on biofeedback modification of physiological responses requires these techniques as part of the biofeedback system. There is evidence that this may be appropriate in anismus and solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. However, the assessment of these difficult conditions and the interpretation of the results are probably at present best confined to specialist units. PMID:8074392

  7. Immunology of Paratuberculosis Infection and Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    The study of host immune responses to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is complicated by a number of factors, including the protracted nature of the disease and the stealthy nature of the pathogen. Improved tools for the measurement of immunologic responses in ruminant species, par...

  8. The role of cystatins in tick physiology and blood feeding

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Schwarz, Alexandra; Valdés, James J.; Kotsyfakis, Michalis

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 3, č. 3 (2012), s. 117-127 ISSN 1877-959X R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP502/12/2409 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Cystatin * Cysteine proteases * Tick * Immunomodulators * Blood feeding * Midgut * Physiology Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 2.353, year: 2012

  9. SPECIAL ISSUE VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOPATHOLOGY: PROCEEDINGS 8TH INTERNATIONAL VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM

    Science.gov (United States)

    This is the Special Issue of Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. that summarizes the 8th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (8 th IVIS) held August 15th-19th, 2007, in Ouro Preto, Brazil. The 8 th IVIS highlighted the importance of veterinary immunology for animal health, vaccinology, reproducti...

  10. Development of radiation immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie Yi; Dang Bingrong; Bing Tao; Zhang Hong; Li Wenjian; Liu Bing

    2005-01-01

    Radiation immunology as a new subject has made a great progress in recent years, especially in the radiation hormesis. At the same time, the research of radiobiological effect on heavy ions has played an important role in the cancer therapy, especially on the radiation immunology of heavy ions in the outer space. In this review, the authors summarized the status and development of radiation-immunology, and try to find out some better ways which can increase efficient killing on tumours, but reduce the damages on normal tissues. (authors)

  11. Effects of hydroxocobalamin on carboxyhemoglobin measured under physiologic and pathologic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pace, R; Bon Homme, M; Hoffman, R S; Lugassy, D

    2014-08-01

    Pre-hospital administration of hydroxocobalamin (B12a) is used for empiric treatment of cyanide poisoning because cyanide poisoning is difficult to identify and requires immediate treatment. B12a interferes with the accuracy of several blood laboratory tests. This study aimed to explore how B12a affects carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) measurements in human blood at both physiologic and pathologic COHb levels. Several clinically relevant concentrations of B12a were added to human blood samples containing physiologic (∼ 3%) and pathologic (30% and 50%) COHb levels. We then measured the COHb levels of the samples using two different co-oximeters, the Radiometer ABL 700 and the Rapidpoint 500, and compared to their actual baseline COHb levels. B12a had minimal effects on the COHb measured at both physiologic and pathologic levels when measured on the Radiometer. In contrast, the Rapidpoint B12a caused a dose-dependent decrease in the COHb measured, especially of pathologic COHb levels (∼ 30 and 50%). The magnitude of B12a interference on measured COHb is dependent upon the specific co-oximeter used, the actual COHb level and the serum B12a concentration. These errors may potentially influence clinical decision making and thus affect patient outcomes. Our findings emphasize the importance of measuring COHb levels on blood samples collected prior to B12a administration.

  12. A new era in veterinary immunology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Halliwell, R.E.W.; Goudswaard, J.

    1979-01-01

    The importance of the creation of a new international journal of “Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology” is apparent following the emergence of veterinary immunology as an identifiable discipline and the vital part played by investigations of animal models of immunological diseases of

  13. Systems physiology in dairy cattle: nutritional genomics and beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loor, Juan J; Bionaz, Massimo; Drackley, James K

    2013-01-01

    Microarray development changed the way biologists approach the holistic study of cells and tissues. In dairy cattle biosciences, the application of omics technology, from spotted microarrays to next-generation sequencing and proteomics, has grown steadily during the past 10 years. Omics has found application in fields such as dairy cattle nutritional physiology, reproduction, and immunology. Generating biologically meaningful data from omics studies relies on bioinformatics tools. Both are key components of the systems physiology toolbox, which allows study of the interactions between a condition (e.g., nutrition, physiological state) with tissue gene/protein expression and the associated changes in biological functions. The nature of physiologic and metabolic adaptations in dairy cattle at any stage of the life cycle is multifaceted, involves multiple tissues, and is dynamic, e.g., the transition from late-pregnancy to lactation. Application of integrative systems physiology in periparturient dairy cattle has already advanced knowledge of the simultaneous functional adaptations in liver, adipose, and mammary tissue.

  14. The New Cellular Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claman, Henry N.

    1973-01-01

    Discusses the nature of the immune response and traces many of the discoveries that have led to the present state of knowledge in immunology. The new cellular immunology is directing its efforts toward improving health by proper manipulation of the immune mechanisms of the body. (JR)

  15. HIV Molecular Immunology 2015

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yusim, Karina [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Theoretical Division; Korber, Bette Tina [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Theoretical Division; Brander, Christian [Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona (Spain); Barouch, Dan [Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA (United States). Division of Vaccine Research; de Boer, Rob [Utrecht University, Utrecht (Netherlands). Faculty of Biology; Haynes, Barton F. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Duke Human Vaccine Institute and Departments of Medicine, Surgery and Immunology; Koup, Richard [National Inst. of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD (United States). Vaccine Research Center; Moore, John P. [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Weill Medical College; Walker, Bruce D. [Ragon Institute, Cambridge, MA (United States); Watkins, David [Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, Madison, WI (United States)

    2016-04-05

    The scope and purpose of the HIV molecular immunology database: HIV Molecular Immunology is a companion volume to HIV Sequence Compendium. This publication, the 2015 edition, is the PDF version of the web-based HIV Immunology Database (http://www.hiv.lanl.gov/ content/immunology/). The web interface for this relational database has many search options, as well as interactive tools to help immunologists design reagents and interpret their results. In the HIV Immunology Database, HIV-specific B-cell and T-cell responses are summarized and annotated. Immunological responses are divided into three parts, CTL, T helper, and antibody. Within these parts, defined epitopes are organized by protein and binding sites within each protein, moving from left to right through the coding regions spanning the HIV genome. We include human responses to natural HIV infections, as well as vaccine studies in a range of animal models and human trials. Responses that are not specifically defined, such as responses to whole proteins or monoclonal antibody responses to discontinuous epitopes, are summarized at the end of each protein section. Studies describing general HIV responses to the virus, but not to any specific protein, are included at the end of each part. The annotation includes information such as cross-reactivity, escape mutations, antibody sequence, TCR usage, functional domains that overlap with an epitope, immune response associations with rates of progression and therapy, and how specific epitopes were experimentally defined. Basic information such as HLA specificities for T-cell epitopes, isotypes of monoclonal antibodies, and epitope sequences are included whenever possible. All studies that we can find that incorporate the use of a specific monoclonal antibody are included in the entry for that antibody. A single T-cell epitope can have multiple entries, generally one entry per study. Finally, maps of all defined linear epitopes relative to the HXB2 reference proteins

  16. 21 CFR 866.5040 - Albumin immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Albumin immunological test system. 866.5040... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5040 Albumin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An albumin immunological test system is a device that consists of...

  17. Measuring Cognitive Load: A Comparison of Self-Report and Physiological Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Stacey

    2013-01-01

    This study explored three methods to measure cognitive load in a learning environment using four logic puzzles that systematically varied in level of intrinsic cognitive load. Participants' perceived intrinsic load was simultaneously measured with a self-report measure-a traditional subjective measure-and two objective, physiological measures…

  18. 42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Diagnostic immunology. 493.921 Section 493.921... Testing Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.921 Diagnostic immunology. The subspecialties under the specialty of immunology for which a program may offer proficiency testing are syphilis...

  19. 42 CFR 493.927 - General immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false General immunology. 493.927 Section 493.927 Public... Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.927 General immunology. (a) Program content and frequency of challenge. To be approved for proficiency testing for immunology, the annual program...

  20. Consortium biology in immunology: the perspective from the Immunological Genome Project.

    OpenAIRE

    Benoist, C; Lanier, L; Merad, M; Mathis, D; Immunological Genome Project,

    2012-01-01

    Although the field has a long collaborative tradition, immunology has made less use than genetics of 'consortium biology', wherein groups of investigators together tackle large integrated questions or problems. However, immunology is naturally suited to large-scale integrative and systems-level approaches, owing to the multicellular and adaptive nature of the cells it encompasses. Here, we discuss the value and drawbacks of this organization of research, in the context of the long-running 'bi...

  1. Pediatric allergy and immunology in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik, Gülfem; Bakirtas, Arzu; Sackesen, Cansin; Reisli, Ismail; Tuncer, Ayfer

    2011-06-01

    Allergic diseases constitute a significant health problem in Turkey. According to a recent multicenter study, which used the ISAAC questionnaire, the mean prevalence of wheezing, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in 10-yr-old school children during the past year was 15.8%, 23.5%, and 8.1%, respectively. A healthcare level system, regulated by Ministry of Health, is available in Turkey. Pediatric allergists and pediatric immunologists provide patient care at the tertiary level. Currently, 48 centers deliver care for allergic and immunologic diseases in children. There are 136 pediatric and 61 adult allergists/immunologists. Although the number of allergy/clinical immunology specialists is limited, these centers are capable of delivering many of the procedures required for the proper management and diagnosis of allergy/immunology. Pediatric allergy and/or immunology is a subspecialty lasting 3 yr and follows a 4-yr pediatric specialist training. Fellow training involves gaining knowledge in basic and clinical allergy and immunology as well as the performance and interpretation of laboratory procedures in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. The Turkish National Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (TNSACI) was officially established in 1989 and currently has 356 members. The society organizes a national congress annually and winter schools for fellowship training as well as training courses for patients and their relatives. TNSACI also has a strong representation in European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) through its participation in the executive committee, consensus reports, and initiatives in the diagnosis of allergic and immunologic diseases of children. The 30th Congress of the EAACI is also due to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, between June 11 and 15, 2011. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  2. Immunological disorders in formation of periodontal diseases at pregnant women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.V. Lepilin

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The research goal is to study clinical and immunological features of parodentium and cytokine profile in oral cavity of pregnant women. The condition of parodentium tissues was studied at 200 women with physiological pregnancy and 300 women with pregnancy complicated by gestosis. According to the results of examination 50 women with gestosis and 50 women with physiological pregnancy had inflammatory periodontal diseases. Phenotyping of lymphocytes by immunofluorescence method, investigation of necrosis containing factor of tumour-a, interleukin-8, interleukin-4 and transforming growth factor beta-1 in oral cavity by immunofermental analysis were performed. Frequency and character of inflammatory periodontal diseases at pregnancy were defined. Correlation of gingivitis and periodontitis at pregnancy with extragenital pathology was demonstrated. Immune and cytokine disbalance contributed greatly to pathogenesis of inflammatory periodontal diseases at pregnant women. Thus pathogenesis of oral hygiene, smoking, gestosis, immunosuppression and cytokine disbalance affects inflammatory periodontal diseases at pregnant women

  3. Physiological Measures of Emotion from a Developmental Perspective: State of the Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dennis, Tracy A.; Buss, Kristin A.; Hastings, Paul D.; Bell, Martha Ann; Diaz, Anjolii; Adam, Emma K.; Miskovic, Vladimir; Schmidt, Louis A.; Feldman, Ruth; Katz, Lynn Fainsilber; Rigterink, Tami; Strang, Nicole M.; Hanson, Jamie L.; Pollak, Seth D.; Dahl, Ronald E.; Silk, Jennifer S.; Siegle, Greg J.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Cicchetti, Dante; Rogosch, Fred A.; Fox, Nathan A.; Kirwan, Michael; Reeb-Sutherland, Bethany; Gunnar, Megan R.; Obradovic, Jelena; Boyce, W. Thomas; Molenaar, Peter C. M.; Gates, Kathleen M.

    2012-01-01

    In the past decade, there has been a dramatic growth in research examining the development of emotion from a physiological perspective. However, this widespread use of physiological measures to study emotional development coexists with relatively few guiding principles, thus reducing opportunities to move the field forward in innovative ways. The…

  4. Genomic and transcriptomic approaches to study immunology in cyprinids: What is next?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petit, Jules; David, Lior; Dirks, Ron; Wiegertjes, Geert F

    2017-10-01

    Accelerated by the introduction of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), a number of genomes of cyprinid fish species have been drafted, leading to a highly valuable collective resource of comparative genome information on cyprinids (Cyprinidae). In addition, NGS-based transcriptome analyses of different developmental stages, organs, or cell types, increasingly contribute to the understanding of complex physiological processes, including immune responses. Cyprinids are a highly interesting family because they comprise one of the most-diversified families of teleosts and because of their variation in ploidy level, with diploid, triploid, tetraploid, hexaploid and sometimes even octoploid species. The wealth of data obtained from NGS technologies provides both challenges and opportunities for immunological research, which will be discussed here. Correct interpretation of ploidy effects on immune responses requires knowledge of the degree of functional divergence between duplicated genes, which can differ even between closely-related cyprinid fish species. We summarize NGS-based progress in analysing immune responses and discuss the importance of respecting the presence of (multiple) duplicated gene sequences when performing transcriptome analyses for detailed understanding of complex physiological processes. Progressively, advances in NGS technology are providing workable methods to further elucidate the implications of gene duplication events and functional divergence of duplicates genes and proteins involved in immune responses in cyprinids. We conclude with discussing how future applications of NGS technologies and analysis methods could enhance immunological research and understanding. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  5. Immunology and Epidemiology

    CERN Document Server

    Hraba, Tomáš

    1986-01-01

    In February 1985 a small international meeting of scientists took place at the recreation resort of the Polish Academy of Sci­ ences in Mogilany, near Cracow, Poland. The initiative for holding the workshop came from a working meeting on mathematical immunology and related topics at the International Institute for Applied Sys­ tems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria, in November 1983. In addition to representatives of IIASA, delegates of the IIASA National Member Organizations (NMO) of Czechoslovakia, Italy, and the soviet Union took part in that working meeting. The participants came to the conclusion that IIASA could play an important role in facilitating the development of research in this field. The first step that they recommended to I IASA was to organize a workshop on mathematical immunology. The purpose of the workshop was to review the progress that has been made in applying mathematics to problems in immunology and to explore ways in which further progress might be achieved, especially by more efficie...

  6. Regulatory immune cells and functions in autoimmunity and transplantation immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papp, Gabor; Boros, Peter; Nakken, Britt; Szodoray, Peter; Zeher, Margit

    2017-05-01

    In physiological circumstances, various tolerogenic mechanisms support the protection of self-structures during immune responses. However, quantitative and/or qualitative changes in regulatory immune cells and mediators can evoke auto-reactive immune responses, and upon susceptible genetic background, along with the presence of other concomitant etiological factors, autoimmune disease may develop. In transplant immunology, tolerogenic mechanisms are also critical, since the balance between of alloantigen-reactive effector cells and the regulatory immune cells will ultimately determine whether a graft is accepted or rejected. Better understanding of the immunological tolerance and the potential modulations of immune regulatory processes are crucial for developing effective therapies in autoimmune diseases as well as in organ transplantation. In this review, we focus on the novel insights regarding the impaired immune regulation and other relevant factors contributing to the development of auto-reactive and graft-reactive immune responses in autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection, respectively. We also address some promising approaches for modification of immune-regulatory processes and tolerogenic mechanisms in autoimmunity and solid organ transplantation, which may be beneficial in future therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Immunological methods for gentamicin determination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krugers Dagneauz, P.G.L.C.; Olthuis, F.M.F.G.

    1979-01-01

    For immunoassay, an antibody against the substance to the determined, the pure substance itself, and a labelled form or derivative of the substance are required. The principles and problems of the preparation of antibodies are discussed, some methods for the preparation of derivatives labelled with radioactive tracers or enzymes are reviewed, and homologous enzyme-immunological determination of gentamicin is discussed in detail. A comparison is mae of three radio-immunological determination methods, and the most suitable radio-immunological method is compared with two microbiological techniques. The results are found to be comparable. (Auth.)

  8. Isotope determinations of renal clearance equivalent with physiological clearance measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Junges, R.

    1983-01-01

    The concept of renal clearance in nuclear medicine describes the tubular secretion and glomerular filtration of a substance being removed from the blood plasma. The concept of clearance as used physiologically is rather wider and includes consideration of the outflow of the substances remained back in the kidneys. The present paper discusses clearance measurements as seen from a thermodynamic point of view, in which isotope clearances become equivalent with the physiological concept of clearance. In addition, it is possible to quantify each single step of the excretory function of each kidney separately. (orig.) [de

  9. Enhancement of immunological activity after mild hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noguchi, Kenichi; Hasegawa, Takeo; Takahashi, Tohru

    2002-01-01

    At present, hyperthermia is clinically very important as interdisciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumors. We evaluated the effects of hyperthermia under temperature of 42.5C and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect cabn be obtained in this studies. We used animals were C3H mice (male,7W) bearing SCC-VII tumor on femur skin. Then, the mice were divided to 10 mice in each group, and only femur region was immersed in warm water for thermal treatment. Also we measured the tumor growth, changes of blood cell fraction and NK cell activity. The results of the present study confirmed: (1) Anti-tumor effect can be given by thermal treatment at relatively mild temperature (mild temperature at 39C-42C); (2) The increase of neutrophils is dependent on the quantity of heat added; (3) Immunological response of monocytes and lymphocytes is associated with it; (4) Activity of the immunological potency as a whole such as activation of NK cells was also confirmed

  10. Immunological consideration for some aspects of radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makidono, Atsushi; Makidono, Tohoru; Yoshimoto, Kiichiro.

    1978-01-01

    What immunology should be in radiology was considered from the modern immunological and radioimmunological point of view. In order to evaluate an immunological response to radiation at a cellular level, radiosensitivities of macrophage, T-cell, and B-cell were selectively described from a modern immunological stand point. On the basis of this knowledge, radioimmunology was explained; and in clinical field, diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumor, radiotherapy for suppressing immuno-lymphatic system, and reactivators for making the treatment effective were described. Immunoreaction in homo-transplantation of organs, relationship between radiation and auto-immunization, and relationship between carcinogenesis of radiation and immunity were explained so that the way of considering immunology in radiology will be summarized. (Ueda, J.)

  11. 42 CFR 493.833 - Condition: Diagnostic immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition: Diagnostic immunology. 493.833 Section..., Or Any Combination of These Tests § 493.833 Condition: Diagnostic immunology. The specialty of diagnostic immunology includes for purposes of proficiency testing the subspecialties of syphilis serology...

  12. Initiation of TNF Inhibitor Therapy and Change in Physiologic Measures in Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jashin J.; Liu, Liyan; Asgari, Maryam M.; Curtis, Jeffrey R.; Harrold, Leslie; Salman, Craig; Herrinton, Lisa J.

    2014-01-01

    Background Psoriasis may predispose to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, the role of TNF inhibitor in mediating this risk is controversial. Objective To assess this relationship, we estimated change in metabolic physiologic measures before and after initiation of TNF inhibitor therapy compared with methotrexate therapy among psoriasis patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study, 2007–2012, using computerized clinical data for 1,274 new users of TNF inhibitor and 979 new users of methotrexate therapy to compare change in blood pressure, lipids, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, and body mass index before and after start of TNF inhibitors or methotrexate. The study was restricted to new users. We computed within-person change in each measure, so that each patient served as their own control. In addition, we compared TNF inhibitor patients to methotrexate patients, by computing the adjusted difference in their group means. In secondary analyses, we examined phototherapy as a comparator. Results Among starters of TNF inhibitor and MTX therapy, within-person change in physiologic measures at 6 months did not differ significantly. We observed no important or significant changes in any of the physiologic measures with initiation of TNF inhibitor compared with methotrexate. The same results were found in subgroup analyses focused on men, and on those with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or obesity. The same results were observed with phototherapy, except that diastolic blood pressure declined by 0.6 mm Hg within-person during the 6 months after starting phototherapy (p<0.05). Conclusions The study provides no evidence for improvement of physiologic measures associated with the metabolic syndrome resulting from TNF inhibitor use for psoriasis. PMID:24708441

  13. Advances in clinical immunology in 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinen, Javier; Notarangelo, Luigi D; Shearer, William T

    2016-12-01

    Advances in clinical immunology in the past year included the report of practice parameters for the diagnosis and management of primary immunodeficiencies to guide the clinician in the approach to these relatively uncommon disorders. We have learned of new gene defects causing immunodeficiency and of new phenotypes expanding the spectrum of conditions caused by genetic mutations such as a specific regulator of telomere elongation (RTEL1) mutation causing isolated natural killer cell deficiency and mutations in ras-associated RAB (RAB27) resulting in immunodeficiency without albinism. Advances in diagnosis included the increasing use of whole-exome sequencing to identify gene defects and the measurement of serum free light chains to identify secondary hypogammaglobulinemias. For several primary immunodeficiencies, improved outcomes have been reported after definitive therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Space physiology and medicine, 2nd ed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicogossian, A.E.; Huntoon, C.L.; Pool, S.L.; Johnson, P.C.

    1988-01-01

    The contents of this book are: Physiological Adaptation to Space Flight: Overall Adaptation to Space Flight and Implications; The Neurovestibular System; Performance; The Cardiopulmonary System; Nutrition; Bone and Mineral Metabolism; Hematology, Immunology, Endocrinology, and Biochemistry; Microgravity: Stimulations and Analogs; Health Maintenance of Space Crewmemebers: Medical Evaluation for Astronaut Selection and Longitudinal Studies; Biomedical Training of Space Crews; Ground-Based Medical Programs; Countermeasures to Space Deconditioning; Medical Problems of Space Flight: Toxic Hazards in Space Operations; Radiation Exposure Issues and Medical Care and Health Maintenance in Flight

  15. Ideernes epidemiologi og kulturens immunologi

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    , suggested by Sperber, is extended by an ‘immunology of cultural systems’. In addition to the selective forces described by Sperber and Boyer, the immunological approach argues that the relative success of new representations is largely dependent on how well they fit already existing cultural models...

  16. Effect of Yikangning on immunological function in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou Fangyu; Xu Xiaoyi; Shi Yulu; Sheng Xuecheng; Zhao Liyan

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the effect of Yikangning oral liquid on immunological function in mice. Methods: 3 H-TdR incorporation was used to detect the lymphocyte transformation rate for Con A and LPS. Results: The drug increased the lymphocyte transformation rate in mice with lowed immunological function. Conclusion: Yikangning enhances immunological function in mice with lowered immunological function

  17. Modeling-Enabled Systems Nutritional Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Meghna; Hontecillas, Raquel; Abedi, Vida; Leber, Andrew; Tubau-Juni, Nuria; Philipson, Casandra; Carbo, Adria; Bassaganya-Riera, Josep

    2016-01-01

    This review highlights the fundamental role of nutrition in the maintenance of health, the immune response, and disease prevention. Emerging global mechanistic insights in the field of nutritional immunology cannot be gained through reductionist methods alone or by analyzing a single nutrient at a time. We propose to investigate nutritional immunology as a massively interacting system of interconnected multistage and multiscale networks that encompass hidden mechanisms by which nutrition, microbiome, metabolism, genetic predisposition, and the immune system interact to delineate health and disease. The review sets an unconventional path to apply complex science methodologies to nutritional immunology research, discovery, and development through “use cases” centered around the impact of nutrition on the gut microbiome and immune responses. Our systems nutritional immunology analyses, which include modeling and informatics methodologies in combination with pre-clinical and clinical studies, have the potential to discover emerging systems-wide properties at the interface of the immune system, nutrition, microbiome, and metabolism. PMID:26909350

  18. Modeling-Enabled Systems Nutritional Immunology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meghna eVerma

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This review highlights the fundamental role of nutrition in the maintenance of health, the immune response and disease prevention. Emerging global mechanistic insights in the field of nutritional immunology cannot be gained through reductionist methods alone or by analyzing a single nutrient at a time. We propose to investigate nutritional immunology as a massively interacting system of interconnected multistage and multiscale networks that encompass hidden mechanisms by which nutrition, microbiome, metabolism, genetic predisposition and the immune system interact to delineate health and disease. The review sets an unconventional path to applying complex science methodologies to nutritional immunology research, discovery and development through ‘use cases’ centered around the impact of nutrition on the gut microbiome and immune responses. Our systems nutritional immunology analyses, that include modeling and informatics methodologies in combination with pre-clinical and clinical studies, have the potential to discover emerging systems-wide properties at the interface of the immune system, nutrition, microbiome, and metabolism.

  19. Immunologic lung disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harman, E.M.

    1985-01-01

    The term immunologic lung disease comprises a broad spectrum of disease. The authors have covered a few entities in which recent studies have been particularly helpful in elucidating pathophysiology though not in uncovering the inciting cause. Common to all of these entities is the problem of finding appropriate methods of defining disease activity and response to treatment. As exemplified by the improved outlook for Goodpasture's syndrome with elucidation of its underlying immunopathology, it is likely that better understanding of the immunologic basis of sarcoid and interstitial disease may be helpful in planning more effective treatment strategies. 44 references

  20. 42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition: General immunology. 493.1208 Section 493....1208 Condition: General immunology. If the laboratory provides services in the subspecialty of General immunology, the laboratory must meet the requirements specified in §§ 493.1230 through 493.1256, and §§ 493...

  1. Systems Theory in Immunology

    CERN Document Server

    Doria, Gino; Koch, Giorgio; Strom, Roberto

    1979-01-01

    This volume collects the contributions presented at the "Working Conference on System Theory in Immunology", held in Rome, May 1978. The aim of the Conference was to bring together immunologists on one side and experts in system theory and applied mathematics on the other, in order to identify problems of common interest and to establish a network of joint effort toward their solution. The methodologies of system theory for processing experimental data and for describing dynamical phenomena could indeed contribute significantly to the under­ standing of basic immunological facts. Conversely, the complexity of experimental results and of interpretative models should stimulate mathematicians to formulate new problems and to design appropriate procedures of analysis. The multitude of scientific publications in theoretical biology, appeared in recent years, confirms this trend and calls for extensive interaction between mat- matics and immunology. The material of this volume is divided into five sections, along ...

  2. HIV Molecular Immunology 2014

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yusim, Karina [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Korber, Bette Tina Marie [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Barouch, Dan [Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA (United States); Koup, Richard [Vaccine Research Center National Institutes of Health (United States); de Boer, Rob [Utrecht Univ. (Netherlands). Dept. of Biology; Moore, John P. [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States). Weill Medical College; Brander, Christian [Institucioi Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona (Spain); Haynes, Barton F. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Duke Human Vaccine Institute and Departments of Medicine, Surgery and Immunology; Walker, Bruce D. [Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, MA (United States); Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2015-02-03

    HIV Molecular Immunology is a companion volume to HIV Sequence Compendium. This publication, the 2014 edition, is the PDF version of the web-based HIV Immunology Database (http://www.hiv.lanl.gov/content/immunology/). The web interface for this relational database has many search options, as well as interactive tools to help immunologists design reagents and interpret their results. In the HIV Immunology Database, HIV-specific B-cell and T-cell responses are summarized and annotated. Immunological responses are divided into three parts, CTL, T helper, and antibody. Within these parts, defined epitopes are organized by protein and binding sites within each protein, moving from left to right through the coding regions spanning the HIV genome. We include human responses to natural HIV infections, as well as vaccine studies in a range of animal models and human trials. Responses that are not specifically defined, such as responses to whole proteins or monoclonal antibody responses to discontinuous epitopes, are summarized at the end of each protein section. Studies describing general HIV responses to the virus, but not to any specific protein, are included at the end of each part. The annotation includes information such as crossreactivity, escape mutations, antibody sequence, TCR usage, functional domains that overlap with an epitope, immune response associations with rates of progression and therapy, and how specific epitopes were experimentally defined. Basic information such as HLA specificities for T-cell epitopes, isotypes of monoclonal antibodies, and epitope sequences are included whenever possible. All studies that we can find that incorporate the use of a specific monoclonal antibody are included in the entry for that antibody. A single T-cell epitope can have multiple entries, generally one entry per study. Finally, maps of all defined linear epitopes relative to the HXB2 reference proteins are provided.

  3. Solving Immunology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vodovotz, Yoram; Xia, Ashley; Read, Elizabeth L; Bassaganya-Riera, Josep; Hafler, David A; Sontag, Eduardo; Wang, Jin; Tsang, John S; Day, Judy D; Kleinstein, Steven H; Butte, Atul J; Altman, Matthew C; Hammond, Ross; Sealfon, Stuart C

    2017-02-01

    Emergent responses of the immune system result from the integration of molecular and cellular networks over time and across multiple organs. High-content and high-throughput analysis technologies, concomitantly with data-driven and mechanistic modeling, hold promise for the systematic interrogation of these complex pathways. However, connecting genetic variation and molecular mechanisms to individual phenotypes and health outcomes has proven elusive. Gaps remain in data, and disagreements persist about the value of mechanistic modeling for immunology. Here, we present the perspectives that emerged from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) workshop 'Complex Systems Science, Modeling and Immunity' and subsequent discussions regarding the potential synergy of high-throughput data acquisition, data-driven modeling, and mechanistic modeling to define new mechanisms of immunological disease and to accelerate the translation of these insights into therapies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Basic and clinical immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinen, Javier; Shearer, William T.

    2003-01-01

    Progress in immunology continues to grow exponentially every year. New applications of this knowledge are being developed for a broad range of clinical conditions. Conversely, the study of primary and secondary immunodeficiencies is helping to elucidate the intricate mechanisms of the immune system. We have selected a few of the most significant contributions to the fields of basic and clinical immunology published between October 2001 and October 2002. Our choice of topics in basic immunology included the description of T-bet as a determinant factor for T(H)1 differentiation, the role of the activation-induced cytosine deaminase gene in B-cell development, the characterization of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells, and the use of dynamic imaging to study MHC class II transport and T-cell and dendritic cell membrane interactions. Articles related to clinical immunology that were selected for review include the description of immunodeficiency caused by caspase 8 deficiency; a case series report on X-linked agammaglobulinemia; the mechanism of action, efficacy, and complications of intravenous immunoglobulin; mechanisms of autoimmunity diseases; and advances in HIV pathogenesis and vaccine development. We also reviewed two articles that explore the possible alterations of the immune system caused by spaceflights, a new field with increasing importance as human space expeditions become a reality in the 21st century.

  5. A modular, programmable measurement system for physiological and spaceflight applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, John W.; Ricks, Robert D.; Miles, Christopher J.

    1993-02-01

    The NASA-Ames Sensors 2000] Program has developed a small, compact, modular, programmable, sensor signal conditioning and measurement system, initially targeted for Life Sciences Spaceflight Programs. The system consists of a twelve-slot, multi-layer, distributed function backplane, a digital microcontroller/memory subsystem, conditioned and isolated power supplies, and six application-specific, physiological signal conditioners. Each signal condition is capable of being programmed for gains, offsets, calibration and operate modes, and, in some cases, selectable outputs and functional modes. Presently, the system has the capability for measuring ECG, EMG, EEG, Temperature, Respiration, Pressure, Force, and Acceleration parameters, in physiological ranges. The measurement system makes heavy use of surface-mount packaging technology, resulting in plug in modules sized 125x55 mm. The complete 12-slot system is contained within a volume of 220x150x70mm. The system's capabilities extend well beyond the specific objectives of NASA programs. Indeed, the potential commercial uses of the technology are virtually limitless. In addition to applications in medical and biomedical sensing, the system might also be used in process control situations, in clinical or research environments, in general instrumentation systems, factory processing, or any other applications where high quality measurements are required.

  6. Immunologic mechanism at infertility

    OpenAIRE

    Aydın, İlknur; Erci, Behice

    2006-01-01

    Infertility has been serious problem for couples that want to have a child. It is estimated that %10-15 of marriages are involuntary childless; that is, there is the serious problem of infertility. In more than 40% of infertility couples that is the reason of their infertility was unknown. In those couples, probably immunological factors were found to be responsible for the infertility. In the article, it was aimed to review the immunologic causes of male and female infertility in the light o...

  7. Reproductive immunology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Ole B

    2012-01-01

    pathological pregnancy are suggested to predispose to adaptive immunological processes against alloantigens on the trophoblast that may further increase the risk of pathological pregnancy outcome. The best documented adaptive immune reaction against fetal alloantigens is directed against male-specific minor...

  8. Immunology studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.M.; Baron, P.A.; Drake, G.A.; LaBauve, P.M.; London, J.E.; Wilson, J.S.

    1977-01-01

    The following studies were conducted in the field of immunology; a model system to determine toxic effects on the immune system using 3 H-uridine uptake by Feells of rats; and survival in lethally irradiatd mice receiving allogenic fetal liver and thymus

  9. The ninth international veterinary immunology symposium

    Science.gov (United States)

    This Introduction to the special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology summarizes the Proceedings of the 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (9th IVIS) held August, 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Over 340 delegates from 30 countries discussed research progress analyzing the immune...

  10. Ameliorating Effects of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Zinc Supplementation on Physiological and Immunological Changes in Gamma-Irradiated Rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashry, O.; Soliman, M.; Mahmoud, N.; Abd Elnaby, Y.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The present study was carried out to determine the prophylactic impact of zinc sulphate administration to irradiated rats treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as indicated by the hematological and immunologic response as well as oxidative stress. Material and methods: Rats were injected orally with zinc sulphate, 10 mg/kg body wt, daily for 2 weeks before whole body 5 Gy gamma irradiation and intravenous injection of bone marrow cells, one hour post irradiation. Results: The results revealed a significant decrease in red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), glutathione (GSH) and zinc superoxide dismutase (Zn/SOD), splenocyte count as well as bone marrow lymphocyte count and viability of irradiated rats. Regarding immunological data: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF– ) and interleukin 2 (IL–2) recorded a significant decrease while interleukin 6 (IL–6) and lipid peroxidation product (MDA) in the serum and spleen were conversely elevated. Zn supplementation before irradiation and BMT and showed significant decrease of serum and tissue MDA compared to the irradiated group. Lymphocytes, bone marrow viability percentage, splenocytes percentage, IL–2, IL–6 and GSH were significantly elevated compared to irradiated group. Conclusion: Protection with Zn, enforcing significant innate response, could trigger and augment adaptive immune response by BMT which suggests its use to protect against radiation hazards. (author)

  11. Immunology in Pittsburgh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Olivera J; Salter, Russell D

    2006-01-01

    The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has a long tradition of excellence in immunology research and training. Faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows walk through hallways that are pictorial reminders of the days when Dr. Jonas Salk worked here to develop the polio vaccine, or when Dr. Niels Jerne chaired the Microbiology Department and worked on perfecting the Jerne Plaque Assay for antibody-producing cells. Colleagues and postdoctoral fellows of Professor Salk are still on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh Medical School as are graduate students of Professor Jerne. A modern research building, the 17 story high Biomedical Science Tower, is a vivid reminder of the day when Dr. Thomas Starzl arrived in Pittsburgh and started building the most prominent solid-organ-transplant program in the world. The immunology research that developed around the problem of graft rejection and tolerance induction trained numerous outstanding students and fellows. Almost 20 yr ago, the University of Pittsburgh founded the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) with the renowned immunologist Dr. Ronald Herberman at its helm. This started a number of new research initiatives in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. A large number of outstanding young investigators, as well as several well-established tumor immunologists, were recruited to Pittsburgh at that time.

  12. Local immunological mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allam, Jean-Pierre; Novak, Natalija

    2011-12-01

    To summarize novel insights into the immunological mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Within the recent decades, several alternative noninvasive allergen application strategies have been investigated in allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), of which intra-oral allergen application to sublingual mucosa has been proven to be well tolerated and effective. To date, SLIT is widely accepted by most allergists as an alternative option to conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). Although detailed immunological mechanisms remain to be elucidated, much scientific effort has been made to shed some light on local and systemic immunological responses to SLIT in mice as well as humans. Only a few studies focused on the detailed mechanisms following allergen application to the oral mucosa as part of the sophisticated mucosal immunological network. Within this network, the pro-tolerogenic properties of local antigen-presenting cells (APCs) such as dendritic cells - which are able to enforce tolerogenic mechanisms and to induce T-cell immune responses - play a central role. Further on, basic research focused not only on the immune response in nasal and bronchial mucosa but also on the systemic T-cell immune response. Thus, much exiting data have been published providing a better understanding of immunological features of SLIT but far more investigations are necessary to uncover further exciting details on the key mechanisms of SLIT.

  13. ANXIETY, PHYSIOLOGICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY MEASURED, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON MENTAL TEST PERFORMANCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    CHAMBERS, ALMA C.; HOPKINS, KENNETH D.

    EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH (1) EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED ANXIETY INFLUENCES ABILITY TEST PERFORMANCE AND (2) THE VARIOUS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES OF ANXIETY ARE RELATED. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WERE ADMINISTERED THE FOLLOWING MEASURES OF ANXIETY--(1) S-R INVENTORY OF ANXIOUSNESS, (2) AFFECT ADJECTIVE…

  14. Immunological memory: What's in a name?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradeu, Thomas; Du Pasquier, Louis

    2018-05-01

    Immunological memory is one of the core topics of contemporary immunology. Yet there are many discussions about what this concept precisely means, which components of the immune system display it, and in which phyla it exists. Recent years have seen the multiplication of claims that immunological memory can be found in "innate" immune cells and in many phyla beyond vertebrates (including invertebrates, plants, but also bacteria and archaea), as well as the multiplication of concepts to account for these phenomena, such as "innate immune memory" or "trained immunity". The aim of this critical review is to analyze these recent claims and concepts, and to distinguish ideas that have often been misleadingly associated, such as memory, adaptive immunity, and specificity. We argue that immunological memory is a gradual and multidimensional phenomenon, irreducible to any simple dichotomy, and we show why adopting this new view matters from an experimental and therapeutic point of view. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Multiscale modelling in immunology: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappuccio, Antonio; Tieri, Paolo; Castiglione, Filippo

    2016-05-01

    One of the greatest challenges in biomedicine is to get a unified view of observations made from the molecular up to the organism scale. Towards this goal, multiscale models have been highly instrumental in contexts such as the cardiovascular field, angiogenesis, neurosciences and tumour biology. More recently, such models are becoming an increasingly important resource to address immunological questions as well. Systematic mining of the literature in multiscale modelling led us to identify three main fields of immunological applications: host-virus interactions, inflammatory diseases and their treatment and development of multiscale simulation platforms for immunological research and for educational purposes. Here, we review the current developments in these directions, which illustrate that multiscale models can consistently integrate immunological data generated at several scales, and can be used to describe and optimize therapeutic treatments of complex immune diseases. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. Physiological measures and self-report to evaluate neutral virtual reality worlds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Busscher, B.; De Vliegher, D.; Ling, Y.; Brinkman, W.P.

    2011-01-01

    Using virtual reality technology for exposure therapy to treat patients with anxiety disorders is attracting considerable research attention. The ability to monitor patient anxiety level helps therapists to set appropriate anxiety arousing situations. Physiological measures have been put forward as

  17. Physiological measurement platform using wireless network with Android application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swagata Devi

    Full Text Available Currently, many people suffer from arrhythmia or hypoxia, which are abnormal health conditions. Arrhythmia occurs when a person has an irregular or abnormal heart rate, while hypoxia is realized when there is a deficiency in oxygen reaching the tissues. When a person suffers from arrhythmia, there is the possibility that the person has cardiovascular disease. A low oxygen level eventually leads to organ failure, which can result in death. To prevent such conditions, a mobile physiological measurement platform has been proposed in this paper. This system will continuously monitor the heart rate and the oxygen level of a patient. The proposed system is mainly beneficial because the medical staff or the caregiver can provide care to patients without being in close proximity. In this way, multiple numbers of patients can be treated by the physician at the same time. In this paper, two main physiological signals: the electrocardiogram (ECG and the photoplethysmogram (PPG are recorded, to measure the heart rate (in beats per minute and the peripheral capillary oxygen saturation level or SpO2 (in percentage of the patient. This is done by using a convenient graphical user interface (GUI in the Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB. Pre-processing of the bio-medical signals is done in the GUI and the calculated results are saved as text files in the current directory of MATLAB. We further propose an Android application, which will display the physiological parameters after the text files have been accessed via a wireless network. The heart rate and the oxygen level can both be monitored via this application. In case the results show an abnormal reading, the physician is notified immediately via text messaging. Keywords: ECG, PPG, SpO2, GUI, MATLAB, Android, Android App

  18. Cosmos-1989 immunology studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonnenfeld, Gerald

    1991-01-01

    Evidence from both human and rodent studies has indicated that alterations in immunological parameters occur after space flight. The number of flight experiments has been small, and the full breadth of immunological alterations occurring after space flight remains to be established. Among the major effects on immune responses after space flight that have been reported are: alterations in lymphocyte blastogenesis and natural killer cell activity, alterations in production of cytokines, changes in leukocyte sub-population distribution, and decreases in the ability in the ability of bone marrow cells to respond to colony stimulating factors. Changes have been reported in immunological parameters of both humans and rodents. The significance of these alterations in relation to resistance to infection remains to be established. The current study involved a determination of the effects of flight on Cosmos mission 2044 on leukocyte subset distribution and the sensitivity of bone marrow cells to colony stimulating factor-GM. A parallel study with antiorthostatic suspension was also carried out. The study involved repetition and expansion of studies carried out on Cosmos 1887.

  19. Intensive educational course in allergy and immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elizalde, A; Perez, E E; Sriaroon, P; Nguyen, D; Lockey, R F; Dorsey, M J

    2012-09-01

    A one-day intensive educational course on allergy and immunology theory and diagnostic procedure significantly increased the competency of allergy and immunology fellows-in-training. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  20. Major Histocompatibility Complex I Mediates Immunological Tolerance of the Trophoblast during Pregnancy and May Mediate Rejection during Parturition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Rapacz-Leonard

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available During pregnancy in larger mammals, the maternal immune system must tolerate the fetus for months while resisting external infection. This tolerance is facilitated by immunological communication between the fetus and the mother, which is mediated by Major Histocompatibility Complex I (MHC I proteins, by leukocytes, and by the cytokines secreted by the leukocytes. Fetal-maternal immunological communication also supports pregnancy by inducing physiological changes in the mother. If the mother “misunderstands” the signal sent by the fetus during pregnancy, the fetus will be miscarried or delivered preterm. Unlike any other maternal organ, the placenta can express paternal antigens. At parturition, paternal antigens are known to be expressed in cows and may be expressed in horses, possibly so that the maternal immune system will reject the placenta and help to expel it. This review compares fetal-maternal crosstalk that is mediated by the immune system in three species with pregnancies that last for nine months or longer: humans, cattle, and horses. It raises the possibility that immunological communication early in pregnancy may prepare the mother for successful expulsion of fetal membranes at parturition.

  1. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Focus and Scope. This journal is the official journal of the Egyptian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. It is he first Egyptian Journal specialized in the field of allergy and immunology in the pediatric age group. It is a forum for the presentation and promotion of new researches in the field of allergy and immunology, ...

  2. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This journal is the official journal of the Egyptian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. It is he first Egyptian Journal specialized in the field of allergy and immunology in the pediatric age group. It is a forum for the presentation and promotion of new researches in the field of allergy and immunology, for maintaining ...

  3. Immunology for rheumatology residents: working toward a Canadian national curriculum consensus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Shirley L; Herman-Kideckel, Sari; Mahendira, Dharini; McDonald-Blumer, Heather

    2015-01-01

    Immunologic mechanisms play an integral role in understanding the pathogenesis and management of rheumatic conditions. Currently, there is limited access to formal instruction in immunology for rheumatology trainees across Canada. The aims of this study were (1) to describe current immunology curricula among adult rheumatology training programs across Canada and (2) to compare the perceived learning needs of rheumatology trainees from the perspective of program directors and trainees to help develop a focused nationwide immunology curriculum. Rheumatology trainees and program directors from adult rheumatology programs across Canada completed an online questionnaire and were asked to rank a comprehensive list of immunology topics. A modified Delphi approach was implemented to obtain consensus on immunology topics. Only 42% of program directors and 31% of trainees felt the current method of teaching immunology was effective. Results illustrate concordance between program directors and trainees for the highest-ranked immunology topics including innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and cells and tissues of the immune system. However, there was discordance among other topics, such as diagnostic laboratory immunology and therapeutics. There is a need to improve immunology teaching in rheumatology training programs. Results show high concordance between the basic immunology topics. This study provides the groundwork for development of future immunology curricula.

  4. Roitt's essential immunology

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Delves, Peter J; Roitt, Ivan M

    2011-01-01

    ... of the immune system, the hallmark easy-reading style of Roitt's Essential Immunology clearly explains the key principles needed by medical and health sciences students, from the basis of immunity to clinical applications...

  5. NASA HRP Immunology Discipline - Use of Terrestrial Analogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crucian, Brian

    2014-01-01

    Due to the cost and operational constraints, as well as technical implementation limitations, it is desirous to perform relevant space physiology investigations first in terrestrial 'space analogs'. This is particularly true for initial investigations, which may then provide appropriate focus for subsequent flight investigations, or for mechanistic investigations that simply cannot be performed during spaceflight. Appropriate analog choice is extremely important. There are a wide variety of terrestrial space analogs, each relevant to a particular physiological discipline (or disciplines) and each with a particular fidelity (or lack thereof) to spaceflight, and each with unique operational constraints. The HRP Immunology Discipline is tasked with managing the HRP Risk concerning clinical risk for Astronaut crews related to spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation. Such dysregulation has been documented to occur during spaceflight, and found to persist for the duration of a 6-month ISS mission. Studies continue to characterize the onorbit phenomenon, but it generally consists of diminished immunocyte function, dysregulated cytokine profiles, and persistent herpesvirus reactivation. Causes are thought to synergistically include microgravity, psychological or physiological stress, radiation, and/or circadian misalignment. An appropriate terrestrial analog for immune dysregulation would replicate as many of these influences as possible. Such analogs may include clinostat or bioreactor cell culture (microgravity), hindlimb suspension (stress, fluid shifts, hypokinesis), or human deployment to remote or extreme environments (isolation, stress, circadian). Also, the laboratory setting may be used as an analog, or to augment analogs, such as sleep deprivation/misalignment or human centrifugation to replicate gravitational stress. As an appropriate example of a NASA Disciplines use of Terrestrial space analogs, this talk will discuss spaceflight associated immune

  6. Haematological and immunological indicators for radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dehos, A.

    1990-01-01

    It is examined if haematological and immunological parameters can be used as biological indicators for radiation exposure. Additional criteria for biological indicators, apart from the dose dependence of the effect, are listed here. The state of the art concerning the development of haematological and immunological indicators is discussed. Several haematological indicators are currently used in diagnosis when excess radiation exposure has occurred (e.g., after the Chernobyl accident). However, further research work has to be done in the field of immunological indicators. (orig.) [de

  7. Present-day problems of nuclear medicine in immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agranat, V.Z.; Rossel's, A.N.; Balyura, A.V.

    1990-01-01

    The authors describe in a systemic order the potentialities of the use of nuclear medicine methods in immunology. Two fields of their application were singled out: experimental and clinical immunology, each one including in vivo and in vitro methods. The authors cited examples of their use, emphasizing the importance and prospects of radioimmunoassays for determination of the level of hormones in patients with various immunological pathology

  8. Immunology update: topics in basic and clinically applied reproductive immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, J S

    1996-05-01

    A postgraduate course covering basic and clinical reproductive immunology was held in Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A., on March 19, 1996, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecological Investigation. The course was organized and chaired by Joseph A. Hill.

  9. Graduate Students' Interest in Immunology as a Discipline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwarteng, Alexander; Frimpong, Michael; Sylverken, Augustina Angelina; Arthur, Yarhands D.; Ahuno, Samuel T.; Owusu-Dabo, Ellis

    2017-01-01

    Interest and motivation significantly influence achievement; however, interest in immunology remains to be determined. Using a structured questionnaire, the current study assessed for the first time interest in immunology among biomedical graduate students in Ghana after a one-week introduction to immunology course. Our results revealed that…

  10. Medical immunology: two-way bridge connecting bench and bedside.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rijkers, Ger T; Damoiseaux, Jan G M C; Hooijkaas, Herbert

    2014-12-01

    Medical immunology in The Netherlands is a laboratory specialism dealing with immunological analyses as well as pre- and post-analytical consultation to clinicians (clinical immunologists and other specialists) involved in patients with immune mediated diseases. The scope of medical immunology includes immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases, allergy, transfusion and transplantation immunology, and lymphoproliferative disorders plus the monitoring of these patients. The training, professional criteria, quality control of procedures and laboratories is well organized. As examples of the bridge function of medical immunology between laboratory (bench) and patient (bedside) the contribution of medical immunologists to diagnosis and treatment of primary immunodeficiency diseases (in particular: humoral immunodeficiencies) as well as autoantibodies (anti-citrullinated proteins in rheumatoid arthritis) are given. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. The pluripotent history of immunology. A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neeraja Sankaran

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The historiography of immunology since 1999 is reviewed, in part as a response to claims by historians such as Thomas Söderqvist the field was still immature at the time (Söderqvist & Stillwell 1999. First addressed are the difficulties, past and present, surrounding the disciplinary definition of immunology, which is followed by a commentary on the recent scholarship devoted to the concept of the immune self. The new literature on broad immunological topics is examined and assessed, and specific charges leveled against the paucity of certain types of histories, e.g. biographical and institutional histories, are evaluated. In conclusion, there are compelling indications that the history of immunology has moved past the initial tentative stages identified in the earlier reviews to become a bustling, pluripotent discipline, much like the subject of its scrutiny, and that it continues to develop in many new and exciting directions.

  12. 21 CFR 866.5230 - Colostrum immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5230... colostrum. Colostrum is a substance excreted by the mammary glands during pregnancy and until production of...

  13. Cross-population validation of statistical distance as a measure of physiological dysregulation during aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Alan A; Milot, Emmanuel; Li, Qing; Legault, Véronique; Fried, Linda P; Ferrucci, Luigi

    2014-09-01

    Measuring physiological dysregulation during aging could be a key tool both to understand underlying aging mechanisms and to predict clinical outcomes in patients. However, most existing indices are either circular or hard to interpret biologically. Recently, we showed that statistical distance of 14 common blood biomarkers (a measure of how strange an individual's biomarker profile is) was associated with age and mortality in the WHAS II data set, validating its use as a measure of physiological dysregulation. Here, we extend the analyses to other data sets (WHAS I and InCHIANTI) to assess the stability of the measure across populations. We found that the statistical criteria used to determine the original 14 biomarkers produced diverging results across populations; in other words, had we started with a different data set, we would have chosen a different set of markers. Nonetheless, the same 14 markers (or the subset of 12 available for InCHIANTI) produced highly similar predictions of age and mortality. We include analyses of all combinatorial subsets of the markers and show that results do not depend much on biomarker choice or data set, but that more markers produce a stronger signal. We conclude that statistical distance as a measure of physiological dysregulation is stable across populations in Europe and North America. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Pediatric allergy and immunology in Israel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geller-Bernstein, Carmi; Etzioni, Amos

    2013-03-01

    After the geographic and sociodemographic settings as well as the health care in Israel are briefly described, the scope of pediatric allergy and immunology in Israel is presented. This includes specific disorders commonly encountered, the environment that induces symptoms, the specialists who treat them, and the common challenges of patients, parents, doctors, and allied health personnel who collaborate to manage the maladies and patient care. Allergies usually affect some overall 15-20% of the pediatric population. The main allergens are inhaled, ingested, or injected (insects stings). Generally, the incidence of the various allergens affecting children in Israel, is similar to other parts of the Western world. Owing to the high consanguinity rate in the Israeli population, the prevalence of the various immunodeficiency conditions (in the adaptive as well as the innate system) is higher than that reported worldwide. Pediatric allergists/immunologists also treat autoimmune disorders affecting the pediatric group. Pediatric allergy and clinical immunology are not separate specialties. The 25 specialists who treat children with allergic/immunologic diseases have undergone a basic training in Pediatrics. They also received an additional 2-yr training in allergy and clinical immunology and then have to pass the board examinations. They work mainly in pediatric allergy units, in several hospitals that are affiliated to the five medical schools in the country. Aside from clinical work, most of the centers are also heavily involved in clinical and basic research in allergy and immunology. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  15. Pediatric allergy and immunology in Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tozzi, Alberto E; Armenio, Lucio; Bernardini, Roberto; Boner, Attilio; Calvani, Mauro; Cardinale, Fabio; Cavagni, Giovanni; Dondi, Arianna; Duse, Marzia; Fiocchi, Alessandro; Marseglia, Gian L; del Giudice, Michele Miraglia; Muraro, Antonella; Pajno, Giovanni B; Paravati, Francesco; Peroni, Diego; Tripodi, Salvatore; Ugazio, Alberto G; Indinnimeo, Luciana

    2011-05-01

    In Italy, according to the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study, the prevalence of current asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema in 2006 was 7.9%, 6.5%, and 10.1% among children aged 6-7 and 8.4%, 15.5%, and 7.75% among children aged 13-14 yr. University education in this field is provided by the Postgraduate Schools of Pediatrics and those of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, as well as several annual Master courses. The Italian Society of Pediatric Allergology and Immunology (SIAIP) was founded in 1996 and counts about 1000 members. SIAIP promotes evidence-based management of allergic children and disseminates information to patients and their families through a quite innovative website and the National Journal 'Rivista Italiana di Allergologia Pediatrica'. In the last decade, four major regional, inter-regional, and national web-based networks have been created to link pediatric allergy centers and to share their clinical protocols and epidemiologic data. In addition, National Registers of Primary Immune-deficiencies and on Pediatric HIV link all clinical excellence centers. Research projects in the field of pediatric allergy and immunology are founded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) and by the National Research Council (CNR), but the overall investments in this research area are quite low. Only a handful Italian excellence centers participate in European Projects on Pediatric Allergy and Immunology within the 7th Framework Program. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology currently hosts two Italians in its Executive Committee (EC) and one in the EC of the Pediatric Section; moreover, major European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology meetings and courses in the area of pediatrics (e.g., PAAM, Venice, 2009) have been held in Italy in the last 3 yr. Italian hallmarks in the management of allergic diseases in childhood are a quite alive and spread interest in

  16. Immunological Demyelination Triggers Macrophage/Microglial Cells Activation without Inducing Astrogliosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank Cloutier

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The glial scar formed by reactive astrocytes and axon growth inhibitors associated with myelin play important roles in the failure of axonal regeneration following central nervous system (CNS injury. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that immunological demyelination of the CNS facilitates regeneration of severed axons following spinal cord injury. In the present study, we evaluate whether immunological demyelination is accompanied with astrogliosis. We compared the astrogliosis and macrophage/microglial cell responses 7 days after either immunological demyelination or a stab injury to the dorsal funiculus. Both lesions induced a strong activated macrophage/microglial cells response which was significantly higher within regions of immunological demyelination. However, immunological demyelination regions were not accompanied by astrogliosis compared to stab injury that induced astrogliosis which extended several millimeters above and below the lesions, evidenced by astroglial hypertrophy, formation of a glial scar, and upregulation of intermediate filaments glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP. Moreover, a stab or a hemisection lesion directly within immunological demyelination regions did not induced astrogliosis within the immunological demyelination region. These results suggest that immunological demyelination creates a unique environment in which astrocytes do not form a glial scar and provides a unique model to understand the putative interaction between astrocytes and activated macrophage/microglial cells.

  17. Retrospective Correction of Physiological Noise in DTI Using an Extended Tensor Model and Peripheral Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Siawoosh; Hutton, Chloe; Nagy, Zoltan; Josephs, Oliver; Weiskopf, Nikolaus

    2013-01-01

    Diffusion tensor imaging is widely used in research and clinical applications, but this modality is highly sensitive to artefacts. We developed an easy-to-implement extension of the original diffusion tensor model to account for physiological noise in diffusion tensor imaging using measures of peripheral physiology (pulse and respiration), the so-called extended tensor model. Within the framework of the extended tensor model two types of regressors, which respectively modeled small (linear) and strong (nonlinear) variations in the diffusion signal, were derived from peripheral measures. We tested the performance of four extended tensor models with different physiological noise regressors on nongated and gated diffusion tensor imaging data, and compared it to an established data-driven robust fitting method. In the brainstem and cerebellum the extended tensor models reduced the noise in the tensor-fit by up to 23% in accordance with previous studies on physiological noise. The extended tensor model addresses both large-amplitude outliers and small-amplitude signal-changes. The framework of the extended tensor model also facilitates further investigation into physiological noise in diffusion tensor imaging. The proposed extended tensor model can be readily combined with other artefact correction methods such as robust fitting and eddy current correction. PMID:22936599

  18. Measuring Dynamic Kidney Function in an Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medler, Scott; Harrington, Frederick

    2013-01-01

    Most undergraduate physiology laboratories are very limited in how they treat renal physiology. It is common to find teaching laboratories equipped with the capability for high-resolution digital recordings of physiological functions (muscle twitches, ECG, action potentials, respiratory responses, etc.), but most urinary laboratories still rely on…

  19. Allergenicity of bony and cartilaginous fish - molecular and immunological properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephen, J N; Sharp, M F; Ruethers, T; Taki, A; Campbell, D E; Lopata, A L

    2017-03-01

    Allergy to bony fish is common and probably increasing world-wide. The major heat-stable pan-fish allergen, parvalbumin (PV), has been identified and characterized for numerous fish species. In contrast, there are very few reports of allergic reactions to cartilaginous fish despite widespread consumption. The molecular basis for this seemingly low clinical cross-reactivity between these two fish groups has not been elucidated. PV consists of two distinct protein lineages, α and β. The α-lineage of this protein is predominant in muscle tissue of cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), while β-PV is abundant in muscle tissue of bony fish (Osteichthyes). The low incidence of allergic reactions to ingested rays and sharks is likely due to the lack of molecular similarity, resulting in reduced immunological cross-reactivity between the two PV lineages. Structurally and physiologically, both protein lineages are very similar; however, the amino acid homology is very low with 47-54%. Furthermore, PV from ancient fish species such as the coelacanth demonstrates 62% sequence homology to leopard shark α-PV and 70% to carp β-PV. This indicates the extent of conservation of the PV isoforms lineages across millennia. This review highlights prevalence data on fish allergy and sensitization to fish, and details the molecular diversity of the two protein lineages of the major fish allergen PV among different fish groups, emphasizing the immunological and clinical differences in allergenicity. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Advances in asthma, allergy and immunology series 2004: basic and clinical immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinen, Javier; Shearer, William T

    2004-08-01

    This review highlights some of the most significant advances in basic and clinical immunology that were published from August 2002 to December 2003, focusing on manuscripts that appeared in the Journal. Articles selected were those considered most relevant to Journal readers. With regard to basic immunology, this report includes articles describing FcepsilonRI expression in mucosal Langerhans cells and type II dendritic cells, mechanisms of TH1 and TH2 regulation, the role of Foxp3 in the development of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells, and the increasing importance of Toll receptors in immunity. Articles related to clinical immunology that were selected include the first report of lymphocyte subsets values from a large cohort of normal children; the description of new genetic defects in primary immunodeficiencies; a description of the complications of gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency; a report of 79 patients with hyper-IgM syndrome; a report of the mechanism of action and complications of intravenous immunoglobulin; a report of new approaches for immunotherapy; and an article on advances in HIV infection and management, including a report of defensins, small molecules with anti-HIV properties. Also summarized is an article that studied the immune system during a prolonged stay in the Antarctic, a model for human studies on the effect of environmental conditions similar to space expeditions.

  1. Differences in Virological and Immunological Risk Factors for Non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin Lymphoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shepherd, Leah; Ryom, Lene; Law, Matthew

    2018-01-01

    Background: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are increased in populations with immune dysfunction, including people living with HIV; however, there is little evidence for to what degree immunological and virological factors differently affect NHL and HL risk. Methods: Data from...... the Data Collection on Adverse events of Anti-HIV Drugs Study cohort were analyzed to identify independent risk factors for NHL and HL using hazard ratios (HRs), focusing on current and cumulative area under the curve (AUC) measures of immunological and virological status. Variables with different...

  2. 42 CFR 493.837 - Standard; General immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard; General immunology. 493.837 Section 493.837 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... These Tests § 493.837 Standard; General immunology. (a) Failure to attain a score of at least 80 percent...

  3. Determination of chorionic gonadotrophin. Comparison of biological, immunological and radioimmunological methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munier, M.-P.

    1978-07-01

    Three types of analysis were used to quantify chorionic gonadotrophic hormone: biological determination (rana-reaction); immunological determination (simplified pregnosticon test of the Organon Teknika laboratories); radioimmunological determination (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique - CEA kits). While the immunochemical technique is specially suited to analysis of the urine, the radioimmunological measurement is carried out on the plasma. This method is extremely sensitive; when traditional biological and immunological methods are used the quantity of CGH detectable is of the order of some hundreds or at best a few tens of international units. The radioimmunological method is a thousand times more sensitive and can therefore measure CGH in amounts of the milli-unit order. Until recently it was not specific enough to differentiate between CGH and LH, but not long ago a β CGH-specific antibody was discovered and it is now possible to detect small amounts of CGH in the presence of LH [fr

  4. 50 years of Dutch immunology--founders, institutions, highlights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gmelig-Meyling, Frits H J; Meyaard, Linde; Mebius, Reina E

    2014-12-01

    At the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dutch Society for Immunology (DSI, de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Immunologie), this contribution deals with some highlights of 50 years of Immunology in the Netherlands. It narrates about the founders and first board members of the DSI, their institutes, progeny and patrimony, describes major centers of immunological activities, mentions key persons in the field, and touches upon some events dear to the Society and its members. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Microhabitat preference of Anisakis simplex in 3 salmonid species: Immunological Implications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahlool, Qusay Zuhair Mohammad; Buchmann, Kurt

    Third stage larvae of Anisakis simplex nematodes are considered to have a low host-specificity and are able to infect a wide range of fish species. However, the physiological and immunological status of the fish species may affect the fate of the worm following infection. We selected three...... different salmonid species to investigate the in vivo behavioural difference of experimentally inoculated Anisakis parasite inside these fishes. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Baltic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) were used in this experiment. Infection success differed between...... species. Baltic salmon showed a higher number of nematodes successfully established, whereas brown trout and rainbow trout showed a higher natural resistance. Microhabitat results were also different according to the fish species. Anisakis simplex found in brown trout where attached to the digestive tract...

  6. The immunological synapse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klemmensen, Thomas; Pedersen, Lars Ostergaard; Geisler, Carsten

    2003-01-01

    . A distinct 3-dimensional supramolecular structure at the T cell/APC interface has been suggested to be involved in the information transfer. Due to its functional analogy to the neuronal synapse, the structure has been termed the "immunological synapse" (IS). Here, we review molecular aspects concerning...

  7. THE IMMUNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF RA PATIENTS WITH ANAEMIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. E. Sizikov

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The aim of the investigation was to study the immunological characteristics of RA patients with anaemia. Clinical and laboratory data including the percentage of the main lymphocyte subclasses, phagocyte and DTH-effector activity, serum concentration of immunoglobulins, the percentage of cells producing IFNγ and/or IL-4 and percent of monocytes producing TNF. We revealed some significant clinical, laboratory and immunological differences between RA patients and healthy donors and between patients with and without anaemia. Our data demonstrate RA anemic patients to have more severe disorders than patients without anaemia. We also revealed some significant immunological differences between RA patients and healthy donors and between patients with and without anaemia, including percent of cells producing IFNγ and/or IL-4. Our data permit to conclude that RA patients have many different immunological disturbances, more severe in anaemic patients.

  8. RLS adaptive filtering for physiological interference reduction in NIRS brain activity measurement: a Monte Carlo study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Y; Sun, J W; Rolfe, P

    2012-01-01

    The non-invasive measurement of cerebral functional haemodynamics using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) instruments is often affected by physiological interference. The suppression of this interference is crucial for reliable recovery of brain activity measurements because it can significantly affect the signal quality. In this study, we present a recursive least-squares (RLS) algorithm for adaptive filtering to reduce the magnitude of the physiological interference component. To evaluate it, we implemented Monte Carlo simulations based on a five-layer slab model of a human adult head with a multidistance source–detector arrangement, of a short pair and a long pair, for NIRS measurement. We derived measurements by adopting different interoptode distances, which is relevant to the process of optimizing the NIRS probe configuration. Both RLS and least mean squares (LMS) algorithms were used to attempt the removal of physiological interference. The results suggest that the RLS algorithm is more capable of minimizing the effect of physiological interference due to its advantages of faster convergence and smaller mean squared error (MSE). The influence of superficial layer thickness on the performance of the RLS algorithm was also investigated. We found that the near-detector position is an important variable in minimizing the MSE and a short source–detector separation less than 9 mm is robust to superficial layer thickness variation. (paper)

  9. Immunology of Bee Venom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elieh Ali Komi, Daniel; Shafaghat, Farzaneh; Zwiener, Ricardo D

    2017-01-20

    Bee venom is a blend of biochemicals ranging from small peptides and enzymes to biogenic amines. It is capable of triggering severe immunologic reactions owing to its allergenic fraction. Venom components are presented to the T cells by antigen-presenting cells within the skin. These Th2 type T cells then release IL-4 and IL-13 which subsequently direct B cells to class switch to production of IgE. Generating venom-specific IgE and crosslinking FcεR1(s) on the surface of mast cells complete the sensitizing stage in allergic individuals who are most likely to experience severe and even fatal allergic reactions after being stung. Specific IgE for bee venom is a double-edged sword as it is a powerful mediator in triggering allergic events but is also applied successfully in diagnosis of the venom allergic patient. The healing capacity of bee venom has been rediscovered under laboratory-controlled conditions using animal models and cell cultures. The potential role of enzymatic fraction of bee venom including phospholipase A2 in the initiation and development of immune responses also has been studied in numerous research settings. Undoubtedly, having insights into immunologic interactions between bee venom components and innate/specific immune cells both locally and systematically will contribute to the development of immunologic strategies in specific and epitope-based immunotherapy especially in individuals with Hymenoptera venom allergy.

  10. Immunology & Human Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawson, Jeffrey R.; And Others

    This monograph was designed for the high school biology curriculum. The first section reviews the major areas of importance in immunology. Section three contains six instructional activities for the high school classroom and the second section contains teacher's materials for those activities. The activities address for students some of the major…

  11. Face-offs in reproductive immunology: the Montreal forum meeting report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croy, B Anne; Baines, Malcolm G

    2004-10-01

    The combined 12th International Congress of Immunology (ICI) and the 4th Annual Conference of the Federation of Clinical Immunological Societies (FOCIS) was held in Montreal, Canada July 18-23, 2004 and attracted over 6000 immunologists and almost 4000 abstracts. The host society, the Canadian Society for Immunology (CSI) spent many years in preparation for this large meeting and encouraged its members to propose topics for symposia and mini-symposia and to sponsor satellite meetings. With sponsorship of CSI; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; the University of Guelph, Guelph, ON; Queen's University, Kingston, ON; McGill University, Montreal, QU, Canada; and the American Society for Reproductive Immunology, a focused, highly successful, one day satellite meeting on human uterine immunology was held. The highlights of the presentations and discussions are reported.

  12. Comparative anatomy of phagocytic and immunological synapses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florence eNiedergang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The generation of phagocytic cups and immunological synapses are crucial events of the innate and adaptive immune responses, respectively. They are triggered by distinct immune receptors and performed by different cell types. However, growing experimental evidence shows that a very close series of molecular and cellular events control these two processes. Thus, the tight and dynamic interplay between receptor signaling, actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, and targeted vesicle traffic are all critical features to build functional phagosomes and immunological synapses. Interestingly, both phagocytic cups and immunological synapses display particular spatial and temporal patterns of receptors and signaling molecules, leading to the notion of phagocytic synapse. Here we discuss both types of structures, their organization and the mechanisms by which they are generated and regulated.

  13. On immunological polymorphism of autoimmune thyroiditis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karachentsev, Yu.Yi.

    1999-01-01

    The study involved 46 persons. In the majority of patients the exposure dose was 0.155±0.01 Gy. Clinical, ultrasound, immunological, statistical and non-parametric methods were used. Considerable immunological polymorphism of autoimmune thyroiditis in the liquidators has been established; 1) with disturbances in the cellular immunity and low antithyroid antibody index, 2) without disturbances in the cellular immunity with positive indices of antithyroid antibodies, 3) with disturbances in cellular immunity and high indices of TH and MA antibodies

  14. FOCIS goes south: advances in translational and clinical immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalergis, Alexis M; Anegon, Ignacio; González, Pablo A

    2017-09-01

    FOCIS goes South: Advances in Translational and Clinical Immunology was the first Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) ( www.focisnet.org ) meeting held in Latin America (May 15-17, 2017, Santiago de Chile, Chile). The meeting was organized as a 3-day workshop and was fostered by the Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, a recently nominated FOCIS Center of Excellence. The workshop brought together FOCIS associates, such as members of the FOCIS Board of Directors, Directors of different Centers of Excellence, regional speakers and 350 attendees. The Meeting covered aspects of immune regulation and modulation, as well as immunotherapy in areas of autoimmunity, transplantation, cancer and infectious diseases, among others. The activity also had a full-day immunology course and a day-long flow cytometry course.

  15. Citizens unite for computational immunology!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belden, Orrin S; Baker, Sarah Catherine; Baker, Brian M

    2015-07-01

    Recruiting volunteers who can provide computational time, programming expertise, or puzzle-solving talent has emerged as a powerful tool for biomedical research. Recent projects demonstrate the potential for such 'crowdsourcing' efforts in immunology. Tools for developing applications, new funding opportunities, and an eager public make crowdsourcing a serious option for creative solutions for computationally-challenging problems. Expanded uses of crowdsourcing in immunology will allow for more efficient large-scale data collection and analysis. It will also involve, inspire, educate, and engage the public in a variety of meaningful ways. The benefits are real - it is time to jump in! Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The regulations and role of circadian clock and melatonin in uterine receptivity and pregnancy-An immunological perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Man, Gene Chi Wai; Zhang, Tao; Chen, Xiaoyan; Wang, Jianzhang; Wu, Fangrong; Liu, Yingyu; Wang, Chi Chiu; Cheong, Ying; Li, Tin Chiu

    2017-08-01

    During normal pregnancy, the mechanism by which the fetus escapes immunological rejection by the maternal womb remains elusive. Given the biological complexities, the immunological mechanism is unlikely to be simply an allograft response in acceptance or rejection of the early pregnancy. Circadian clock responsible for the mammalian circadian rhythm is an endogenously generated rhythm associated with almost all physiological processes including reproduction. There is now growing evidence to suggest that the circadian clocks are intricately linked to the immune system and pregnancy. When perturbed, the role of immune cells can be affected on maintaining the enriched vascular system needed for placentation. This alteration can be triggered by the irregular production of maternal and placental melatonin. Hence, the role of circadian rhythm modulators such as melatonin offers intriguing opportunities for therapy. In this review, we evaluate the complex interaction between the circadian clock and melatonin within the immune system and their roles in the circadian regulation and maintenance of normal pregnancy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Communication, the centrosome and the immunological synapse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stinchcombe, Jane C; Griffiths, Gillian M

    2014-09-05

    Recent findings on the behaviour of the centrosome at the immunological synapse suggest a critical role for centrosome polarization in controlling the communication between immune cells required to generate an effective immune response. The features observed at the immunological synapse show parallels to centrosome (basal body) polarization seen in cilia and flagella, and the cellular communication that is now known to occur at all of these sites.

  18. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha is a key factor related to depression and physiological homeostasis in the mouse brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyosuke Yamanishi

    Full Text Available Major depressive disorder (MDD is a common psychiatric disorder that involves marked disabilities in global functioning, anorexia, and severe medical comorbidities. MDD is associated with not only psychological and sociocultural problems, but also pervasive physical dysfunctions such as metabolic, neurobiological and immunological abnormalities. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between these factors have yet to be determined in detail. The aim of the present study was to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the interactions between MDD and dysregulation of physiological homeostasis, including immunological function as well as lipid metabolism, coagulation, and hormonal activity in the brain. We generated depression-like behavior in mice using chronic mild stress (CMS as a model of depression. We compared the gene expression profiles in the prefrontal cortex (PFC of CMS and control mice using microarrays. We subsequently categorized genes using two web-based bioinformatics applications: Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. We then confirmed significant group-differences by analyzing mRNA and protein expression levels not only in the PFC, but also in the thalamus and hippocampus. These web tools revealed that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (Hnf4a may exert direct effects on various genes specifically associated with amine synthesis, such as genes involved in serotonin metabolism and related immunological functions. Moreover, these genes may influence lipid metabolism, coagulation, and hormonal activity. We also confirmed the significant effects of Hnf4a on both mRNA and protein expression levels in the brain. These results suggest that Hnf4a may have a critical influence on physiological homeostasis under depressive states, and may be associated with the mechanisms responsible for the interactions between MDD and the dysregulation of

  19. Chemical method of labelling proteins with the radionuclides of technetium at physiological condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, D.W.

    1983-01-01

    A novel rapid chemical method of labeling plasma proteins, other compounds and/or substances containing protein with radionuclides of technetium such as sup(95m)Tc, sup(99m)Tc or sup(99)Tc at physiologic pH 7.4 condition, producing a sterile non-pyrogenic radioactive tracer material suitable for biological and medical uses. These radiolabeled protein substances are not denatured by the labeling process but retain their natural physiological and immunological properties. This novel labeling technique provides a simple and rapid means of labeling plasma proteins such as human serum albumin, fibrinogen, antibodies, hormones and enzymes with sup(95m)Tc or sup(99m)Tc for scintigraphic imaging which may allow visualization of thrombi, emboli, myocardial infarcts, infectious lesions or tumors

  20. Single Cell Genomics: Approaches and Utility in Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neu, Karlynn E; Tang, Qingming; Wilson, Patrick C; Khan, Aly A

    2017-01-01

    Single cell genomics offers powerful tools for studying lymphocytes, which make it possible to observe rare and intermediate cell states that cannot be resolved at the population-level. Advances in computer science and single cell sequencing technology have created a data-driven revolution in immunology. The challenge for immunologists is to harness computing and turn an avalanche of quantitative data into meaningful discovery of immunological principles, predictive models, and strategies for therapeutics. Here, we review the current literature on computational analysis of single cell RNA-seq data and discuss underlying assumptions, methods, and applications in immunology, and highlight important directions for future research. PMID:28094102

  1. Recent advances in the field of nutritional immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monk, Jennifer M; Hou, Tim Y; Chapkin, Robert S

    2011-11-01

    Every 4 years, researchers in the cross-disciplinary field of nutritional immunology convene for a FASEB-sponsored meeting entitled, "Nutritional Immunology: Role in Health and Disease", which was held this summer in Carefree, AZ, USA. The scope of the conference encompassed a diverse list of research topics, including, but not restricted to, obesity and immune dysfunction, nutrient-gene interactions, mucosal immunity and a discussion of future directions for the field. Here, we summarize some of the findings shared at the conference, specifically focusing on obesity, immunological function of dietary components (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and flavanoids), gut immunity and the microbiota, and relevant emerging technologies and databases.

  2. Effect of surgical and immunological castration on haematological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The PCV and HB of dogs surgically castrated increased progressively up to16th week after castration but only up to10 weeks in dogs immunologically castrated. Both PCV and HB decreased progressively after 10 weeks in dogs immunologically castrated. Similarly, the WBC of dogs surgically castrated steadily increased ...

  3. Physiological adjustments to stress measures following massage therapy: a review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moraska, Albert; Pollini, Robin A; Boulanger, Karen; Brooks, Marissa Z; Teitlebaum, Lesley

    2010-12-01

    Use of massage therapy by the general public has increased substantially in recent years. In light of the popularity of massage therapy for stress reduction, a comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed literature is important to summarize the effectiveness of this modality on stress-reactive physiological measures. On-line databases were searched for articles relevant to both massage therapy and stress. Articles were included in this review if (i) the massage therapy account consisted of manipulation of soft tissues and was conducted by a trained therapist, and (ii) a dependent measure to evaluate physiological stress was reported. Hormonal and physical parameters are reviewed. A total of 25 studies met all inclusion criteria. A majority of studies employed a 20-30 min massage administered twice-weekly over 5 weeks with evaluations conducted pre-post an individual session (single treatment) or following a series of sessions (multiple treatments). Single treatment reductions in salivary cortisol and heart rate were consistently noted. A sustained reduction for these measures was not supported in the literature, although the single-treatment effect was repeatable within a study. To date, the research data is insufficient to make definitive statements regarding the multiple treatment effect of massage therapy on urinary cortisol or catecholamines, but some evidence for a positive effect on diastolic blood pressure has been documented. While significant improvement has been demonstrated following massage therapy, the general research body on this topic lacks the necessary scientific rigor to provide a definitive understanding of the effect massage therapy has on many physiological variables associated with stress.

  4. Parasitism and Physiological Trade-Offs in Stressed Capybaras

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eberhardt, Ayelen T.; Costa, Sebastián A.; Marini, M. Rocío; Racca, Andrea; Baldi, Cecilia J.; Robles, M. Rosario; Moreno, Pablo G.; Beldomenico, Pablo M.

    2013-01-01

    Parasites play a key role in regulating wildlife population dynamics, but their impact on the host appears to be context-dependent. Evidence indicates that a synergistic interaction between stress, host condition and parasites is implicated in this phenomenon, but more studies are needed to better understand this context-dependency. With the goal to assess the net effect of two types of chronic stress on various host-parasite interactions, we conducted an experiment in capybaras to evaluate the impact of food restriction and physical restraint on the infection intensity of specific gastrointestinal nematodes and coccidia, and how these stressors affected the growth, body condition, and some immuno-physiological parameters. Our hypothesis was that both forms of stress would result in an alteration in the host-parasite interactions, with deteriorated condition and reduced immunological investment leading to high parasite burdens and vice versa. Stressed capybaras had significantly higher coccidia infection intensities; but among individuals that were smaller, those stressed consistently showed lower helminth burdens than controls. Both stress treatments had a marked negative impact on growth and body condition, but concomitantly they had a significant positive effect on some components of the immune system. Our results suggest, on the one hand, that during prolonged periods of stress capybaras preventatively invest in some components of their immunity, such as innate humoural defenses and cells that combat helminths, which could be considered a stress-dependent prophylaxis. On the other hand, stress was found to cause greater infection intensities of protozoans but lower burdens of nematodes, indicating that the relationship between stress, physiological trade-offs and infection depends on the type of parasite in question. Moreover, both findings might be related in a causal way, as one of the immunological parameters enhanced in stressed capybaras is associated with

  5. 10 workshops on Immunology of preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerard, Chaouat

    2017-09-01

    For the 10th issue of the « island workshops », now the Reunion Workshops, organised by Pierre Yves Robillard since the first one in Tahiti challenging the "vascular disease only" theory of pre eclampsia and introducing the primipaternity concept, we examined the reasons for considering an Immunological approach to the disease. This (brief) overview thus examines several important topics in an Immunological framework. I have chosen to present here the evolution of the main themes rather than a purely chronological vision. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Home geriatric physiological measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamura, Toshiyo

    2012-10-01

    In an ageing society, the elderly can be monitored with numerous physiological, physical and passive devices. Sensors can be installed in the home for continuous mobility assistance and unobtrusive disease prevention. This review presents several modern sensors, which improve the quality of life and assist the elderly, disabled people and their caregivers. The main concept of geriatric sensors is that they are capable of providing assistance without limiting or disturbing the subject's daily routine, giving him or her greater comfort, pleasure and well-being. Furthermore, this review includes associated technologies of wearable/implantable monitoring systems and the 'smart-house' project. This review concludes by discussing future challenges of the future aged society.

  7. Home geriatric physiological measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamura, Toshiyo

    2012-01-01

    In an ageing society, the elderly can be monitored with numerous physiological, physical and passive devices. Sensors can be installed in the home for continuous mobility assistance and unobtrusive disease prevention. This review presents several modern sensors, which improve the quality of life and assist the elderly, disabled people and their caregivers. The main concept of geriatric sensors is that they are capable of providing assistance without limiting or disturbing the subject's daily routine, giving him or her greater comfort, pleasure and well-being. Furthermore, this review includes associated technologies of wearable/implantable monitoring systems and the ‘smart-house’ project. This review concludes by discussing future challenges of the future aged society. (topical review)

  8. Protein Analysis in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid: Physiological Aspects, Current Progress and Future Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas F. Hühmer

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The introduction of lumbar puncture into clinical medicine over 100 years ago marks the beginning of the study of central nervous system diseases using the human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF. Ever since, CSF has been analyzed extensively to elucidate the physiological and biochemical bases of neurological disease. The proximity of CSF to the brain makes it a good target for studying the pathophysiology of brain functions, but the barrier function of the CSF also impedes its diagnostic value. Today, measurements to determine alterations in the composition of CSF are central in the differential diagnosis of specific diseases of the central nervous system (CNS. In particular, the analysis of the CSF protein composition provides crucial information in the diagnosis of CNS diseases. This enables the assessment of the physiology of the blood-CSF barrier and of the immunology of intrathecial responses. Besides those routine measurements, protein compositional studies of CSF have been extended recently to many other proteins in the expectation that comprehensive analysis of lower abundance CSF proteins will lead to the discovery of new disease markers. Disease marker discovery by molecular profiling of the CSF tissue has the enormous potential of providing many new disease relevant molecules. New developments in protein profiling techniques hold promise for the discovery and validation of relevant disease markers. In this review, we summarize the current efforts and progress in CSF protein profiling measurements using conventional and current protein analysis tools. We also discuss necessary development in methodology in order to have the highest impact on the study of the molecular composition of CSF proteins.

  9. Repeated, Intermittent Social Defeat across the Entire Juvenile Period Resulted in Behavioral, Physiological, Hormonal, Immunological, and Neurochemical Alterations in Young Adult Male Golden Hamsters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Wei-Chun; Liu, Ching-Yi; Lai, Wen-Sung

    2016-01-01

    The developing brain is vulnerable to social defeat during the juvenile period. As complements of human studies, animal models of social defeat provide a straightforward approach to investigating the functional and neurobiological consequences of social defeats. Taking advantage of agonist behavior and social defeat in male golden hamster, a set of 6 experiments was conducted to investigate the consequences at multiple levels in young adulthood resulting from repeated, intermittent social defeats or “social threats” across the entire juvenile period. Male hamsters at postnatal day 28 (P28) were randomly assigned to either the social defeat, “social threat”, or arena control group, and they correspondingly received a series of nine social interaction trials (i.e., either social defeat, “social threat”, or arena control conditions) from P33 to P66. At the behavioral level (Experiment 1), we found that repeated social defeats (but not “social threats”) significantly impacted locomotor activity in the familiar context and social interaction in the familiar/unfamiliar social contexts. At the physiological and hormonal levels (Experiments 2 and 3), repeated social defeat significantly enhanced the cortisol and norepinephrine concentrations in blood. Enlargement of the spleen was also found in the social defeat and “social threat” groups. At the immunological level (Experiment 4), the social defeat group showed lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamus and hippocampus but higher concentration of IL-6 in the striatum compared to the other two groups. At the neurochemical level (Experiment 5), the socially defeated hamsters mainly displayed reductions of dopamine, dopamine metabolites, and 5-HT levels in the striatum and decreased level of 5-HT in the hippocampus. In Experiment 6, an increase in the spine density of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was specifically observed in the “social threat” group. Collectively, our

  10. Paul Ehrlich: the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine 1908.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piro, Anna; Tagarelli, Antonio; Tagarelli, Giuseppe; Lagonia, Paolo; Quattrone, Aldo

    2008-01-01

    We wish to commemorate Paul Ehrlich on the centennial of his being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1908. His studies are now considered as milestones in immunology: the morphology of leukocytes; his side-chain theory where he defined the cellular receptor for first time; and his clarification of the difference between serum therapy and chemotherapy. Ehrlich also invented the first chemotherapeutic drug: compound 606, or Salvarsan. We have used some original documents from the Royal Society of London, where Ehrlich was a fellow, and from Leipzig University, where he took a degree in medicine.

  11. Introduction to the special issue: toward implementing physiological measures in clinical child and adolescent assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Los Reyes, Andres; Aldao, Amelia

    2015-01-01

    The National Institute of Mental Health recently launched the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). The RDoC is an initiative to improve classification of mental health concerns by promoting research on the brain mechanisms underlying these concerns, with the ultimate goal of developing interventions that target these brain mechanisms. A key focus of RDoC involves opening new lines of research examining patients' responses on biological measures. The RDoC presents unique challenges to mental health professionals who work with children and adolescents. Indeed, mental health professionals rarely integrate biological measures into clinical assessments. Thus, RDoC's ability to improve patient care rests, in part, on the development of strategies for implementing biological measures within mental health assessments. Further, mental health professionals already carry out comprehensive assessments that frequently yield inconsistent findings. These inconsistencies have historically posed challenges to interpreting research findings as well as assessment outcomes in practice settings. In this introductory article, we review key issues that informed the development of a special issue of articles demonstrating methods for implementing low-cost measures of physiological functioning in clinical child and adolescent assessments. We also outline a conceptual framework, informed by theoretical work on using and interpreting multiple informants' clinical reports (De Los Reyes, Thomas, Goodman, & Kundey, 2013 ), to guide hypothesis testing when using physiological measures within clinical child and adolescent assessments. This special issue and the conceptual model described in this article may open up new lines of research testing paradigms for implementing clinically feasible physiological measures in clinical child and adolescent assessments.

  12. Update on Gender Equity in Immunology, 2001 to 2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shapiro, Virginia Smith; Kovats, Susan; Parent, Michelle A; Gaffen, Sarah L; Hedrick, Catherine C; Jain, Pooja; Denzin, Lisa K; Raghavan, Malini; Stephens, Robin

    2016-11-15

    In 2001, The American Association of Immunologists Committee on the Status of Women conducted a survey examining the percentage of women faculty members within immunology departments or women in immunology graduate programs across 27 institutions in the United States, comparing it to the percentage of women receiving a Ph.D. Here, we examine the representation of women across these same 27 immunology departments and programs to examine changes in gender equity over the last 15 years. Copyright © 2016 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  13. Acoustic Measures of Voice and Physiologic Measures of Autonomic Arousal during Speech as a Function of Cognitive Load.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacPherson, Megan K; Abur, Defne; Stepp, Cara E

    2017-07-01

    This study aimed to determine the relationship among cognitive load condition and measures of autonomic arousal and voice production in healthy adults. A prospective study design was conducted. Sixteen healthy young adults (eight men, eight women) produced a sentence containing an embedded Stroop task in each of two cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. In both conditions, participants said the font color of the color words instead of the word text. In the incongruent condition, font color differed from the word text, creating an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which font color and word text matched. Three physiologic measures of autonomic arousal (pulse volume amplitude, pulse period, and skin conductance response amplitude) and four acoustic measures of voice (sound pressure level, fundamental frequency, cepstral peak prominence, and low-to-high spectral energy ratio) were analyzed for eight sentence productions in each cognitive load condition per participant. A logistic regression model was constructed to predict the cognitive load condition (congruent or incongruent) using subject as a categorical predictor and the three autonomic measures and four acoustic measures as continuous predictors. It revealed that skin conductance response amplitude, cepstral peak prominence, and low-to-high spectral energy ratio were significantly associated with cognitive load condition. During speech produced under increased cognitive load, healthy young adults show changes in physiologic markers of heightened autonomic arousal and acoustic measures of voice quality. Future work is necessary to examine these measures in older adults and individuals with voice disorders. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Prevalence and Predictors of Immunological Failure among HIV Patients on HAART in Southern Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yirdaw, Kesetebirhan Delele; Hattingh, Susan

    2015-01-01

    Immunological monitoring is part of the standard of care for patients on antiretroviral treatment. Yet, little is known about the routine implementation of immunological laboratory monitoring and utilization in clinical care in Ethiopia. This study assessed the pattern of immunological monitoring, immunological response, level of immunological treatment failure and factors related to it among patients on antiretroviral therapy in selected hospitals in southern Ethiopia. A retrospective longitudinal analytic study was conducted using documents of patients started on antiretroviral therapy. Adequacy of timely immunological monitoring was assessed every six months the first year and every one year thereafter. Immunological response was assessed every six months at cohort level. Immunological failure was based on the criteria: fall of follow-up CD4 cell count to baseline (or below), or CD4 levels persisting below 100 cells/mm3, or 50% fall from on-treatment peak value. A total of 1,321 documents of patients reviewed revealed timely immunological monitoring were inadequate. There was adequate immunological response, with pediatric patients, females, those with less advanced illness (baseline WHO Stage I or II) and those with higher baseline CD4 cell count found to have better immunological recovery. Thirty-nine patients (3%) were not evaluated for immunological failure because they had frequent treatment interruption. Despite overall adequate immunological response at group level, the prevalence of those who ever experienced immunological failure was 17.6% (n=226), while after subsequent re-evaluation it dropped to 11.5% (n=147). Having WHO Stage III/IV of the disease or a higher CD4 cell count at baseline was identified as a risk for immunological failure. Few patients with confirmed failure were switched to second line therapy. These findings highlight the magnitude of the problem of immunological failure and the gap in management. Prioritizing care for high risk

  15. The immunologic considerations in human head transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Mark A; Furr, Allen; Barret, Juan P; Barker, John H

    2017-05-01

    The idea of head transplantation appears at first as unrealistic, unethical, and futile. Here we discuss immunological considerations in human head transplantation. In a separate accompanying article we discuss surgical, ethical, and psychosocial issues concerned in body-to-head transplantation (BHT) [1]. The success of such an unusual allograft, where the donor and the recipient can reject each other, depends on prevention of complex immunologic reactions, especially rejection of the head by the body (graft-vs-host) or probably less likely, the possibility of the head rejecting the total body allograft (host-vs-graft). The technical and immunologic difficulties are enormous, especially since rapid nerve and cord connections and regeneration have not yet been possible to achieve. In this article we begin by briefly reviewing neuro-immunologic issues that may favor BHT such as the blood brain barrier (BBB) and point out its shortcomings. And we touch on the cellular and humoral elements in the brain proper that differ in some respects from those in other organs and in the periphery. Based on recent successes in vascular composite allografts (VCAs), we will elaborate on potential specific advantages and difficulties in BHT of various available immunosuppressive medications already utilized in VCAs. The risk/benefit ratio of these drugs will be emphasized in relation to direct brain toxicity such as seizure disorders, interference, or promotion of nerve regeneration, and potentiation of cerebral viral infections. The final portion of this article will focus on pre-transplant immunologic manipulation of the deceased donor body along with pretreatment of the recipient. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Updating the immunology curriculum in clinical laboratory science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, C D

    2000-01-01

    To determine essential content areas of immunology/serology courses at the clinical laboratory technician (CLT) and clinical laboratory scientist (CLS) levels. A questionnaire was designed which listed all major topics in immunology and serology. Participants were asked to place a check beside each topic covered. For an additional list of serological and immunological laboratory testing, participants were asked to indicate if each test was performed in either the didactic or clinical setting, or not performed at all. A national survey of 593 NAACLS approved CLT and CLS programs was conducted by mail under the auspices of ASCLS. Responses were obtained from 158 programs. Respondents from all across the United States included 60 CLT programs, 48 hospital-based CLS programs, 45 university-based CLS programs, and 5 university-based combined CLT and CLS programs. The survey was designed to enumerate major topics included in immunology and serology courses by a majority of participants at two distinct educational levels, CLT and CLS. Laboratory testing routinely performed in student laboratories as well as in the clinical setting was also determined for these two levels of practitioners. Certain key topics were common to most immunology and serology courses. There were some notable differences in the depth of courses at the CLT and CLS levels. Laboratory testing associated with these courses also differed at the two levels. Testing requiring more detailed interpretation, such as antinuclear antibody patterns (ANAs), was mainly performed by CLS students only. There are certain key topics as well as specific laboratory tests that should be included in immunology/serology courses at each of the two different educational levels to best prepare students for the workplace. Educators can use this information as a guide to plan a curriculum for such courses.

  17. Cutting edge issues in allergy and clinical immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthias, Torsten; Shoenfeld, Yehuda

    2007-02-01

    Approximately every 5 yr, Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology deviates from its usual practice of publishing volumes devoted to one theme to including papers that cover a range of subjects. This issue is one such exception and arose following a symposium at the International Institute for Research in Autoimmune Diseases named AESKU.KIPP Institute at their Wendelsheim facility. The AESKU.KIPP Institute was a particularly venue because it was initially established by a German diagnostic company and a Swiss benefactor, Karl- Heinz Kipp. The goal of the Institute was to develop a unique atmosphere to encourage original research in the field of autoimmunity and clinical immunology. The thought was to create an institute where young scientists from throughout the world could come for short periods of time to learn newer methodologies in both clinical immunology and also molecular biology. This theme contains several of the papers presented at the opening of the Institute and are incorporated herein because they focus on several unique aspects of clinical immunology, often referred to as the mosaic of autoimmunity.

  18. 21 CFR 866.6030 - AFP-L3% immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Tumor Associated Antigen immunological Test... studies, and clinical assessment. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The special control is...

  19. Physiology for engineers applying engineering methods to physiological systems

    CERN Document Server

    Chappell, Michael

    2016-01-01

    This book provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative aspects of human physiology. It looks at biological and physiological processes and phenomena, including a selection of mathematical models, showing how physiological problems can be mathematically formulated and studied. It also illustrates how a wide range of engineering and physics topics, including electronics, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and control theory can be used to describe and understand physiological processes and systems. Throughout the text there are introductions to measuring and quantifying physiological processes using both signal and imaging technologies. Physiology for Engineers describes the basic structure and models of cellular systems, the structure and function of the cardiovascular system, the electrical and mechanical activity of the heart and provides an overview of the structure and function of the respiratory and nervous systems. It also includes an introduction to the basic concepts and applications of reacti...

  20. Single-Cell Genomics: Approaches and Utility in Immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neu, Karlynn E; Tang, Qingming; Wilson, Patrick C; Khan, Aly A

    2017-02-01

    Single-cell genomics offers powerful tools for studying immune cells, which make it possible to observe rare and intermediate cell states that cannot be resolved at the population level. Advances in computer science and single-cell sequencing technology have created a data-driven revolution in immunology. The challenge for immunologists is to harness computing and turn an avalanche of quantitative data into meaningful discovery of immunological principles, predictive models, and strategies for therapeutics. Here, we review the current literature on computational analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data and discuss underlying assumptions, methods, and applications in immunology, and highlight important directions for future research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Veterinary Immunology Committee Toolkit Workshop 2010: Progress and plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Third Veterinary Immunology Committee (VIC) Toolkit Workshop took place at the Ninth International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (IVIS) in Tokyo, Japan on August 18, 2020. The Workshop built on previous Toolkit Workshops and covered various aspects of reagent development, commercialisation an...

  2. Immunological probes for lesions and repoair patches in DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leadon, S.A.

    1988-01-01

    This paper describes two immunological approaches for the detection of DNA damage and its repair. The first uses a monoclonal antibody to directly measure the production and removal of one type of oxidized base, thymine glycol; the second uses an antibody to detect the repair synthesis event itself and, when combined with the use of molecular biological techniques, can be used to monitor the production and removal of lesions in specific sequences within the genome

  3. Oral Microbiology and Immunology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahlén, Gunnar; Fiehn, Nils-Erik; Olsen, Ingar

    , dental assistants and trainees may find it a useful source of reference. The contents are based on general microbiology and immunology. Oral microbiology is given particular attention, with examples relevant to oral infectious diseases. Each chapter opens with a relatively short pre-reading section...

  4. 21 CFR 866.5100 - Antinuclear antibody immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Antinuclear antibody immunological test system....5100 Antinuclear antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antinuclear antibody... the autoimmune antibodies in serum, other body fluids, and tissues that react with cellular nuclear...

  5. POST-EXPOSURE IMMUNOLOGICAL PREVENTION AGAINST VARICELLA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.K. Tatochenko

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The article focuses on immunological prevention of varicella, particularly efficacy and advisability of vaccinating contact individuals in a pocket (post-exposure vaccination: its role in reducing the epidemiological process and economic burden of the infection, in achieving control over outbreak disease incidence. It features data obtained by foreign researchers and own research results. It demonstrates that vaccination of children and adults immediately after contact with the individual suffering from varicella allows significant reduction in disease incidence. Key words: varicella, vaccination, post-exposure immunological prevention, children. (Pediatric Pharmacology. – 2010; 7(4:30-33

  6. Quantile regression for the statistical analysis of immunological data with many non-detects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eilers, P.H.C.; Roder, E.; Savelkoul, H.F.J.; Wijk, van R.G.

    2012-01-01

    Background Immunological parameters are hard to measure. A well-known problem is the occurrence of values below the detection limit, the non-detects. Non-detects are a nuisance, because classical statistical analyses, like ANOVA and regression, cannot be applied. The more advanced statistical

  7. Quantile regression for the statistical analysis of immunological data with many non-detects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.H.C. Eilers (Paul); E. Röder (Esther); H.F.J. Savelkoul (Huub); R. Gerth van Wijk (Roy)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Immunological parameters are hard to measure. A well-known problem is the occurrence of values below the detection limit, the non-detects. Non-detects are a nuisance, because classical statistical analyses, like ANOVA and regression, cannot be applied. The more advanced

  8. Engineering antigen-specific immunological tolerance.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kontos, Stephan; Grimm, Alizee J.; Hubbell, Jeffrey A.

    2015-05-01

    Unwanted immunity develops in response to many protein drugs, in autoimmunity, in allergy, and in transplantation. Approaches to induce immunological tolerance aim to either prevent these responses or reverse them after they have already taken place. We present here recent developments in approaches, based on engineered peptides, proteins and biomaterials, that harness mechanisms of peripheral tolerance both prophylactically and therapeutically to induce antigenspecific immunological tolerance. These mechanisms are based on responses of B and T lymphocytes to other cells in their immune environment that result in cellular deletion or ignorance to particular antigens, or in development of active immune regulatory responses. Several of these approaches are moving toward clinical development, and some are already in early stages of clinical testing.

  9. Quantitative computed tomography measurements to evaluate airway disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Relationship to physiological measurements, clinical index and visual assessment of airway disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nambu, Atsushi; Zach, Jordan; Schroeder, Joyce; Jin, Gongyoung; Kim, Song Soo; Kim, Yu-IL; Schnell, Christina; Bowler, Russell; Lynch, David A.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To correlate currently available quantitative CT measurements for airway disease with physiological indices and the body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Materials and methods: This study was approved by our institutional review board (IRB number 2778). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The subjects included 188 current and former cigarette smokers from the COPDGene cohort who underwent inspiratory and expiratory CT and also had physiological measurements for the evaluation of airflow limitation, including FEF25-75%, airway resistance (Raw), and specific airway conductance (sGaw). The BODE index was used as the index of clinical symptoms. Quantitative CT measures included % low attenuation areas [% voxels ≤ 950 Hounsfield unit (HU) on inspiratory CT, %LAA −950ins ], percent gas trapping (% voxels ≤ −856 HU on expiratory CT, %LAA −856exp ), relative inspiratory to expiratory volume change of voxels with attenuation values from −856 to −950 HU [Relative Volume Change (RVC) −856 to −950 ], expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratio MLD ), Pi10, and airway wall thickness (WT), luminal diameter (LD) and airway wall area percent (WA%) in the segmental, subsegmental and subsubsegmental bronchi on inspiratory CT. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the QCT measurements and physiological measurements in all subjects and in the subjects with mild emphysema (%LAA −950ins <10%). Univariate and multiple variable analysis for the BODE index were also performed. Adjustments were made for age, gender, smoking pack years, FEF25-75%, Raw, and sGaw. Results: Quantitative CT measurements had significant correlations with physiological indices. Among them, E/I-ratio MLD had the strongest correlations with FEF25-75% (r = −0.648, <0.001) and sGaw (r = −0.624, <0.001) while in the subjects with

  10. German Society for Immunology and Australasian Society for Immunology joint Workshop 3(rd) -4(th) December 2015 - Meeting report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurts, Christian; Gottschalk, Catherine; Bedoui, Sammy; Heinzel, Susanne; Godfrey, Dale; Enders, Anselm

    2016-02-01

    The German Society for Immunology (DGfI) and the Australasian Society for Immunology (ASI) hosted the first DGfI-ASI joint workshop from December 3-4, 2015 in Canberra, Australia. A delegation of 15 distinguished German immunologists discussed the workshop topic "immune regulation in infections and immune mediated diseases" with the aim to establish new German-Australasian collaborations, discuss new concepts in the field of immune regulation and build a scientific network to create more utilizable resources for excellent (trans-border) immunological research. The workshop was associated with the 45(th) Annual Scientific Meeting of the ASI held from Nov 29-Dec 3, 2015, opening up even more opportunities for finding new collaboration partners. A return meeting will be linked to the annual DGfI meeting that will take place in 2017 in Erlangen. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Cancer immunotherapy and immunological memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murata, Kenji; Tsukahara, Tomohide; Torigoe, Toshihiko

    2016-01-01

    Human immunological memory is the key distinguishing hallmark of the adaptive immune system and plays an important role in the prevention of morbidity and the severity of infection. The differentiation system of T cell memory has been clarified using mouse models. However, the human T cell memory system has great diversity induced by natural antigens derived from many pathogens and tumor cells throughout life, and profoundly differs from the mouse memory system constructed using artificial antigens and transgenic T cells. We believe that only human studies can elucidate the human immune system. The importance of immunological memory in cancer immunotherapy has been pointed out, and the trafficking properties and long-lasting anti-tumor capacity of memory T cells play a crucial role in the control of malignant tumors. Adoptive cell transfer of less differentiated T cells has consistently demonstrated superior anti-tumor capacity relative to more differentiated T cells. Therefore, a human T cell population with the characteristics of stem cell memory is thought to be attractive for peptide vaccination and adoptive cell transfer. A novel human memory T cell population that we have identified is closer to the naive state than previous memory T cells in the T cell differentiation lineage, and has the characteristics of stem-like chemoresistance. Here we introduce this novel population and describe the fundamentals of immunological memory in cancer immunotherapy.

  12. Immunology of Gut Mucosal Vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasetti, Marcela F.; Simon, Jakub K.; Sztein, Marcelo B.; Levine, Myron M.

    2011-01-01

    Summary Understanding the mechanisms underlying the induction of immunity in the gastrointestinal mucosa following oral immunization and the cross-talk between mucosal and systemic immunity should expedite the development of vaccines to diminish the global burden caused by enteric pathogens. Identifying an immunological correlate of protection in the course of field trials of efficacy, animal models (when available), or human challenge studies is also invaluable. In industrialized country populations, live attenuated vaccines (e.g. polio, typhoid, and rotavirus) mimic natural infection and generate robust protective immune responses. In contrast, a major challenge is to understand and overcome the barriers responsible for the diminished immunogenicity and efficacy of the same enteric vaccines in underprivileged populations in developing countries. Success in developing vaccines against some enteric pathogens has heretofore been elusive (e.g. Shigella). Different types of oral vaccines can selectively or inclusively elicit mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A and serum immunoglobulin G antibodies and a variety of cell-mediated immune responses. Areas of research that require acceleration include interaction between the gut innate immune system and the stimulation of adaptive immunity, development of safe yet effective mucosal adjuvants, better understanding of homing to the mucosa of immunologically relevant cells, and elicitation of mucosal immunologic memory. This review dissects the immune responses elicited in humans by enteric vaccines. PMID:21198669

  13. Prevalence and Predictors of Immunological Failure among HIV Patients on HAART in Southern Ethiopia

    OpenAIRE

    Yirdaw, Kesetebirhan Delele; Hattingh, Susan

    2015-01-01

    Immunological monitoring is part of the standard of care for patients on antiretroviral treatment. Yet, little is known about the routine implementation of immunological laboratory monitoring and utilization in clinical care in Ethiopia. This study assessed the pattern of immunological monitoring, immunological response, level of immunological treatment failure and factors related to it among patients on antiretroviral therapy in selected hospitals in southern Ethiopia. A retrospective longit...

  14. Do physiological measures predict selected CrossFit® benchmark performance?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Butcher SJ

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Scotty J Butcher,1,2 Tyler J Neyedly,3 Karla J Horvey,1 Chad R Benko2,41Physical Therapy, University of Saskatchewan, 2BOSS Strength Institute, 3Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, 4Synergy Strength and Conditioning, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaPurpose: CrossFit® is a new but extremely popular method of exercise training and competition that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. Despite the popularity of this training method, the physiological determinants of CrossFit performance have not yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine whether physiological and/or muscle strength measures could predict performance on three common CrossFit "Workouts of the Day" (WODs.Materials and methods: Fourteen CrossFit Open or Regional athletes completed, on separate days, the WODs "Grace" (30 clean and jerks for time, "Fran" (three rounds of thrusters and pull-ups for 21, 15, and nine repetitions, and "Cindy" (20 minutes of rounds of five pull-ups, ten push-ups, and 15 bodyweight squats, as well as the "CrossFit Total" (1 repetition max [1RM] back squat, overhead press, and deadlift, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max, and Wingate anaerobic power/capacity testing.Results: Performance of Grace and Fran was related to whole-body strength (CrossFit Total (r=-0.88 and -0.65, respectively and anaerobic threshold (r=-0.61 and -0.53, respectively; however, whole-body strength was the only variable to survive the prediction regression for both of these WODs (R2=0.77 and 0.42, respectively. There were no significant associations or predictors for Cindy.Conclusion: CrossFit benchmark WOD performance cannot be predicted by VO2max, Wingate power/capacity, or either respiratory compensation or anaerobic thresholds. Of the data measured, only whole-body strength can partially explain performance on Grace and Fran, although anaerobic threshold also exhibited association with performance. Along with their typical training

  15. Immunologic, hemodynamic, and adrenal incompetence in cirrhosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risør, Louise Madeleine; Bendtsen, Flemming; Møller, Søren

    2015-01-01

    dysfunction, but is not responsive to volume expansion. Recent research indicates that development of hepatic nephropathy represents a continuous spectrum of functional and structural dysfunction and may be precipitated by the inherent immunologic, adrenal, and hemodynamic incompetence in cirrhosis. New...... research explores several new markers of renal dysfunction that may replace serum creatinine in the future and give new insight on the hepatic nephropathy. Our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms causing the immunologic, adrenal, and hemodynamic incompetence, and the impact on renal...

  16. Respiratory Frequency during Exercise: The Neglected Physiological Measure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Nicolò

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The use of wearable sensor technology for athlete training monitoring is growing exponentially, but some important measures and related wearable devices have received little attention so far. Respiratory frequency (fR, for example, is emerging as a valuable measurement for training monitoring. Despite the availability of unobtrusive wearable devices measuring fR with relatively good accuracy, fR is not commonly monitored during training. Yet fR is currently measured as a vital sign by multiparameter wearable devices in the military field, clinical settings, and occupational activities. When these devices have been used during exercise, fR was used for limited applications like the estimation of the ventilatory threshold. However, more information can be gained from fR. Unlike heart rate, V˙O2, and blood lactate, fR is strongly associated with perceived exertion during a variety of exercise paradigms, and under several experimental interventions affecting performance like muscle fatigue, glycogen depletion, heat exposure and hypoxia. This suggests that fR is a strong marker of physical effort. Furthermore, unlike other physiological variables, fR responds rapidly to variations in workload during high-intensity interval training (HIIT, with potential important implications for many sporting activities. This Perspective article aims to (i present scientific evidence supporting the relevance of fR for training monitoring; (ii critically revise possible methodologies to measure fR and the accuracy of currently available respiratory wearables; (iii provide preliminary indication on how to analyze fR data. This viewpoint is expected to advance the field of training monitoring and stimulate directions for future development of sports wearables.

  17. Immunological status of patients with uterine ceroix carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Il'in, I.V.; Dekster, L.I.; Letskij, V.B.

    1979-01-01

    Comparative data on the immunological status of 60 patients with uterine cervix carcinoma 27 of whom were exposed to combined radiotherapy are given. The evaluation of the immunological parameters makes it possible to note a marked affection of the T system by radiant energy. Taking into consideration a significant immunodepressive effect of irradiation it is advisable that immunotherapy by included into the therapeutic regimen

  18. 50 years of pediatric immunology: progress and future, a clinical perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Surjit; Gupta, Anju; Rawat, Amit

    2013-01-08

    Rapidly evolving advances in the field of immunology over the last few decades have impacted the practice of clinical medicine in many ways. In fact, understanding the immunological basis of disease has been pivotal in deciphering the pathogenesis of several disease processes, infective or otherwise. As of today, there is hardly any specialty of medicine which is not influenced by immunology. Pediatric rheumatological disorders, vasculitides, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDs) and autoimmune disorders fall under the domain of clinical immunology. This specialty is poised to emerge as a major clinical specialty in our country. The gulf between bench and bedside is narrowing down as our understanding of the complex immunological mechanisms gets better. However, a lot still needs to be done in this field as the morbidity and mortality of some of these conditions is unacceptably high in the Indian setup. A number of medical schools and institutes in the country now have the resources and the wherewithal to develop into specialized centres of clinical immunology. We need to concentrate on training more physicians and pediatricians in this field. The future is bright and the prospects exciting.

  19. Immunologic Abnormalities, Treatments, and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Nathalie F; Kolte, Astrid M; Larsen, Elisabeth C

    2016-01-01

    Recurrent pregnancy loss, depending on the definition, affects 1% to 3% of women aiming to have a child. Little is known about the direct causes of recurrent pregnancy loss, and the condition is considered to have a multifactorial and complex pathogenesis. The aim of this review was to summarize ...... the evaluation and the management of the condition with specific emphasis on immunologic biomarkers identified as risk factors as well as current immunologic treatment options. The review also highlights and discusses areas in need of further research....

  20. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The): Site Map

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The): Site Map. Journal Home > About the Journal > Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The): Site Map. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  1. Doppler radar physiological sensing

    CERN Document Server

    Lubecke, Victor M; Droitcour, Amy D; Park, Byung-Kwon; Singh, Aditya

    2016-01-01

    Presents a comprehensive description of the theory and practical implementation of Doppler radar-based physiological monitoring. This book includes an overview of current physiological monitoring techniques and explains the fundamental technology used in remote non-contact monitoring methods. Basic radio wave propagation and radar principles are introduced along with the fundamentals of physiological motion and measurement. Specific design and implementation considerations for physiological monitoring radar systems are then discussed in detail. The authors address current research and commercial development of Doppler radar based physiological monitoring for healthcare and other applications.

  2. Quantitative computed tomography measurements to evaluate airway disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Relationship to physiological measurements, clinical index and visual assessment of airway disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nambu, Atsushi, E-mail: nambu-a@gray.plala.or.jp [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Zach, Jordan, E-mail: ZachJ@NJHealth.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Schroeder, Joyce, E-mail: Joyce.schroeder@stanfordalumni.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Jin, Gongyoung, E-mail: gyjin@chonbuk.ac.kr [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Kim, Song Soo, E-mail: haneul88@hanmail.net [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Kim, Yu-IL, E-mail: kyionly@chonnam.ac.kr [Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO (United States); Schnell, Christina, E-mail: SchnellC@NJHealth.org [Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO (United States); Bowler, Russell, E-mail: BowlerR@NJHealth.org [Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health (United States); Lynch, David A., E-mail: LynchD@NJHealth.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Purpose: To correlate currently available quantitative CT measurements for airway disease with physiological indices and the body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Materials and methods: This study was approved by our institutional review board (IRB number 2778). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The subjects included 188 current and former cigarette smokers from the COPDGene cohort who underwent inspiratory and expiratory CT and also had physiological measurements for the evaluation of airflow limitation, including FEF25-75%, airway resistance (Raw), and specific airway conductance (sGaw). The BODE index was used as the index of clinical symptoms. Quantitative CT measures included % low attenuation areas [% voxels ≤ 950 Hounsfield unit (HU) on inspiratory CT, %LAA{sub −950ins}], percent gas trapping (% voxels ≤ −856 HU on expiratory CT, %LAA {sub −856exp}), relative inspiratory to expiratory volume change of voxels with attenuation values from −856 to −950 HU [Relative Volume Change (RVC){sub −856} {sub to} {sub −950}], expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratio {sub MLD}), Pi10, and airway wall thickness (WT), luminal diameter (LD) and airway wall area percent (WA%) in the segmental, subsegmental and subsubsegmental bronchi on inspiratory CT. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the QCT measurements and physiological measurements in all subjects and in the subjects with mild emphysema (%LAA{sub −950ins} <10%). Univariate and multiple variable analysis for the BODE index were also performed. Adjustments were made for age, gender, smoking pack years, FEF25-75%, Raw, and sGaw. Results: Quantitative CT measurements had significant correlations with physiological indices. Among them, E/I-ratio {sub MLD} had the strongest correlations with FEF25-75% (r = −0.648, <0.001) and sGaw (r = −0

  3. Methods for microbiological and immunological studies of space flight crews

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, G. R. (Editor); Zaloguev, S. N. (Editor)

    1978-01-01

    Systematic laboratory procedures compiled as an outgrowth of a joint U.S./U.S.S.R. microbiological-immunological experiment performed during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project space flight are presented. Included are mutually compatible methods for the identification of aerobic and microaerophilic bacteria, yeast and yeastlike microorganisms, and filamentous fungi; methods for the bacteriophage typing of Staphylococcus aureus; and methods for determining the sensitivity of S. aureus to antibiotics. Immunological methods using blood and immunological and biochemical methods using salivary parotid fluid are also described. Formulas for media and laboratory reagents used are listed.

  4. Regulation of immunological and inflammatory functions by biotin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuroishi, Toshinobu

    2015-12-01

    Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin and is well-known as a co-factor for 5 indispensable carboxylases. Holocarboxylase synthetase (HLCS) catalyzes the biotinylation of carboxylases and other proteins, whereas biotinidase catalyzes the release of biotin from biotinylated peptides. Previous studies have reported that nutritional biotin deficiency and genetic defects in either HLCS or biotinidase induces cutaneous inflammation and immunological disorders. Since biotin-dependent carboxylases involve various cellular metabolic pathways including gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis, and the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids and odd-chain fatty acids, metabolic abnormalities may play important roles in immunological and inflammatory disorders caused by biotin deficiency. Transcriptional factors, including NF-κB and Sp1/3, are also affected by the status of biotin, indicating that biotin regulates immunological and inflammatory functions independently of biotin-dependent carboxylases. An in-vivo analysis with a murine model revealed the therapeutic effects of biotin supplementation on metal allergies. The novel roles of biotinylated proteins and their related enzymes have recently been reported. Non-carboxylase biotinylated proteins induce chemokine production. HLCS is a nuclear protein involved in epigenetic and chromatin regulation. In this review, comprehensive knowledge on the regulation of immunological and inflammatory functions by biotin and its potential as a therapeutic agent is discussed.

  5. [Value of immunologic phenotyping of acute leukemias in children].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vannier, J P; Bene, M C

    1989-10-01

    Immunologic typing has demonstrated considerable heterogeneity among the acute leukemias. The most significant recent advance has been development of monoclonal antibody techniques. Some markers identified using these techniques seem to be specific for a given stage of maturation of one lymphoid or myeloid cell line. Most acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs) are malignant proliferations whose differentiation appears to have become 'stuck' at one stage of maturation. Results of immunologic typing correlate well with the other clinical and biological data. For prognostic purposes, several patterns can be identified. Among B line ALLs, four varieties have been differentiated, i.e., CD10 negative ALLs, common ALLs, pre-B ALLs, and B ALLs. T ALLs include a broad spectrum of heterogeneous proliferations whose immunologic classification is made difficult by the large number of phenotypes encountered. Among acute myeloblastic leukemias (AMLs), some highly undifferentiated forms have been recognized, by means of immunologic typing, as originating in one of the myeloid cell lines. However, the nosologic and prognostic significance of these studies is less obvious than in ALLs.

  6. Current status of immunologic studies in human lung cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gross, R.L.

    1978-06-01

    Several aspects of the immunology of human malignancy are reviewed, with particular emphasis on relevant findings in lung cancer. The existence of tumor-specific cell-mediated immune responses in patients with cancer has been demonstrated in numerous tumor types. Of more relevance in clinical situations is the association of generalized immunologic depression with malignancy. In the vast majority of cases, progressive declines in both tumor-specific and nonspecific immunologic parameters are observed with advancing disease. The approach to the immunologic evaluation of cancer patients and the potential usefulness of this approach to the diagnosis, prognosis, management, and assessment of therapeutic response are discussed. Evidence aimed at elucidating the mechanism of immunosuppression in malignancy, such as serum-blocking factors, immunoregulatory alpha globulins, and suppressor cells, is presented. Finally, emphasis is placed on the various forms of immunotherapy, including both specific active methods such as tumor cell or tumor antigen vaccines and nonspecific active immunotherapy involving agents like Bacillus Calmette-Guerin and levamisole. Early results from clinical immunotherapeutic trials are discussed.

  7. Immunological effects of ayahuasca in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, Rafael Guimarães

    2014-01-01

    Ayahuasca is a botanical hallucinogen traditionally used by indigenous groups of the northwest Amazon. In the last decade, the use of ayahuasca has spread from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa. Despite acute and long-term evidence of good tolerability and safety for ayahuasca administered in the laboratory or ritually consumed in religious contexts, little is known about the immunological impact of ayahuasca on humans. Since ayahuasca is used by an increasing number of consumers, and considering its therapeutic potential, more information is needed regarding ayahuasca potential risks. This article presents a brief overview of the available data regarding the immunological impact of ayahuasca in humans.

  8. Remembrance of immunology past: conversations with Herman Eisen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisen, Herman N; Schlesinger, Sondra

    2015-01-01

    Herman Eisen and Sondra Schlesinger spent several days together in September 2007 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, talking about immunology, focusing on his remembrances of the field over the more than 60 years of his involvement. This article is an abridged version of those discussions (the full version is available on the Annual Reviews website). It is both an oral history and a written memory of some important but selected areas of immunology.

  9. Immunological half-life of porcine proinsulin C-peptide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oyama, H; Horino, M; Matsumura, S [Kawasaki Medical Coll., Kurashiki (Japan). Div. of Endocrinology; Kobayshi, K; Suetsugu, N [Yamaguchi Univ., Ube (Japan). School of Medicine

    1975-11-01

    Immunological half-lifes of injected porcine C-peptide and insulin with RIA were studied and calculated as 9.8 and 8.0 minutes. Higher circulating levels of C-peptide as compared to insulin in normal young swines lead to speculation about a longer half-life of C-peptide. This hypothesis was verified in this study. Immunological half-lifes of porcine proinsulin and insulin in the pig were 20 and 6 minutes, respectively.

  10. Intercorrelation between immunological biomarkers and job stress indicators among female nurses: A nine-month longitudinal study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyung-Suk eYoon

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Some immunological biomarkers have been reported to be associated with job stress. This study was conducted to explore an intercorrelation between the psychological components of job stress and various immunological biomarkers among female nurses. To assess monthly and weekly job stress, 41 nurses had repeatedly completed the questionnaires such as the GJSQ, the POMS and the CES-D. Using flow cytometry and radioimmunoassay, the number of white blood cells, lymphocytic proliferation to mitogens, and toxoid were measured. Moreover, the levels of hydrocortisol, IL-b, INF-r, and TNF-a and salivary IgA were eveluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. When the Pearson correlation coefficients between job stress and immunological biomarkers were estimated after adjusting for age and smoking status, Clashes: conflict at work was significantly related to the number of CD4 cells (r = 0.36, p-value < 0.05, CD4 to CD8 ratio (0.35; < 0.05, response to concanavalin A (0.42; < 0.05, and phytohemagglutinin (0.35; < 0.05. Additionally, the level of hydrocortisol was significantly related to seven psychosocial measures; i.e., role conflict (-0.47; < 0.01, role ambiguity (-0.39; < 0.05, clashes at work (-0.38; < 0.05, control & influence at work (0.53; < 0.01, task control (0.55; < 0.001, resources at work (0.35; < 0.05, and skill underutilization (0.43; < 0.05. The results indicate that 1 the psychological job stress is associated with the levels of some immunological biomarkers in nurses; and 2 especially, hydrocortisol shows a remarkable relationship with diverse job stress indicators.

  11. Quality in radio-immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hegesippe, Michel

    1982-01-01

    The author outlines the technique of radio-immunological analysis (RIA) which is now widely used for neo-natal detection of congenital hyperthyroidism. He describes the methods and controls that are called for - as regards the specificity of doses, the sensitivity and reliability of the separation technique - to guarantee the quality of RIA and the validity of its results [fr

  12. The conservative physiology of the immune system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.M. Vaz

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Current immunological opinion disdains the necessity to define global interconnections between lymphocytes and regards natural autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells as intrinsically pathogenic. Immunological theories address the recognition of foreignness by independent clones of lymphocytes, not the relations among lymphocytes or between lymphocytes and the organism. However, although extremely variable in cellular/molecular composition, the immune system preserves as invariant a set of essential relations among its components and constantly enacts contacts with the organism of which it is a component. These invariant relations are reflected, for example, in the life-long stability of profiles of reactivity of immunoglobulins formed by normal organisms (natural antibodies. Oral contacts with dietary proteins and the intestinal microbiota also result in steady states that lack the progressive quality of secondary-type reactivity. Autoreactivity (natural autoantibody and autoreactive T cell formation is also stable and lacks the progressive quality of clonal expansion. Specific immune responses, currently regarded as the fundament of the operation of the immune system, may actually result from transient interruptions in this stable connectivity among lymphocytes. More permanent deficits in interconnectivity result in oligoclonal expansions of T lymphocytes, as seen in Omenn's syndrome and in the experimental transplantation of a suboptimal diversity of syngeneic T cells to immunodeficient hosts, which also have pathogenic consequences. Contrary to theories that forbid autoreactivity as potentially pathogenic, the physiology of the immune system is conservative and autoreactive. Pathology derives from failures of these conservative mechanisms.

  13. 21 CFR 866.6010 - Tumor-associated antigen immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    .... Class II (special controls). Tumor markers must comply with the following special controls: (1) A... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tumor-associated antigen immunological test system... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Tumor Associated Antigen...

  14. Immunological problems of radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pusztai-Markos, Z.

    1979-01-01

    The possible importance of the immune system in early development and progression of breast cancer is being discussed. The different laboratory methods in controlling the specific and non-specific immune reactivity are summarized. The modification of the immunological parameters by radio- resp. chemotherapy is critically presented on the basis of published data and on own results. An analysis of the data obtained by various immunological methods in respect to their consequences in diagnosis and prognosis is done. An immunological monitoring in the control of radio-, chemo- and immunotherapy in breast cancer patients is proposed. (orig.) [de

  15. Initial immunological changes as predictors for house dust mite immunotherapy response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez, E; Fernández, T D; Doña, I; Rondon, C; Campo, P; Gomez, F; Salas, M; Gonzalez, M; Perkins, J R; Palomares, F; Blanca, M; Torres, M J; Mayorga, C

    2015-10-01

    Although specific immunotherapy is the only aetiological treatment for allergic disorders, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Specific immunotherapy induces changes in lymphocyte Th subsets from Th2 to Th1/Treg. Whether differences in immunological patterns underlie patient response to immunotherapy has not yet been established. We studied the immunological changes occurring during a 1-year period of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) immunotherapy and their relation with clinical outcome. We included 34 patients with DP allergy who received subcutaneous specific immunotherapy (SCIT) for 1 year. Following treatment, patients were classified as responders or non-responders. Fourteen allergic subjects who did not receive SCIT were included as controls. Peripheral blood was obtained at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and cultured with nDer p 1. Phenotypic changes, cytokine production and basophil response were analysed by flow cytometry; transcription factors were measured by mRNA quantification. Serum immunoglobulin levels were also measured. After 1 year of SCIT, 82% of cases showed improved symptoms (responders). Although increases in sIgG4 were observed, BAT reactivity was not modified in these patients. Increases in T-BET/FOXP3 as well as nDer p 1-specific Th1/Treg frequencies were also observed, along with a decrease in Th2, Th9 and Th17. These changes corresponded to changes in cytokine levels. Patients who respond well to DP-SCIT show immunological differences compared to non-responders. In responders, basal differences include a lower frequency of Th1 and higher frequencies of Th2, Th9 and Th17 cells. After 1 year of treatment, an increased production of sIgG4 was observed in responders, along with a change in Th2 response towards Th1/Treg. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Electrochemical analysis of gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles for detecting immunological interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pham, Thao Thi-Hien; Sim, Sang Jun

    2010-01-01

    An electrochemical impedance immunosensor was developed for detecting the immunological interaction between human immunoglobulin (IgG) and protein A from Staphylococcus aureus based on the immobilization of human IgG on the surface of modified gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles with an Au shell and Fe oxide cores were functionalized by a self-assembled monolayer of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. The electrochemical analysis was conducted on the modified magnetic carbon paste electrodes with the nanoparticles. The magnetic nanoparticles were attached to the surface of the magnetic carbon paste electrodes via magnetic force. The cyclic voltammetry technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements of the magnetic carbon paste electrodes coated with magnetic nanoparticles-human IgG complex showed changes in its alternating current (AC) response both after the modification of the surface of the electrode and the addition of protein A. The immunological interaction between human IgG on the surface of the modified magnetic carbon paste electrodes and protein A in the solution could be successfully monitored.

  17. Radiotherapy and peculiarities of immunological reactivity in uterine and cervical cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mechev, D.S.; Stolyarova, O.Yu.

    2005-01-01

    The peculiarities of immunological reactivity in uterine and cervical cancer was studied. The study involved 94 patients who were administered combination radiation therapy for the above cancer. Before the treatment, the investigated group of the patients was characterized by the changes in a number of parameters of immunological reactivity (increased IgG, IgA, IgM serum concentrations, reduction of CD3+ and CD4+ amount, increased expression of CD95). The majority of changes were noticed immediately after the radiation therapy. Three and six month later the majority of immunological reactivity parameters did not differ from the respective values in the healthy group. Investigation of immunological reactivity in patients with uterine and cervical cancer allows to choose adequate treatment for this group of patients and improve its efficacy

  18. Immunologic assessment of patients with pulmonary metaplasia and neoplasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gross, R.L.; Saccomanno, G.; Smith, D.M.; Saunders, R.; Thomas, R.G.

    1979-01-01

    Immune profiles have been obtained on 206 individuals including 57 controls, 50 lung cancer patients, and 99 uranium miners with well-defined sputum cytologies ranging from normal to carcinoma in situ. Little effect of smoking, uranium mining or a combination of mining plus smoking on immune function was observed if sputum cytology was normal. In heavy smokers there was a suggestion that total T cells are increased while T cell function is slightly depressed. Immunologic abnormalities were noted in the moderate atypia group where 40% had one or more abnormal immunologic parameters. Immunologic abnormalities were detected in 68 to 70 patients with marked atypia, carcinoma in situ, or invasive carcinoma. Further sequential study of the uranium miner population is necessary to define more precisely the predictive value of immunologic testing, and the role of early identification of high risk individuals in the early institution of definitive therapy, such as surgery or immunotherapy. Long-term prospective analysis of this population may also provide the answer to the question of whether alterations in immune function precede, or result from the appearance of cells committed to the development of neoplasia

  19. Do physiological measures predict selected CrossFit(®) benchmark performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butcher, Scotty J; Neyedly, Tyler J; Horvey, Karla J; Benko, Chad R

    2015-01-01

    CrossFit(®) is a new but extremely popular method of exercise training and competition that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. Despite the popularity of this training method, the physiological determinants of CrossFit performance have not yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine whether physiological and/or muscle strength measures could predict performance on three common CrossFit "Workouts of the Day" (WODs). Fourteen CrossFit Open or Regional athletes completed, on separate days, the WODs "Grace" (30 clean and jerks for time), "Fran" (three rounds of thrusters and pull-ups for 21, 15, and nine repetitions), and "Cindy" (20 minutes of rounds of five pull-ups, ten push-ups, and 15 bodyweight squats), as well as the "CrossFit Total" (1 repetition max [1RM] back squat, overhead press, and deadlift), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and Wingate anaerobic power/capacity testing. Performance of Grace and Fran was related to whole-body strength (CrossFit Total) (r=-0.88 and -0.65, respectively) and anaerobic threshold (r=-0.61 and -0.53, respectively); however, whole-body strength was the only variable to survive the prediction regression for both of these WODs (R (2)=0.77 and 0.42, respectively). There were no significant associations or predictors for Cindy. CrossFit benchmark WOD performance cannot be predicted by VO2max, Wingate power/capacity, or either respiratory compensation or anaerobic thresholds. Of the data measured, only whole-body strength can partially explain performance on Grace and Fran, although anaerobic threshold also exhibited association with performance. Along with their typical training, CrossFit athletes should likely ensure an adequate level of strength and aerobic endurance to optimize performance on at least some benchmark WODs.

  20. Do physiological measures predict selected CrossFit® benchmark performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butcher, Scotty J; Neyedly, Tyler J; Horvey, Karla J; Benko, Chad R

    2015-01-01

    Purpose CrossFit® is a new but extremely popular method of exercise training and competition that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. Despite the popularity of this training method, the physiological determinants of CrossFit performance have not yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine whether physiological and/or muscle strength measures could predict performance on three common CrossFit “Workouts of the Day” (WODs). Materials and methods Fourteen CrossFit Open or Regional athletes completed, on separate days, the WODs “Grace” (30 clean and jerks for time), “Fran” (three rounds of thrusters and pull-ups for 21, 15, and nine repetitions), and “Cindy” (20 minutes of rounds of five pull-ups, ten push-ups, and 15 bodyweight squats), as well as the “CrossFit Total” (1 repetition max [1RM] back squat, overhead press, and deadlift), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and Wingate anaerobic power/capacity testing. Results Performance of Grace and Fran was related to whole-body strength (CrossFit Total) (r=−0.88 and −0.65, respectively) and anaerobic threshold (r=−0.61 and −0.53, respectively); however, whole-body strength was the only variable to survive the prediction regression for both of these WODs (R2=0.77 and 0.42, respectively). There were no significant associations or predictors for Cindy. Conclusion CrossFit benchmark WOD performance cannot be predicted by VO2max, Wingate power/capacity, or either respiratory compensation or anaerobic thresholds. Of the data measured, only whole-body strength can partially explain performance on Grace and Fran, although anaerobic threshold also exhibited association with performance. Along with their typical training, CrossFit athletes should likely ensure an adequate level of strength and aerobic endurance to optimize performance on at least some benchmark WODs. PMID:26261428

  1. Regenerative immunology: the immunological reaction to biomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cravedi, Paolo; Farouk, Samira; Angeletti, Andrea; Edgar, Lauren; Tamburrini, Riccardo; Duisit, Jerome; Perin, Laura; Orlando, Giuseppe

    2017-12-01

    Regenerative medicine promises to meet two of the most urgent needs of modern organ transplantation, namely immunosuppression-free transplantation and an inexhaustible source of organs. Ideally, bioengineered organs would be manufactured from a patient's own biomaterials-both cells and the supporting scaffolding materials in which cells would be embedded and allowed to mature to eventually regenerate the organ in question. While some groups are focusing on the feasibility of this approach, few are focusing on the immunogenicity of the scaffolds that are being developed for organ bioengineering purposes. This review will succinctly discuss progress in the understanding of immunological characteristics and behavior of different scaffolds currently under development, with emphasis on the extracellular matrix scaffolds obtained decellularized animal or human organs which seem to provide the ideal template for bioengineering purposes. © 2017 Steunstichting ESOT.

  2. Breaking Immunological Tolerance through OX40 (CD134

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pratima Bansal-Pakala

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Immunological tolerance represents a mechanism by which cells of the host remain protected from the immune system. Breaking of immunological tolerance can result in a variety of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. The reasons for tolerance breaking down and autoimmune processes arising are largely unknown but of obvious interest for therapeutic intervention of these diseases. Although reversal of the tolerant state is generally unwanted, there are instances where this may be of benefit to the host. In particular, one way a cancerous cell escapes being targeted by the immune system is through tolerance mechanisms that in effect turn off the reactivity of T lymphocytes that can respond to tumor-associated peptides. Thus tolerance represents a major obstacle in developing effective immunotherapy against tumors. The molecules that are involved in regulating immunological tolerance are then of interest as they may be great targets for positively or negatively manipulating the tolerance process.

  3. Panel 5: Microbiology and Immunology Panel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Timothy F.; Chonmaitree, Tasnee; Barenkamp, Stephen; Kyd, Jennelle; Nokso-Koivisto, Johanna; Patel, Janak A.; Heikkinen, Terho; Yamanaka, Noboru; Ogra, Pearay; Swords, W. Edward; Sih, Tania; Pettigrew, Melinda M.

    2014-01-01

    Objective The objective is to perform a comprehensive review of the literature from January 2007 through June 2011 on the virology, bacteriology, and immunology related to otitis media. Data Sources PubMed database of the National Library of Medicine. Review Methods Three subpanels with co-chairs comprising experts in the virology, bacteriology, and immunology of otitis media were formed. Each of the panels reviewed the literature in their respective fields and wrote draft reviews. The reviews were shared with all panel members, and a second draft was created. The entire panel met at the 10th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Otitis Media in June 2011 and discussed the review and refined the content further. A final draft was created, circulated, and approved by the panel. Conclusion Excellent progress has been made in the past 4 years in advancing an understanding of the microbiology and immunology of otitis media. Advances include laboratory-based basic studies, cell-based assays, work in animal models, and clinical studies. Implications for Practice The advances of the past 4 years formed the basis of a series of short-term and long-term research goals in an effort to guide the field. Accomplishing these goals will provide opportunities for the development of novel interventions, including new ways to better treat and prevent otitis media. PMID:23536533

  4. Pediatric allergy and immunology in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosario-Filho, Nelson A; Jacob, Cristina M; Sole, Dirceu; Condino-Neto, Antonio; Arruda, Luisa K; Costa-Carvalho, Beatriz; Cocco, Renata R; Camelo-Nunes, Inês; Chong-Neto, Herberto J; Wandalsen, Gustavo F; Castro, Ana P M; Yang, Ariana C; Pastorino, Antonio C; Sarinho, Emanuel S

    2013-06-01

    The subspecialty of pediatric allergy and immunology in Brazil is in its early years and progressing steadily. This review highlights the research developed in the past years aiming to show the characteristics of allergic and immunologic diseases in this vast country. Epidemiologic studies demonstrated the high prevalence of asthma in infants, children, and adolescents. Mortality rates and average annual variation of asthma hospitalization have reduced in all pediatric age groups. Indoor aeroallergen exposure is excessively high and contributes to the high rates of allergy sensitization. Prevalence of food allergy has increased to epidemic levels. Foods (35%), insect stings (30%), and drugs (23%) are the main etiological agents of anaphylaxis in children and adolescents. Molecular diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies (PID) showed a high incidence of fungal infections including paracoccidioidomycosis in X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome, and the occurrence of BCG adverse reactions or other mycobacterial infections in patients with chronic granulomatous disease. Education in pediatric allergy and immunology is deficient for medical students, but residency programs are effective in training internists and pediatricians for the practice of allergy. The field of PID requires further training. Last, this review is a tribute to Prof. Dr. Charles Naspitz, one of the pioneers of our specialty in Brazil. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  5. Anti-tumor response with immunologically modified carbon nanotubes and phototherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acquaviva, Joseph T.; Zhou, Feifan; Boarman, Ellen; Chen, Wei R.

    2013-02-01

    While successes of different cancer therapies have been achieved in various degrees a systemic immune response is needed to effectively treat late-stage, metastatic cancers, and to establish long-term tumor resistance in the patients. A novel method for combating metastatic cancers has been developed using immunologically modified carbon nanotubes in conjunction with phototherapy. Glycated chitosan (GC) is a potent immunological adjuvant capable of increasing host immune responses, including antigen presentation by activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and causing T cell proliferation. GC is also an effective surfactant for nanomaterials. By combining single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and GC, immunologically modified carbon nanotubes (SWNT-GC) were constructed. The SWNT-GC suspension retains the enhanced light absorption properties in the near infrared (NIR) region and the ability to enter cells, which are characteristic of SWNTs. The SWNT-GC also retains the immunological properties of GC. Cellular SWNT-GC treatments increased macrophage activity, DC activation and T cell proliferation. When cellular SWNT-GC was irradiated with a laser of an appropriate wavelength, these immune activities could be enhanced. The combination of laser irradiation and SWNT-GC induced cellular toxicity in targeted tumor cells, leading to a systemic antitumor response. Immunologically modified carbon nanotubes in conjunction with phototherapy is a novel and promising method to produce a systemic immune response for the treatment of metastatic cancers.

  6. Diversity in immunological synapse structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thauland, Timothy J; Parker, David C

    2010-01-01

    Immunological synapses (ISs) are formed at the T cell–antigen-presenting cell (APC) interface during antigen recognition, and play a central role in T-cell activation and in the delivery of effector functions. ISs were originally described as a peripheral ring of adhesion molecules surrounding a central accumulation of T-cell receptor (TCR)–peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) interactions. Although the structure of these ‘classical’ ISs has been the subject of intense study, non-classical ISs have also been observed under a variety of conditions. Multifocal ISs, characterized by adhesion molecules dispersed among numerous small accumulations of TCR–pMHC, and motile ‘immunological kinapses’ have both been described. In this review, we discuss the conditions under which non-classical ISs are formed. Specifically, we explore the profound effect that the phenotypes of both T cells and APCs have on IS structure. We also comment on the role that IS structure may play in T-cell function. PMID:21039474

  7. The Basel Institute for Immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melchers, Fritz

    2012-01-01

    At the Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Foundation called it one of the ten cradles of creativity. The journal Nature likened its ideals to those of the French revolution--Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité--and called it a paradise devoted to the science of immune systems: the Basel Institute for Immunology (BII). Founded by Roche in 1968, inaugurated in 1971, and closed in 2000, it was home to almost 450 scientific members, over 1,000 scientific visitors, and nearly 100 scientific advisors from more than 30 countries who worked in complete academic freedom and without commercial motives on over 3,500 projects, publishing more than 3,200 scientific papers, almost all of them on the structure and functions of immune systems of different species. This review contains a first collection of historical facts and dates that describe the background of the exceptionally successful performance and the strong scientific impact of the institute on the field of immunology.

  8. Immunology of breast milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmeira, Patricia; Carneiro-Sampaio, Magda

    2016-09-01

    In the critical phase of immunological immaturity of the newborn, particularly for the immune system of mucous membranes, infants receive large amounts of bioactive components through colostrum and breast milk. Colostrum is the most potent natural immune booster known to science. Breastfeeding protects infants against infections mainly via secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies, but also via other various bioactive factors. It is striking that the defense factors of human milk function without causing inflammation; some components are even anti-inflammatory. Protection against infections has been well evidenced during lactation against, e.g., acute and prolonged diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, including otitis media, urinary tract infection, neonatal septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. The milk's immunity content changes over time. In the early stages of lactation, IgA, anti-inflammatory factors and, more likely, immunologically active cells provide additional support for the immature immune system of the neonate. After this period, breast milk continues to adapt extraordinarily to the infant's ontogeny and needs regarding immune protection and nutrition. The need to encourage breastfeeding is therefore justifiable, at least during the first 6 months of life, when the infant's secretory IgA production is insignificant.

  9. Immunology of breast milk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Palmeira

    Full Text Available Summary In the critical phase of immunological immaturity of the newborn, particularly for the immune system of mucous membranes, infants receive large amounts of bioactive components through colostrum and breast milk. Colostrum is the most potent natural immune booster known to science. Breastfeeding protects infants against infections mainly via secretory IgA (SIgA antibodies, but also via other various bioactive factors. It is striking that the defense factors of human milk function without causing inflammation; some components are even anti-inflammatory. Protection against infections has been well evidenced during lactation against, e.g., acute and prolonged diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, including otitis media, urinary tract infection, neonatal septicemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. The milk’s immunity content changes over time. In the early stages of lactation, IgA, anti-inflammatory factors and, more likely, immunologically active cells provide additional support for the immature immune system of the neonate. After this period, breast milk continues to adapt extraordinarily to the infant’s ontogeny and needs regarding immune protection and nutrition. The need to encourage breastfeeding is therefore justifiable, at least during the first 6 months of life, when the infant’s secretory IgA production is insignificant.

  10. Sézary Syndrome and Atopic Dermatitis: Comparison of Immunological Aspects and Targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ieva Saulite

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Sézary syndrome (SS, an aggressive form of erythrodermic pruritic cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL, from an immunological perspective characterized by increased Th2 cytokine levels, elevated serum IgE and impaired cellular immunity. Not only the clinical appearance but also the hallmark immunological characteristics of SS often share striking similarities with acute flares of atopic dermatitis (AD, a common benign chronic inflammatory skin disease. Given the overlap of several immunological features, the application of similar or even identical therapeutic approaches in certain stages of both diseases may come into consideration. The aim of this review is to compare currently accepted immunological aspects and possible therapeutic targets in AD and SS.

  11. Immunological parameters and residual feed intake of Nellore heifers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cleisy Ferreira Nascimento

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The residual feed intake (RFI is a parameter used in the identification of animals with respect to more efficient feed utilization. However, physiological basis are still unknown, however, the interrelationships between nutrition an immunity of the animal can contribute to the investigation of biological phenomena relevant to the RFI, since the defense system to oxidative effects caused by free radicals, is formed by acid polyunsaturated fatty acids, water soluble substances and enzymes, which derive mainly from the use of nutrients in the diet. The objective of this study was to evaluate the immunological parameters of Nellore heifers classified according to RFI. It were evaluated 176 heifers (born between 2008 and 2010, Traditional Nellore herd from Instituto de Zootecnia - Sertãozinho/SP, forming three groups of evaluation, submitted to test post weaning feed efficiency and classified into high (> mean + 0.5 SD, n= 55, medium (± 0.5 SD, n= 65 and low RFI (< mean – 0.5 SD, n= 56. The diet was formulated based on Brachiaria decumbens hay, corn, cottonseed meal and mineral mixture (45:55, forage: concentrate. The weight of the animals were performed in fasting blood samples collected by venipuncture vein, using tubes of 10 ml type vacuntainer with EDTA anticoagulant. In the clinical laboratory, we measured the values of leukocytes (LEU; Targeted (SEG and lymphocytes (LIN. The experimental design was a randomized block design using PROC GLM of SAS, considering the fixed effects of year and the age covariate in the statistical model and the averages compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. There was no significant difference (P>0,005 between variables leukocyte (LEU, SEG and LIN and class of RFI (table 1, indicating that there is no distinction between animals more efficient (low RFI and less efficient (high RFI, for inflammatory and immune responses to oxidative effects. Therefore the variables measured leukocytes not explain the differences

  12. Microvascular imaging: techniques and opportunities for clinical physiological measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, John; Howell, Kevin

    2014-01-01

    The microvasculature presents a particular challenge in physiological measurement because the vessel structure is spatially inhomogeneous and perfusion can exhibit high variability over time. This review describes, with a clinical focus, the wide variety of methods now available for imaging of the microvasculature and their key applications. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging and laser speckle contrast imaging are established, commercially-available techniques for determining microvascular perfusion, with proven clinical utility for applications such as burn-depth assessment. Nailfold capillaroscopy is also commercially available, with significant published literature that supports its use for detecting microangiopathy secondary to specific connective tissue diseases in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. Infrared thermography measures skin temperature and not perfusion directly, and it has only gained acceptance for some surgical and peripheral microvascular applications. Other emerging technologies including imaging photoplethysmography, optical coherence tomography, photoacoustic tomography, hyperspectral imaging, and tissue viability imaging are also described to show their potential as techniques that could become established tools for clinical microvascular assessment. Growing interest in the microcirculation has helped drive the rapid development in perfusion imaging of the microvessels, bringing exciting opportunities in microvascular research. (topical review)

  13. Immunological and hematological reference intervals among HIV-seronegative pregnant women in northwest Ethiopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Genetu M

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Meaza Genetu,1 Debasu Damtie,1 Meseret Workineh,1 Biniam Mathewos Tebeje,1,2 Bamlaku Enawgaw,3 Tekalign Deressa1 1Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; 3Department of Hematology and Immunohematology, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia Background: Pregnancy is a state characterized by profound physiological hematological changes. However, hematological reference intervals being used in clinical practice in Ethiopia are derived from nonlocal general populations, despite the significant variations reported previously. The aim of this study was to determine the immunological and hematological reference intervals in healthy pregnancy among HIV-seronegative pregnant women in northwest Ethiopia.Materials and methods: A total of 200 healthy, HIV-seronegative pregnant women were enrolled from February 2015 to June 2015 in a cross-sectional study setting at Gondar University Hospital. Sociodemographic and obstetric data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples collected from each participant were used to define the immunological and hematological parameters. The mean, median, and 95% interval values were calculated for the immunological and hematological parameters. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant for all variables.Results: This study found that there were changes in CD4+ T-cell count, platelet count, and hematocrit (HCT values as pregnancy advances. The calculated combined reference intervals for the absolute CD4+ T-cell count and platelet count were 712.47–760.67 and 221.25–240.14, respectively. A progressive decline in the platelet count was observed as pregnancy advanced, with 95

  14. [Immunological background and pathomechanisms of food allergies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schülke, Stefan; Scheurer, Stephan

    2016-06-01

    Recent advances in immunology have greatly improved our understanding of the pathomechanisms of food allergies. Food allergies are caused and maintained by complex interactions of the innate and adaptive immune system involving antigen-presenting cells (APC), T cells, group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), epithelial cells (EC) and effectors cells. Additionally, epigenetic factors, the intestinal microbiome and nutritional factors modulating the gastrointestinal lymphatic tissue probably have a significant impact on allergy development. However, why certain individuals develop tolerance while others mount allergic responses, the factors defining the allergenicity of food proteins, as well as the immunological mechanisms triggering allergy development have yet to be analyzed in detail.

  15. An e-learning course in medical immunology: does it improve learning outcome?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boye, Sondre; Moen, Torolf; Vik, Torstein

    2012-01-01

    E-learning is used by most medical students almost daily and several studies have shown e-learning to improve learning outcome in small-scale interventions. However, few studies have explored the effects of e-learning in immunology. To study the effect of an e-learning package in immunology on learning outcomes in a written integrated examination and to examine student satisfaction with the e-learning package. All second-year students at a Norwegian medical school were offered an animated e-learning package in basic immunology as a supplement to the regular teaching. Each student's log-on-time was recorded and linked with the student's score on multiple choice questions included in an integrated end-of-the-year written examination. Student satisfaction was assessed through a questionnaire. The intermediate-range students (interquartile range) on average scored 3.6% better on the immunology part of the examination per hour they had used the e-learning package (p = 0.0046) and log-on-time explained 17% of the variance in immunology score. The best and the less skilled students' examination outcomes were not affected by the e-learning. The e-learning was well appreciated among the students. Use of an e-learning package in immunology in addition to regular teaching improved learning outcomes for intermediate-range students.

  16. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Care Professionals Find an Allergist American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Seeking Relief? Find an Allergist ... shots? View All Postings Ask the Allergist Index Allergy & Asthma News Let it snow, but don’t ...

  17. Immunological profile of silent brain infarction and lacunar stroke.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Sarchielli

    Full Text Available Neuroinflammation is believed to be involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of silent brain infarcts (SBI. However, the immunological profile of SBI has been scarcely investigated. In the context of a national research project named SILENCE, aimed at investigating clinical, biochemical and pathogenic features of SBI, we have measured the plasma profile of some inflammatory-related molecules in SBI patients (n = 21, patients with recent lacunar infarcts (LI, n = 28 and healthy controls (n = 31, consecutively enrolled in four Italian centres. A panel of chemokines (MIG, CTACK, IL16, SDF1a, MCP1, growth factors (SCF, SCGFb, HGF, IL3, immunoglobulin-type adhesion molecules (ICAM1, VCAM1, proinflammatory cytokines (IL18, INFa2, MIF, IL12p40, cell surface receptors on T-cells (IL2Ra, and inductors of apoptosis (TRAIL was assessed in plasma samples by Luminex xMAP™ technology. Immunological parameters were compared using non-parametric statistics and performance to distinguish SBI and LI was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC analysis. Plasma levels of ICAM1 were significantly higher in both SBI and LI patients as compared to controls (SBI≥LI>Ctrl. A different trend was observed for IL16 (SBICtrl, SCF (LICtrl and SCGFb (SBI>LICtrl and IL18 when compared to LI patients (Ctrl≤SBI>LI. All the other immunological markers did not significantly differ among groups. According to ROC analysis, the best predictor for SBI condition was the chemokine MIG (AUC = 0.84, sensitivity 86%, specificity 77%, while SCF had the best performance in distinguishing LI patients (AUC = 0.84, sensitivity 86%, specificity 68%. These results confirm the involvement of inflammatory processes in cerebrovascular disorders, particularly in SBI, a very common age-related condition. The differences in plasma profile of inflammatory molecules may underlie different pathological mechanisms in SBI and LI patients.

  18. A review of ground-based heavy-ion radiobiology relevant to space radiation risk assessment: Part II. Cardiovascular and immunological effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blakely, Eleanor A.; Chang, Polly Y.

    2007-02-26

    The future of manned space flight depends on an analysis of the numerous potential risks of travel into deep space. Currently no radiation dose limits have been established for these exploratory missions. To set these standards more information is needed about potential acute and late effects on human physiology from appropriate radiation exposure scenarios, including pertinent radiation types and dose rates. Cancer risks have long been considered the most serious late effect from chronic daily relatively low-dose exposures to the complex space radiation environment. However, other late effects from space radiation exposure scenarios are under study in ground-based accelerator facilities and have revealed some unique particle radiation effects not observed with conventional radiations. A comprehensive review of pertinent literature that considers tissue effects of radiation leading to functional detriments in specific organ systems has recently been published (NCRP National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Information Needed to Make Radiation Protection Recommendations for Space Missions Beyond Low-Earth Orbit, Report 153, Bethesda, MD, 2006). This paper highlights the review of two non-cancer concerns from this report: cardiovascular and immunological effects.

  19. The Effects Of An Exercise Physiology Program on Physical Fitness Variables, Body Satisfaction, and Physiology Knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Arlette C.; Rosenblatt, Evelyn S.; Kempner, Lani; Feldman, Brandon B.; Paolercio, Maria A.; Van Bemden, Angie L.

    2002-01-01

    Examined the effects of an exercise physiology program on high school students' physical fitness, body satisfaction, and physiology knowledge. Intervention students received exercise physiology theory and active aerobic and resistance exercise within their biology course. Data from student surveys and measurements indicated that the integrated…

  20. Experimental photoimmunology: immunologic ramifications of UV-induced carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daynes, R.A.; Bernhard, E.J.; Gurish, M.F.; Lynch, D.H.

    1981-01-01

    The use of animal model systems to investigate the sequence of events which lead to the induction and progression of skin tumors following chronic ultraviolet light (UVL) exposure has clearly shown that the direct mutagenic effects of UVL is only one of the components involved in this process. In spite of the fact that overt carcinogenesis is only one of the many effects produced by UV light, most hypotheses as to the mechanism by which UVL can cause the mutations necessary to achieve the transformed phenotype have focused on the direct effects of UVL on DNA and the generation of carcinogenic compounds. Investigations during the last 5 yr, however, have clearly demonstrated that immunologic factors are also critically important in the pathogenesis of UV-induced skin cancers. A complete understanding of UV-carcinogenesis must therefore consider the mechanisms which allow the transformed cell to evade immunologic rejection by the host in addition to those aspects which deal with conversion of a normal cell to a cancer cell. It is the object of this review to provide both a historical account of the work which established the immunologic consequences of chronic UVL exposure and the results of recent experiments designed to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms by which UVL affects the immunologic apparatus. In addition, a hypothetical model is presented to explain the sequence of events which ultimately lead to the emergence of the suppressor T-cells which regulate antitumor immune responses

  1. Cancer immunology and colorectal cancer recurrence

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vannucci, Luca

    -, č. 3 (2011), s. 1421-1431 ISSN 1945-0524 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA500200917 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : colorectal cancer * inflammation * tumor Subject RIV: EC - Immunology

  2. Optimal time interval for induction of immunologic adaptive response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ju Guizhi; Song Chunhua; Liu Shuzheng

    1994-01-01

    The optimal time interval between prior dose (D1) and challenge dose (D2) for the induction of immunologic adaptive response was investigated. Kunming mice were exposed to 75 mGy X-rays at a dose rate of 12.5 mGy/min. 3, 6, 12, 24 or 60 h after the prior irradiation the mice were challenged with a dose of 1.5 Gy at a dose rate of 0.33 Gy/min. 18h after D2, the mice were sacrificed for examination of immunological parameters. The results showed that with an interval of 6 h between D1 and D2, the adaptive response of the reaction of splenocytes to LPS was induced, and with an interval of 12 h the adaptive responses of spontaneous incorporation of 3 H-TdR into thymocytes and the reaction of splenocytes to Con A and LPS were induced with 75 mGy prior irradiation. The data suggested that the optimal time intervals between D1 and D2 for the induction of immunologic adaptive response were 6 h and 12 h with a D1 of 75 mGy and a D2 of 1.5 Gy. The mechanism of immunologic adaptation following low dose radiation is discussed

  3. Big data analytics in immunology: a knowledge-based approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Guang Lan; Sun, Jing; Chitkushev, Lou; Brusic, Vladimir

    2014-01-01

    With the vast amount of immunological data available, immunology research is entering the big data era. These data vary in granularity, quality, and complexity and are stored in various formats, including publications, technical reports, and databases. The challenge is to make the transition from data to actionable knowledge and wisdom and bridge the knowledge gap and application gap. We report a knowledge-based approach based on a framework called KB-builder that facilitates data mining by enabling fast development and deployment of web-accessible immunological data knowledge warehouses. Immunological knowledge discovery relies heavily on both the availability of accurate, up-to-date, and well-organized data and the proper analytics tools. We propose the use of knowledge-based approaches by developing knowledgebases combining well-annotated data with specialized analytical tools and integrating them into analytical workflow. A set of well-defined workflow types with rich summarization and visualization capacity facilitates the transformation from data to critical information and knowledge. By using KB-builder, we enabled streamlining of normally time-consuming processes of database development. The knowledgebases built using KB-builder will speed up rational vaccine design by providing accurate and well-annotated data coupled with tailored computational analysis tools and workflow.

  4. Big Data Analytics in Immunology: A Knowledge-Based Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guang Lan Zhang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available With the vast amount of immunological data available, immunology research is entering the big data era. These data vary in granularity, quality, and complexity and are stored in various formats, including publications, technical reports, and databases. The challenge is to make the transition from data to actionable knowledge and wisdom and bridge the knowledge gap and application gap. We report a knowledge-based approach based on a framework called KB-builder that facilitates data mining by enabling fast development and deployment of web-accessible immunological data knowledge warehouses. Immunological knowledge discovery relies heavily on both the availability of accurate, up-to-date, and well-organized data and the proper analytics tools. We propose the use of knowledge-based approaches by developing knowledgebases combining well-annotated data with specialized analytical tools and integrating them into analytical workflow. A set of well-defined workflow types with rich summarization and visualization capacity facilitates the transformation from data to critical information and knowledge. By using KB-builder, we enabled streamlining of normally time-consuming processes of database development. The knowledgebases built using KB-builder will speed up rational vaccine design by providing accurate and well-annotated data coupled with tailored computational analysis tools and workflow.

  5. [Immunological status of patients with amebic hepatic abscess].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canto Solís, A; Miranda Feria, A J; Medina Martinez, J; Teran Ortíz, L A; Suárez Sánchez, F

    1975-01-01

    The authors studied 10 cases of amoebic hepatic abscess documented by clinical evidence and confirmed by laboratory tests, liver scan and a good response to treatment. The immunological state of the patients was determined by protein electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, counter-immunoelectrophoresis, radial immunodiffusion and roset formation for T and B lymphocytes. It is concluded that the alterations of cellular and humoral immunity is evident in cases of amoebic hepatic abscess; this alterations are more clear in the acute form of the illness and the immunological deficiency is more significant in the celular immunity.

  6. A Methodology for Measuring the Physiological Strain of Enhanced Soldiers: The 1998 Soldier Combat System Enhancement Study

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Amos, Denys

    1998-01-01

    ... or enhanced capabilities conducting routine operations in the tropics. Core temperature, mean skin temperature and heart rate are appropriate measures for evaluating the physiological burden of soldier combat system enhancements...

  7. Clinical immunology - Autoimmunity in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tervaert, Jan Willem Cohen; Kallenberg, Cees G. M.

    2014-01-01

    Clinical immunology is in the Netherlands a separate clinical specialty within internal medicine and pediatrics. Clinical immunologists work closely together with nephrologists, rheumatologists and many other medical specialists. Apart from research and teaching, clinical immunologists are taking

  8. The immunology of the vermiform appendix: a review of the literature

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooij, I. A.; Sahami, S.; Meijer, S. L.; Buskens, C. J.; te Velde, A. A.

    2016-01-01

    This literature review assesses the current knowledge about the immunological aspects of the vermiform appendix in health and disease. An essential part of its immunological function is the interaction with the intestinal bacteria, a trait shown to be preserved during its evolution. The existence of

  9. Unwanted Immunology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.V. Supotnytskyi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper considers the role of antigenic imprin­ting phenomena and antibody-dependent enhancement of infection in epidemic, infectious and postvaccinal processes. Based on published experimental data, it is shown that both phenomena are directly related to the laws of development and course of epide­mics, the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and safe use of vaccines. Their ignoring by researchers has led to failures in the design of vaccines against HIV/AIDS, dengue fever, influenza, malaria, hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis. These data show that, without taking into account the two phenomena, the further development of immunology and epidemiology in the direction of breakthrough discoveries in there areas of science are impossible.

  10. IMMUNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ENDOMETRIAL DISEASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. A. Slobodyanyuk

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Immunological processes involving peritoneal macrophages could play a critical role in pathophysiology of external genital endometriosis.Aim: To assess levels of MCP-1, RANTES, and C-reactive protein and to identify their correlations with endometriosis.Materials and methods: Seventy two patients were evaluated: 26 healthy controls and 46 with endometriosis. Patients were divided into groups as follows: 17 with superficial endometriosis, 18 with endometriomas and 11 with deep infiltrative endometriosis. All patients underwent a laparoscopy during the proliferative phase of the cycle; levels of peritoneal and serum MCP-1, RANTES and C-reactive protein were measured using standard ELISA assays.Results: There were positive correlations between serum MCP-1 (p = 0.03 and C-reactive protein(p = 0.045 and severity of endometriosis, that could indicate malfunctioning of peritoneal macrophages in advanced stages of endometriosis. Conclusion: MCP-1 and C-reactive protein levels in peripheral blood can be used as markers of endometriosis activity.

  11. Immunological studies relating to the climate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ballester, J.M.; Cruz, C.; Inclan, G.; Maclas, C.; Suarez, L.; Rivero, R.; Borres, I.M.; Ustariz, C.; Del Valle, L.; Villegas, R.; Martinez, E.; Rorrajero, I.; Guevara, V.; Leon, A.; Paz, L.; Pelaez, J.C.; Roque, M.C.

    1993-01-01

    In order to know the effects of ultra-violet radiations on the integrity of their immunological system, a hematologic and immunological study was carried out in 30 clinically healthy children aged between 10 and 15; 15 of each sex, who come from a region in Bielorussia that was affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and who received medical and recreational services at the 'Jose Marti' Pioneers'City, located Tarara Beach (Havana, Cuba) from July 9,1990 to August 27,1990. Data from the initial evaluations upon their arrival in Cuba were compared whit the final results before their return to Bielorussia, in the following variables: haemoglobin, leucocytes, platelets, absolute counts of lymphocytes and neutrophylous polymorphonuclears, levels of sericeus of Igs G, A, M, and E sericas and (CH50), as well as the presence of circulating immuno complexes; besides spot-forming cellular clusters (spontaneous, active, and medial by the receptor Fc in neutrophylous) and the cells identified with monoclonal antibodies against CD2, CD3, CD8 and CD4/CD8 quotient. Cutaneous response to antigen and lymphoblastic transformation in the presence of PHA and PwN were also assessed. Results of this research allow to infer that the adequate and monitored position against ultra-violet rays from the solar radiation in children exposed to low doses of ionizing irradiation does not deteriorate the human immunological system, and do favor its regulation and normal performance

  12. Physiological measurements of coffee young plants coexisting with sourgrass

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Luis da Costa Aguiar Alves

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Coffee is an important crop planted in Brazil and commonly infested by sourgrass plants. Crescent densities of sourgrass growing with coffee young plants were maintained up to weed full flowering when physiological measurements were performed in the crop to evaluate photosynthetic coffee plant responses to increasing of weed competition. Experiments were arranged in a completely randomized design with seven replicates. The concentration of CO2 within the leaf, the leaf transpiration, the stomatal conductance, the CO2 assimilation rate, and the ratio Fv/Fm of coffee plants were not affected by increasing of sourgrass density. On the other hand, relative content of total chlorophyll was reduced by 13.9% in the density of 8 sourgrass plants. Gas exchange and fluorescence of chlorophyll of young coffee plants were not dependent on increasing of the intensity of competition while an opposite response occurred for chlorophyll content.

  13. Effect of martial arts training on IL-6 and other immunological parameters among Trinidadian subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurhade, Geeta; Nayak, B Shivananda; Kurhade, Arvind; Unakal, Chandrasekhar; Kurhade, Krutika

    2017-09-29

    Persistent bouts of extended exercise and heavy training are associated with depressed immune cell function. It has recently been demonstrated that IL-6 is produced locally in contracting skeletal muscles and acts on a wide range of tissues. Larger amounts of IL-6 are produced in response to exercise than any other cytokines. Though the majority of existing data obtained following prolonged exercise, it remains to be explained the effect of martial arts training on IL-6 and other immunological parameters and associated changes to the duration of this type of exercise. IL-1α is produced mainly by activated macrophages, as well as neutrophils epithelial cells, and endothelial cells. It possesses metabolic, physiological, hematopoietic activities, and plays one of the central roles in the regulation of the immune responses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of martial arts training on IL-6 and other immunological parameters among Trinidadian subjects. Sixteen healthy, nonsmoker individuals who were martial arts practitioners for last 5 15 years, aged 25.94 ±7.6.20 years (mean ± SE). Blood samples were collected to determine IL-6 and other immunological parameters at preexercise, immediately post exercise (0 Hour), 1 hour, 2 hour and 52 hours of post exercise). The IL-6 and IL-1 was measured using Human IL-6 and IL-1 β ELISA kit, blood cell count was done using automated blood cell counter and CD4, and CD3 count was performed using the automated immunofluorescence analysis by flow cytometer. The mean basal IL-6 level was 71.47 ± 4.3 and reduced to 70.1 ± 21.6 immediately after exercise and then increased to 75.70 ± 8.2 after one hour of exercise bout, returning to basal level after two hours and remained so after 52 hours. The CD4 count was decreased as low as 102.2, (much lower than immunecompromised subjects) after the bout of training but returned to normal range within 2 hours of exercise and increased even more after 52 hours. Similar trends have been

  14. Mathematical Models for Immunology: Current State of the Art and Future Research Directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eftimie, Raluca; Gillard, Joseph J; Cantrell, Doreen A

    2016-10-01

    The advances in genetics and biochemistry that have taken place over the last 10 years led to significant advances in experimental and clinical immunology. In turn, this has led to the development of new mathematical models to investigate qualitatively and quantitatively various open questions in immunology. In this study we present a review of some research areas in mathematical immunology that evolved over the last 10 years. To this end, we take a step-by-step approach in discussing a range of models derived to study the dynamics of both the innate and immune responses at the molecular, cellular and tissue scales. To emphasise the use of mathematics in modelling in this area, we also review some of the mathematical tools used to investigate these models. Finally, we discuss some future trends in both experimental immunology and mathematical immunology for the upcoming years.

  15. What Can Vampires Teach Us about Immunology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, David S

    2016-04-01

    Speculative fiction examines the leading edge of science and can be used to introduce ideas into the classroom. For example, most students are already familiar with the fictional infectious diseases responsible for vampire and zombie outbreaks. The disease dynamics of these imaginary ailments follow the same rules we see for real diseases and can be used to remind students that they already understand the basic rules of disease ecology and immunology. By engaging writers of this sort of fiction in an effort to solve problems in immunology we may be able to perform a directed evolution experiment where we follow the evolution of plots rather than genetic traits. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Immunological features underlying viral hemorrhagic fevers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messaoudi, Ilhem; Basler, Christopher F

    2015-10-01

    Several enveloped RNA viruses of the arenavirus, bunyavirus, filovirus and flavivirus families are associated with a syndrome known as viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). VHF is characterized by fever, vascular leakage, coagulation defects and multi organ system failure. VHF is currently viewed as a disease precipitated by viral suppression of innate immunity, which promotes systemic virus replication and excessive proinflammatory cytokine responses that trigger the manifestations of severe disease. However, the mechanisms by which immune dysregulation contributes to disease remain poorly understood. Infection of nonhuman primates closely recapitulates human VHF, notably Ebola and yellow fever, thereby providing excellent models to better define the immunological basis for this syndrome. Here we review the current state of our knowledge and suggest future directions that will better define the immunological mechanisms underlying VHF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The effects of feed restriction on physical activity, body weight, physiology, haematology and immunology in female mink

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgaard, Birthe Marie; Dalgaard, Tina Sørensen; Larsen, Torben

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate if adult mink females characterised as having a high or low residual feed intake (RFI) differed in their response to feed restriction with regard to activity, body weight loss and physiological parameters. For RFI-High, the activity was higher prior...

  18. Orchestrating cytoskeleton and intracellular vesicle traffic to build functional immunological synapses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Helena; Lasserre, Rémi; Alcover, Andrés

    2013-11-01

    Immunological synapses are specialized cell-cell contacts formed between T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. They are induced upon antigen recognition and are crucial for T-cell activation and effector functions. The generation and function of immunological synapses depend on an active T-cell polarization process, which results from a finely orchestrated crosstalk between the antigen receptor signal transduction machinery, the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, and controlled vesicle traffic. Although we understand how some of these particular events are regulated, we still lack knowledge on how these multiple cellular elements are harmonized to ensure appropriate T-cell responses. We discuss here our view on how T-cell receptor signal transduction initially commands cytoskeletal and vesicle traffic polarization, which in turn sets the immunological synapse molecular design that regulates T-cell activation. We also discuss how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) hijacks some of these processes impairing immunological synapse generation and function. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Mouse infection models for space flight immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapes, Stephen Keith; Ganta, Roman Reddy; Chapers, S. K. (Principal Investigator)

    2005-01-01

    Several immunological processes can be affected by space flight. However, there is little evidence to suggest that flight-induced immunological deficits lead to illness. Therefore, one of our goals has been to define models to examine host resistance during space flight. Our working hypothesis is that space flight crews will come from a heterogeneous population; the immune response gene make-up will be quite varied. It is unknown how much the immune response gene variation contributes to the potential threat from infectious organisms, allergic responses or other long term health problems (e.g. cancer). This article details recent efforts of the Kansas State University gravitational immunology group to assess how population heterogeneity impacts host health, either in laboratory experimental situations and/or using the skeletal unloading model of space-flight stress. This paper details our use of several mouse strains with several different genotypes. In particular, mice with varying MHCII allotypes and mice on the C57BL background with different genetic defects have been particularly useful tools with which to study infections by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Pasteurella pneumotropica and Ehrlichia chaffeensis. We propose that some of these experimental challenge models will be useful to assess the effects of space flight on host resistance to infection.

  20. Immunological comparison of ovarian and colonic CEA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burtin, P.; Gendron, M.C.; Maunoury, M.T.; Lamerz, R.; Schnabel, G.

    1982-01-01

    Ovarian and colonic CEA were compared immunologically by means of antisera prepared against each of them. CEAs of both origins were found identical by immunodiffusion methods. In radioimmunological experiments, slight differences were observed between some but not all ovarian CEAs and colonic CEAs and also between different preparations of colonic CEA: no organ specificity of ovarian CEA could be demonstrated. Finally, CEA level was measured in 41 sera of patients with ovarian carcinoma by two radioimmunoassays, one using colonic CEA as tracer and standard and anti-colonic CEA serum, the other using ovarian CEA and anti-ovarian CEA serum: the values given by the two assays were highly correlated (rsub(s) = 0.8107), meaning that an organ specific assay for ovarian CEA is not needed. (Auth.)

  1. PHYCAA: Data-driven measurement and removal of physiological noise in BOLD fMRI

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Churchill, Nathan W.; Yourganov, Grigori; Spring, Robyn

    2012-01-01

    , autocorrelated physiological noise sources with reproducible spatial structure, using an adaptation of Canonical Correlation Analysis performed in a split-half resampling framework. The technique is able to identify physiological effects with vascular-linked spatial structure, and an intrinsic dimensionality...... with physiological noise, and real data-driven model prediction and reproducibility, for both block and event-related task designs. This is demonstrated compared to no physiological noise correction, and to the widely used RETROICOR (Glover et al., 2000) physiological denoising algorithm, which uses externally...

  2. Immunologic and clinical responses to "Monday morning miseries" antigens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cernelc, S; Stropnik, Z

    1987-01-01

    Authors analysed 96 workers exposed to air conditioning system (Group A), and 71 workers (Group B) breathing normal ambient air. 38 workers in group A had a positive clinical history of "Monday morning miseries". Eight cases with the diagnosis hypersensitivity pneumonitis, acute and chronic form was based on environmental history, clinical investigations, physical examination, Chest-X-ray examination, immunological test "in vivo" and "in vitro" with common allergens and antigen "Monday morning miseries", ELISA, spirometry and PEFR (Peak Expiratory Flow-Rate) measurements. Exposure to contaminated air may be responsible for morbidity and reduced performance of workers.

  3. The immunology of smallpox vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Richard B; Ovsyannikova, Inna G; Jacobson, Robert M; Poland, Gregory A

    2010-01-01

    In spite of the eradication of smallpox over 30 years ago; orthopox viruses such as smallpox and monkeypox remain serious public health threats both through the possibility of bioterrorism and the intentional release of smallpox and through natural outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases such as monkeypox. The eradication effort was largely made possible by the availability of an effective vaccine based on the immunologically cross-protective vaccinia virus. Although the concept of vaccination dates back to the late 1800s with Edward Jenner, it is only in the past decade that modern immunologic tools have been applied toward deciphering poxvirus immunity. Smallpox vaccines containing vaccinia virus elicit strong humoral and cellular immune responses that confer cross-protective immunity against variola virus for decades after immunization. Recent studies have focused on: establishing the longevity of poxvirus-specific immunity, defining key immune epitopes targeted by T and B cells, developing subunit-based vaccines, and developing genotypic and phenotypic immune response profiles that predict either vaccine response or adverse events following immunization. PMID:19524427

  4. Some advances in radiation immunology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Shuzheng

    1985-01-01

    This paper is an overview of some of the recent advances in the study of radiation effects on immunity with special emphasis on the relation between radiation immunology and radiation carcinogenesis. The first part of the paper discusses the radiosensitivity of lymphocytes, emphasizing the heterogeneity of the lymphocyte population, the relative radiosensitivity of different lymphocyte subpopulations and their subsets, and the effect of the state of activation on lymphocyte radiosensitivity. The second part deals with the essentials of the theory of immunological surveillance, the specific and nonspecific components of anti-tumor immunity, and the effects of radiation on them. The last part of the paper is concerned with the phenomenon of radiation-induced augmentation of the immune response and the expression of radiation hormesis in the immune system with brief descriptions of some of the data from the author's laboratory. The need for a more sophisticated study of the possible hormetic effects of low level radiation on the immune system and other defense and adaptive functions of the body is stressed

  5. Evolutionary dynamics of human autoimmune disease genes and malfunctioned immunological genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Podder Soumita

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One of the main issues of molecular evolution is to divulge the principles in dictating the evolutionary rate differences among various gene classes. Immunological genes have received considerable attention in evolutionary biology as candidates for local adaptation and for studying functionally important polymorphisms. The normal structure and function of immunological genes will be distorted when they experience mutations leading to immunological dysfunctions. Results Here, we examined the fundamental differences between the genes which on mutation give rise to autoimmune or other immune system related diseases and the immunological genes that do not cause any disease phenotypes. Although the disease genes examined are analogous to non-disease genes in product, expression, function, and pathway affiliation, a statistically significant decrease in evolutionary rate has been found in autoimmune disease genes relative to all other immune related diseases and non-disease genes. Possible ways of accumulation of mutation in the three steps of the central dogma (DNA-mRNA-Protein have been studied to trace the mutational effects predisposed to disease consequence and acquiring higher selection pressure. Principal Component Analysis and Multivariate Regression Analysis have established the predominant role of single nucleotide polymorphisms in guiding the evolutionary rate of immunological disease and non-disease genes followed by m-RNA abundance, paralogs number, fraction of phosphorylation residue, alternatively spliced exon, protein residue burial and protein disorder. Conclusions Our study provides an empirical insight into the etiology of autoimmune disease genes and other immunological diseases. The immediate utility of our study is to help in disease gene identification and may also help in medicinal improvement of immune related disease.

  6. Gene expression demonstrates an immunological capacity of the human endolymphatic sac

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Martin Nue; Kirkeby, Svend; Vikeså, Jonas

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of the present study is to explore, demonstrate, and describe the expression of genes related to the innate immune system in the human endolymphatic sac. It is hypothesized that the endolymphatic sac has a significant immunological function in the human inner ear...... was obtained. Multiple key elements of both the cellular and humoral innate immune system were expressed, including Toll-like receptors 4 and 7, as well as beta-defensin and lactoferrin. CONCLUSIONS: The present data provides the first direct evidence of an immunological capacity of the human endolymphatic sac...... immunological entity of the inner ear. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A....

  7. Effects of Watercress (Nasturtium nasturtium extract on selected immunological parameters of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Ahmadi

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Watercress (Nasturtium nasturtium is a medical plant containing diverse chemically-active substances with biological properties. The present study was conducted to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of watercress extract on immunological and hematological parameters of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss. Fish were fed for 21 days with diet supplemented with 0.1% and 1% of watercress extract per 1 kg food and with a normal diet as control. Hematological parameters such as red blood cells (RBC and white blood cells (WBC, hematocrit (Hct, hemoglobin (Hb, RBC index like mean corpuscular volume (MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC as well as immunological parameters such as peroxidase, lysozyme and complement activities, total protein, albumin and globulin levels were measured after 21 days of watercress extract treatment. The results indicated that oral administration of 1 % watercress extract in fish may enhance some hematological and immunological parameters including Hb and MCHC, lysozyme and complement activities, total protein and globulin levels, compared to the controls after 21 days of experimental period. In conclusion, on the basis of these results, oral administration of watercress extract may be useful to improve fish’s immune system.

  8. Immunological condition in population living near Semipalatinsk tests site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satow, Yukio; Ueda, Masafumi.

    1992-01-01

    This is the brief introduction of the immunological survey at Pavlodar, Kazakhstan SSR, a 300 km away from the Semipalatinsk test site, originally reported by Beysembaev E.A.,Valivach M.N. (Course of Clinical Immunology in Pavlodar Dzerzhynsky str., 166), Molochanov N.E. (Pavlodar Regional Hospital), Kazakav, V.M. (Radiologist Lab. of Regional Sanitary and Epidemiology Station), Ounusov B.A. and Osorodnikova O.P. (Clinical Immunology Centre in Pavlodar). The comparative investigations on (1) 150 preschool age children in Pavlodar before and 6 months after the cessation of nuclear tests, (2) 25 children suffering from frequent respiratory infections before the cessation and 25 analogous children after the cessation, and (3) 69 children (age 1 - 7) and 70 adults (age 28 - 58) inhabitants of Maysky district, where radioactivity is especially high, and 50 children and 50 adults of Pavlodar inhabitants, are reported. Erythrocyte rosette-forming cells, immunoglobulins G, A, and M, etc. are tested. (A.Y.)

  9. Transitioning the Allergy/Immunology Patient from Childhood to Adulthood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyte, Flavia C L

    2017-06-01

    Allergic disorders and immunodeficiencies are generally chronic and even lifelong conditions, often changing over time, making the cautious transition of care from childhood to adulthood particularly important. Many, but not all, patients can continue to receive their care from the same physician as they transition through adolescence and emerging adulthood, made possible because allergy/immunology training programs require cross-training in the care of both pediatric and adult patients. Although keeping the same physician makes the transition easier for many allergy/immunology patients, even these patients face psychosocial issues unique to adolescents and emerging adults, including increased autonomy, risk-taking behavior, and medical self-management. Successful transition for patients with chronic allergic and immunologic conditions involves an understanding of the natural history of these conditions by patients and physicians alike, a gradual increase in self-management depending on individual readiness, and careful communication between pediatric and adult specialists as care is transitioned. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(6):e229-e234.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

  10. Immunological Responses to Total Hip Arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Man, Kenny; Jiang, Lin-Hua; Foster, Richard; Yang, Xuebin B

    2017-08-01

    The use of total hip arthroplasties (THA) has been continuously rising to meet the demands of the increasingly ageing population. To date, this procedure has been highly successful in relieving pain and restoring the functionality of patients' joints, and has significantly improved their quality of life. However, these implants are expected to eventually fail after 15-25 years in situ due to slow progressive inflammatory responses at the bone-implant interface. Such inflammatory responses are primarily mediated by immune cells such as macrophages, triggered by implant wear particles. As a result, aseptic loosening is the main cause for revision surgery over the mid and long-term and is responsible for more than 70% of hip revisions. In some patients with a metal-on-metal (MoM) implant, metallic implant wear particles can give rise to metal sensitivity. Therefore, engineering biomaterials, which are immunologically inert or support the healing process, require an in-depth understanding of the host inflammatory and wound-healing response to implanted materials. This review discusses the immunological response initiated by biomaterials extensively used in THA, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), cobalt chromium (CoCr), and alumina ceramics. The biological responses of these biomaterials in bulk and particulate forms are also discussed. In conclusion, the immunological responses to bulk and particulate biomaterials vary greatly depending on the implant material types, the size of particulate and its volume, and where the response to bulk forms of differing biomaterials are relatively acute and similar, while wear particles can initiate a variety of responses such as osteolysis, metal sensitivity, and so on.

  11. The effect of consignment to broodmare sales on physiological stress measured by faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in pregnant Thoroughbred mares.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulman, Martin; Becker, Annet; Ganswindt, Stefanie; Guthrie, Alan; Stout, Tom; Ganswindt, Andre

    2014-01-17

    Validation of a method for the minimally-invasive measurement of physiological stress will help understanding of risk factors that may contribute to stress-associated events including recrudescence of Equid herpesvirus (EHV), which is anecdotally associated with sales consignment of pregnant Thoroughbred mares. In this study we compared two similar groups of late-gestation Thoroughbred broodmares on the same farm: a consigned Sales group (N = 8) and a non-consigned Control group (N = 6). The Sales mares were separated from their paddock companions and grouped prior to their preparation for, transport to, and return from the sales venue. Both groups were monitored by sampling at regular intervals from 5 days prior to until 14 days after the sales date (D0) to measure physiological stress in terms of changes in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations, and for event-related viral recrudescence via daily body temperature measurements and periodic nasal swabs for PCR analysis for EHV-1 and -4 DNA. In both groups, FGM levels increased post-sales before returning to pre-sales levels. Specifically, FGM concentrations in the Sales mares were significantly higher on D + 3 and D + 10 than on D-4 and D-3 (F = 12.03, P Sales) mare showed PCR evidence of EHV-1 shedding. Using FGM to measure physiological stress was supported by the increases observed in all mares after Sales consignment, including those not consigned to the sale. Monitoring FGM levels therefore represents an appropriate, minimally-invasive method for future studies to assess the contribution of physiological stress to EHV recrudescence in horses transported to sales or equestrian events.

  12. [Immunological monitoring in kidney transplantation: 13 years experience of a Moroccan histocompatibility laboratory].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brick, C; Atouf, O; Essakalli, M

    2016-05-01

    The quality of the immunological monitoring is crucial because it determines the success of the kidney transplantation. The scope of this work is to describe the experience of the department of immunological unity of the Ibn Sina university hospital in Rabat regarding the immunological monitoring of patients transplanted between 2001 and 2014. Patient samples were collected from nephrology services of different public and private hospitals of Morocco. The tests conducted in the context of immunological monitoring are ABO typing, HLA-A, B, DR, DQ typing, anti-HLA antibodies detection and identification and cross-match. One hundred and fourteen benefited from a pre- and post-transplant immunological monitoring in our laboratory. The percentage of recipients having between 2 and 5 stored sera is 60.5 before transplantation and 56.1 after transplantation. Immunized patients account for 22.8% before the transplant and 17.6% after transplantation. Ninety-seven patients still have a functional graft, while 4 of them had DSA of low intensity before transplantation. Five immunological rejections were reported while the cross-match were negative and no DSA was identified before transplantation. Patient survival and graft at 1 year was 98.2% and 92.7% respectively. Conducting regular immunological monitoring is sometimes difficult in our context, however, the results are satisfactory in terms of graft and patients survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Postoperative long-term changes of nutritional and immunological states in patients with esophageal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Keiko

    1990-01-01

    Under nutritional support, surgical and postoperative adjuvant therapy were performed in 27 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer. The patients were divided into 2 groups, that were patients with postoperative chemotherapy (group A; 13 cases) and patients with postoperative radiation therapy (group B; 14 cases). Nutritional and immunological parameters were measured and compared among each groups. Group B had received higher nutritional support than group A, especially during the period of postoperative therapy. In group B, nutritional and immunological parameters maintained normal level, except serum albumin levels, counts of peripheral lymphocytes and factor XIII. In spite of higher nutritional support, levels of Zn in group B kept low. As for arterio-venous difference of amino acids, the tendency of negative balance in group B was stronger than that in group A. Arginine concentration in venous plasma increased evidently in group B. (author)

  14. Effects of A-bomb radiation on immunological competence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Mitoshi; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of A-bomb radiation on human immunological competence from the current immunological viewpoint. Early disturbance of immunological competence after A-bombing was characterized by (1) rapid decrease of lymphocytes (within one day), (2) decrease in humoral factors such as antibodies and complements (immediately), (3) decrease in neutrophils and monocytes (3-50 days later), and (4) delayed recovery of lymphocytes (more than 4 weeks). Long term effects of A-bombing on immunological competence are discussed in terms of immunocompetent cells. The peripheral lymphocyte response to PHA tended to be noticeable with aging among A-bomb survivors exposed to 2 Gy or more than the control persons. The peripheral lymphocyte response to MLC was decreased in a dose-dependent manner in A-bomb survivors aged 15 years or older at the time of A-bombing. The count of mature T lymphocytes was decreased in elderly A-bomb survivors, although neither functional nor numerical decrease in T lymphocytes was observed in younger A-bomb survivors. This could be explained by the hypothesis that the recovery of T lymphocytes is incomplete in elderly people due to thymus involution. An increased HPRT mutant cells in T lymphocytes correlated with A-bomb radiation doses. The count of B lymphocytes tended to be decreased in elderly A-bomb survivors. A functional and numerical increase in NK cells was associated with advancing age; however, this was not found to be correlated with A-bomb radiation. There was no evidence of correlation between A-bomb radiation and any of bone marrow cells, virus infection, autoimmunity, and tumor-specific immunity. (N.K.) 61 refs

  15. The 14th European Immunology Meeting--EFIS 2000. 23-27 September 2000, Poznañ, Poland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wysocki, P J; Nawrocki, S; Mackiewicz, A

    2001-01-01

    The 14th European Immunology Meeting--EFIS 2000, held in Poznan, Poland on 23-27 September 2000, was the last major meeting of European immunologists in the second millennium. This conference was intended to summarise past achievements and to present future prospects in immunology. The philosophy of the scientific program was to fuse fundamental and clinical immunology and give a chance for basic scientists and clinicians to discuss mutual topics in a general view. There were eight state-of-art lectures, 12 'meet an expert' sessions, 20 plenary sessions and 46 workshops. More than 900 works were presented. Significant interest was focused on several aspects of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. EFIS 2000 was accompanied by six pre-congress satellite symposia held in various Polish cities. The topics were, 'Heat shock proteins: immune, stress response and apoptosis' (Gdansk), 'Infectious immunity and vaccines' (Kazimierz Dolny), 'Mononuclear phagocytes in basic and clinical immunology' (Cracow), 'Immunology of reproduction' (Poznan), 'Primary immunodeficiencies' (Warsaw) and 'Glycoimmunology' (Wroclaw).

  16. A controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of GanedenBC(30) on immunological markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimmel, M; Keller, D; Farmer, S; Warrino, D E

    2010-03-01

    GanedenBC(30), a probiotic, has been shown to significantly increase T-cell production of TNF-alpha after ex vivo exposure to a strain of adenovirus (AdenoVI) or influenza A (H3N2 Texas strain [FluTex]). The current controlled study was designed to further evaluate the effect of GanedenBC(30) on immunological marker levels following viral exposure. Ten healthy subjects' baseline immunological marker levels were analyzed. Subjects consumed 1 capsule/day of GanedenBC(30) for 28 days and returned for post-treatment immunological marker evaluation. Subjects' baseline measurements served as their own control. All subjects completed the study with no adverse events; however, one subject was excluded from the final analysis based on a reasonable consideration as an outlier. CD3+CD69+ cells, IL-6, IL-8, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and TNF-alpha levels were increased after exposure to AdenoVI and FluTex. IL-1beta levels also increased after exposure to AdenoVI but were decreased after ex vivo exposure to FluTex. CD3+CD69+ cells increased significantly (P = 0.023) after exposure to both viral strains. Differences in IL-8 levels after FluTex exposure achieved statistical significance (P = 0.039) as did IFN-gamma levels after AdenoVI exposure (P = 0.039). A regimen of one capsule per day containing 500 million CFU of GanedenBC30 may be a safe and effective option for enhancing the immunological response to common viral respiratory tract infections. 2010 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

  17. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... reasons to celebrate its journals. Learn More about the American Academy Of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Life Spectrum of Asthma Meeting School-based Asthma Management Program – (SAMPRO TM ) This central resource focuses on ...

  18. Introduction to basic immunological methods : Generalities, Principles, Protocols and Variants of basic protocols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejri, Naceur

    2013-01-01

    This manuscript is dedicated to student of biological sciences. It provides the information necessary to perform practical works, the most commonly used in immunology. During my doctoral and post-doctoral periods, panoply of methods was employed in diverse subjects in my research. Technical means used in my investigations were diverse enough that i could extract a set of techniques that cover most the basic immunological methods. Each chapter of this manuscript contains a fairly complete description of immunological methods. In each topic the basic protocol and its variants were preceded by background information provided in paragraphs concerning the principle and generalities. The emphasis is placed on describing situations in which each method and its variants were used. These basic immunological methods are useful for students and even researchers studying the immune system of human, nice and other species. Different subjects showed not only detailed protocols but also photos or/and shemas used as support to illustrate some knowledge or practical knowledge. I hope that students will find this manual interesting, easy to use contains necessary information to acquire skills in immunological practice. (Author)

  19. Immunologic contact urticaria--the human touch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Christina Y; Maibach, Howard I

    2013-06-01

    To review immunologic contact urticaria (ICU) in the occupational and environmental context, and describe its continued relevance in light of the ever-increasing onslaught of new chemicals and products, as well as new technology placing novel interactions, such as nanoparticles, within reach of the population at home and work. Publications were searched via PubMed, using key words: Occupational, immunologic, contact urticaria, nanoparticle. ICU remains an important diagnosis to make and treat because it has widespread health and social morbidity, including job and income loss, persistent life-long allergies, and progression from self-limiting skin eruptions to multi-systemic, sometimes life-threatening, illnesses. There is no short supply of known ICU causing allergens, but it is equally important to be ever vigilant in recognizing, and even adding to, items in the constantly expanding list of novel allergenic agents provided to us by the advances of modern chemistry and technology, and by the changing social structure and lifestyle dynamics.

  20. Immunologic competence in adults following thymic irradiation in infancy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ammann, A.J.; Wara, W.M.; Wara, D.W.; Phillips, T.L.

    1977-01-01

    Removal of, or irradiation to, the thymus during the neonatal period in man has resulted in no reported adverse effects on cellular immunity, although thymectomy in neonatal experimental animals is known to produce profound immunological disturbances. Adverse effects in humans may not be recognized until several decades have passed. The immunological capabilities of 7 adults with histories of thymic irradiation as infants were evaluated; normal tests results indicated intact immune systems in all cases. The 3 women tested, however, had abnormal clinical histories, including 2 with multiple tumors and 1 with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis

  1. Immunologic competence in adults following thymic irradiation in infancy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ammann, A.J.; Wara, W.M.; Wara, D.W.; Phillips, T.L.

    1977-07-01

    Removal of, or irradiation to, the thymus during the neonatal period in man has resulted in no reported adverse effects on cellular immunity, although thymectomy in neonatal experimental animals is known to produce profound immunological disturbances. Adverse effects in humans may not be recognized until several decades have passed. The immunological capabilities of 7 adults with histories of thymic irradiation as infants were evaluated; normal tests results indicated intact immune systems in all cases. The 3 women tested, however, had abnormal clinical histories, including 2 with multiple tumors and 1 with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.

  2. Recognition of Orobanche cumana Below-Ground Parasitism Through Physiological and Hyper Spectral Measurements in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochavi, Amnon; Rapaport, Tal; Gendler, Tania; Karnieli, Arnon; Eizenberg, Hanan; Rachmilevitch, Shimon; Ephrath, Jhonathan E

    2017-01-01

    Broomrape ( Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.) parasitism is a severe problem in many crops worldwide, including in the Mediterranean basin. Most of the damage occurs during the sub-soil developmental stage of the parasite, by the time the parasite emerges from the ground, damage to the crop has already been done. One feasible method for sensing early, below-ground parasitism is through physiological measurements, which provide preliminary indications of slight changes in plant vitality and productivity. However, a complete physiological field survey is slow, costly and requires skilled manpower. In recent decades, visible to-shortwave infrared (VIS-SWIR) hyperspectral tools have exhibited great potential for faster, cheaper, simpler and non-destructive tracking of physiological changes. The advantage of VIS-SWIR is even greater when narrow-band signatures are analyzed with an advanced statistical technique, like a partial least squares regression (PLS-R). The technique can pinpoint the most physiologically sensitive wavebands across an entire spectrum, even in the presence of high levels of noise and collinearity. The current study evaluated a method for early detection of Orobanche cumana parasitism in sunflower that combines plant physiology, hyperspectral readings and PLS-R. Seeds of susceptible and resistant O. cumana sunflower varieties were planted in infested (15 mg kg -1 seeds) and non-infested soil. The plants were examined weekly to detect any physiological or structural changes; the examinations were accompanied by hyperspectral readings. During the early stage of the parasitism, significant differences between infected and non-infected sunflower plants were found in the reflectance of near and shortwave infrared areas. Physiological measurements revealed no differences between treatments until O. cumana inflorescences emerged. However, levels of several macro- and microelements tended to decrease during the early stage of O. cumana parasitism. Analysis of

  3. Recognition of Orobanche cumana Below-Ground Parasitism Through Physiological and Hyper Spectral Measurements in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amnon Cochavi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Broomrape (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp. parasitism is a severe problem in many crops worldwide, including in the Mediterranean basin. Most of the damage occurs during the sub-soil developmental stage of the parasite, by the time the parasite emerges from the ground, damage to the crop has already been done. One feasible method for sensing early, below-ground parasitism is through physiological measurements, which provide preliminary indications of slight changes in plant vitality and productivity. However, a complete physiological field survey is slow, costly and requires skilled manpower. In recent decades, visible to-shortwave infrared (VIS-SWIR hyperspectral tools have exhibited great potential for faster, cheaper, simpler and non-destructive tracking of physiological changes. The advantage of VIS-SWIR is even greater when narrow-band signatures are analyzed with an advanced statistical technique, like a partial least squares regression (PLS-R. The technique can pinpoint the most physiologically sensitive wavebands across an entire spectrum, even in the presence of high levels of noise and collinearity. The current study evaluated a method for early detection of Orobanche cumana parasitism in sunflower that combines plant physiology, hyperspectral readings and PLS-R. Seeds of susceptible and resistant O. cumana sunflower varieties were planted in infested (15 mg kg-1 seeds and non-infested soil. The plants were examined weekly to detect any physiological or structural changes; the examinations were accompanied by hyperspectral readings. During the early stage of the parasitism, significant differences between infected and non-infected sunflower plants were found in the reflectance of near and shortwave infrared areas. Physiological measurements revealed no differences between treatments until O. cumana inflorescences emerged. However, levels of several macro- and microelements tended to decrease during the early stage of O. cumana

  4. The immunological mechanisms that control pneumococcal carriage.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon P Jochems

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Colonization of the human nasopharynx by pneumococcus is extremely common and is both the primary reservoir for transmission and a prerequisite for disease. Current vaccines targeting the polysaccharide capsule effectively prevent colonization, conferring herd protection within vaccinated communities. However, these vaccines cover only a subset of all circulating pneumococcal strains, and serotype replacement has been observed. Given the success of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV in preventing colonization in unvaccinated adults within vaccinated communities, reducing nasopharyngeal colonization has become an outcome of interest for novel vaccines. Here, we discuss the immunological mechanisms that control nasopharyngeal colonization, with an emphasis on findings from human studies. Increased understanding of these immunological mechanisms is required to identify correlates of protection against colonization that will facilitate the early testing and design of novel vaccines.

  5. Quantile regression for the statistical analysis of immunological data with many non-detects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eilers, Paul H C; Röder, Esther; Savelkoul, Huub F J; van Wijk, Roy Gerth

    2012-07-07

    Immunological parameters are hard to measure. A well-known problem is the occurrence of values below the detection limit, the non-detects. Non-detects are a nuisance, because classical statistical analyses, like ANOVA and regression, cannot be applied. The more advanced statistical techniques currently available for the analysis of datasets with non-detects can only be used if a small percentage of the data are non-detects. Quantile regression, a generalization of percentiles to regression models, models the median or higher percentiles and tolerates very high numbers of non-detects. We present a non-technical introduction and illustrate it with an implementation to real data from a clinical trial. We show that by using quantile regression, groups can be compared and that meaningful linear trends can be computed, even if more than half of the data consists of non-detects. Quantile regression is a valuable addition to the statistical methods that can be used for the analysis of immunological datasets with non-detects.

  6. Measuring mental workload and physiological reactions in marine pilots: Building bridges towards redlines of performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orlandi, Luca; Brooks, Benjamin

    2018-05-01

    This paper investigates the effects of shiphandling manoeuvres on mental workload and physiological reactions in ten marine pilots. Each pilot performed four berthings in a ship simulator. Those berthings were differentiated by two factors, level of difficulty and familiarity with the port. Each berthing could also be divided into five phases, three during the execution and two resting periods, one before and one after the execution (dedicated to baseline physiological data collection). Mental workload was measured through two self assessment scales: the NASA TLX and a Likert scale. Power spectral densities on Beta bands 1 and 2 were obtained from EEG. Heart rate and heart rate variability were obtained from ECG. Pupil dilation was obtained from eye tracking. Workload levels were higher as berthings increased in difficulty level and/or the pilots completed the berthings in unfamiliar ports. Responses differed across specific phases of the berthings. Physiological responses could indirectly monitor levels of mental workload, and could be adopted in future applications to evaluate training improvements and performance. This study provides an example of an applied methodology aiming to define an upper redline of task demands in the context of marine pilotage. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. Outdoor thermal physiology along human pathways: a study using a wearable measurement system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakayoshi, Makoto; Kanda, Manabu; Shi, Rui; de Dear, Richard

    2015-05-01

    An outdoor summer study on thermal physiology along subjects' pathways was conducted in a Japanese city using a unique wearable measurement system that measures all the relevant thermal variables: ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed ( U) and short/long-wave radiation ( S and L), along with some physio-psychological parameters: skin temperature ( T skin), pulse rate, subjective thermal sensation and state of body motion. U, S and L were measured using a globe anemo-radiometer adapted use with pedestrian subjects. The subjects were 26 healthy Japanese adults (14 males, 12 females) ranging from 23 to 74 years in age. Each subject wore a set of instruments that recorded individual microclimate and physiological responses along a designated pedestrian route that traversed various urban textures. The subjects experienced varying thermal environments that could not be represented by fixed-point routine observational data. S fluctuated significantly reflecting the mixture of sunlit/shade distributions within complex urban morphology. U was generally low within urban canyons due to drag by urban obstacles such as buildings but the subjects' movements enhanced convective heat exchanges with the atmosphere, leading to a drop in T skin. The amount of sweating increased as standard effective temperature (SET*) increased. A clear dependence of sweating on gender and body size was found; males sweated more than females; overweight subjects sweated more than standard/underweight subjects. T skin had a linear relationship with SET* and a similarly clear dependence on gender and body size differences. T skin of the higher-sweating groups was lower than that of the lower-sweating groups, reflecting differences in evaporative cooling by perspiration.

  8. A workplace stretching program. Physiologic and perception measurements before and after participation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, T M

    1998-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to implement a primary prevention program in the workplace targeted to prevent muscle strains. Physiologic and perception measurements were taken before and after participation in a stretching program developed to improve flexibility through conditioning. A one group pre-test post-test design was used with 60 employees enrolled in a 36 session stretching program in the workplace. Flexibility was measured by a flexibility profile including the sit and reach test, bilateral body rotation measurements, and shoulder rotation measurements. A statistically significant increase was found in all flexibility measurements at the conclusion of the study for the participants as a total group. Perception, as measured by the Fox Physical Self Perception Profile, was statistically significant in relation to participants' perceptions of their body attractiveness, physical conditioning, and overall self worth at the program's conclusion. In addition, participants who completed the program had zero occurrences of musculoskeletal injuries during the 2 month period. The results of this study suggest that continued development and implementation of stretching programs in the workplace may benefit employees by increasing flexibility and potentially preventing injuries due to muscle strains. Stretching programs in the workplace also may improve components of employees' perceptions of their physical bodies.

  9. 21 CFR 866.5520 - Immunoglobulin G (Fab fragment specific) immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Immunoglobulin G (Fab fragment specific... Test Systems § 866.5520 Immunoglobulin G (Fab fragment specific) immunological test system. (a) Identification. An immunoglobulin G (Fab fragment specific) immunological test system is a device that consists...

  10. 21 CFR 866.5540 - Immunoglobulin G (Fd fragment specific) immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Immunoglobulin G (Fd fragment specific... Test Systems § 866.5540 Immunoglobulin G (Fd fragment specific) immunological test system. (a) Identification. An immunoglobulin G (Fd fragment specific) immunological test system is a device that consists of...

  11. 21 CFR 866.5530 - Immunoglobulin G (Fc fragment specific) immunological test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Immunoglobulin G (Fc fragment specific... Test Systems § 866.5530 Immunoglobulin G (Fc fragment specific) immunological test system. (a) Identification. An immunoglobulin G (Fc fragment specific) immunological test system is a device that consists of...

  12. Immunological methods for the detection and determination of connective tissue proteoglycans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caterson, B; Baker, J R; Christner, J E

    1982-01-01

    In this paper we report the use of immunological methods for specifically detecting and determining proteoglycan in cartilage and other connective tissues. Antibodies (polyclonal and monoclonal) have been raised against specific components of cartilage proteoglycan aggregates (i.e., proteoglycan...... surrounding invaginating hair follicles. These immunological procedures are currently being used to complement conventional biochemical analyses of proteoglycans found in different connective tissue matrices....

  13. The Face of Physiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul White

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the relationship between the physiology of the emotions and the display of character in Victorian Britain. Charles Bell and others had begun to link certain physiological functions, such as respiration, with the expression of feelings such as fear, regarding the heart and other internal organs as instruments by which the emotions were made visible. But a purely functional account of the emotions, which emerged through the development of reflex physiology during the second half of the century, would dramatically alter the nature of feelings and the means of observing them. At the same time, instinctual or acquired sympathy, which had long underpinned the accurate reading of expressions, became a problem to be surmounted by new 'objectively'. Graphic recording instruments measuring a variety of physiological functions and used with increasing frequency in clinical diagnostics became of fundamental importance for tracing the movement of feelings during the period prior to the development of cinematography. They remained, in the form of devices such as the polygraph, a crucial and controversial means of measuring affective states, beneath the potentially deceptive surface of the body.

  14. Differential predictive power of self report and implicit measures on behavioural and physiological fear responses to spiders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Bockstaele, B.; Verschuere, B.; Koster, E.H.W.; Tibboel, H.; de Houwer, J.; Crombez, G.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, we investigated to what extent indirect measures predict behavioural and physiological fear responses towards spiders. Implicit attitudes towards spiders were assessed using an implicit association test and attentional bias towards spiders was assessed using a dot probe task and a

  15. IMMUNOLOGICAL REACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH UROLOGICAL PROFILE UNDER COMBINED THERAPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Esipov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Prevention and treatment of postoperative purulent-inflammatory complications in urological practice remains a subject for study and improvement in all medical centers. The principle of evidence must be taken as a basis of effectiveness of therapy. In this study the quality criteria of demonstrated therapy are immunological parameters.The purpose of this study is to identify the effectiveness of using monooxidase (NO containing a gas stream replenishing the deficiency of endogenous NO in a group of patients; and to investigate immunological reactivity in patients under complex therapy included nitrogen monoxide and immunomodulators.Materials and methods. In this experimental study we determined the functioning of the main links of the patient’s immunological system. They were determined on the basis of the levels of general T-lymphocytes (T-total, T-helper (T-h, T-suppressor (T-s, natural killer (NK, B-lymphocyte and immunoglobulin G, M, A, circulating immune complexes (CIC.Results. Based on the obtained data, we concluded that the traditional treatment of patients with postoperative complications was less effective than the one proposed in our study. Immunological picture of patient’s condition come back to normal almost from the first day of treatment, and under traditional treatment it was only on the 7th day. Under using complex treatment with nitrogen monoxide, parameters of humoral immunity corresponded to the norm already on the 7–14th day from the beginning of treatment.Conclusion. NO-containing gas flow application in complex prevention of purulent-inflammatory complications made possible to eliminate wound infection in shorter terms and to shorten the period of patient’s hospitalization. The best results were obtained in terms of immunological reactivity in a clinical trial in patients who received complex therapy included nitrogen monoxide and lymphotropic administration of the immunomodulators.

  16. What's so special about chicken immunology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    What’s so special about chickens? Firstly, chickens are not only an invaluable model for studying immunology, they also provide the world’s main source of meat and will be a key protein source needed to feed the growing human population into the future. Poultry meat production is highly efficient ...

  17. Outcomes of allergy/immunology follow-up after an emergency department evaluation for anaphylaxis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Ronna L; Park, Miguel A; Kueber, Michael A; Lee, Sangil; Hagan, John B

    2015-01-01

    Anaphylaxis guidelines currently recommend referring patients with anaphylaxis seen in the emergency department (ED) to an allergist for follow up. The objective of our study was to evaluate outcomes of allergy/immunology follow-up after an ED visit for anaphylaxis. A retrospective health records review was conducted from April 2008 to August 2012. Charts were reviewed independently by 2 allergists to determine outcomes. Descriptive statistics with corresponding 95% CIs were calculated. Among 573 patients seen in the ED who met anaphylaxis diagnostic criteria, 217 (38%) had a documented allergy/immunology follow-up. After allergy/immunology evaluation, 16 patients (7% [95% CI, 5%-12%]) had anaphylaxis ruled out. Among those with an unknown ED trigger (n = 74), 24 (32% [95% CI, 23%-44%]) had a trigger identified; and, among those who had a specific suspected ED trigger (n = 143), 9 (6% [95% CI, 3%-12%]) had a trigger identified in a category other than the one suspected in the ED, and 28 (20% [95% CI, 14%-27%]) had an unknown trigger. Thus, there were a total of 77 patients (35% [95% CI, 29%-42%]) who had an alteration in the diagnosis of anaphylaxis or trigger after allergy/immunology evaluation. Four patients (2% [95% CI, 0.7%-4.6%]) were diagnosed with a mast cell activation disorder, and 13 patients (6% [95% CI, 4%-10%]) underwent immunotherapy or desensitization. Overall, 35% of the patients with suspected anaphylaxis in the ED had an alteration in the diagnosis or suspected trigger after allergy/immunology evaluation. These results underscore the importance of allergy/immunology follow-up after an ED visit for anaphylaxis. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Evaluation of immunological parameters during irradiation with combined chemotherapy in primary lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Yasuhiro; Kimura, Shuji

    1980-01-01

    Changes of several immunological parameters in 52 cases of primary lung cancer treated with radiation combined chemotherapy were studied in the present paper. During the treatment, decreasing of absolute lymphocyte counts, PHA skin test reactivity and lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA were recognized. The decreasing of immunological capacities tested in the present investigation did not depend on among clinical stages or histologic types. But irradiation to mediastinum affected to immunological abilities. The values in some immunological parameter tested at pre-treatment or at post-treatment suggested the correlation with tumor regression, namely in the cases showed high values in absolute lymphocyte counts and PPD skin test reactivity at the time of pre-treatment and in the cases showed high reactivity in PHA skin test at post-treatment, tumor regression was significantly demonstrated compared with the other cases. The patients showed high values in absolute lymphocyte counts and PHA skin test at pretreatment time or showed high values in lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA at post-treatment demonstrated longer survival time. As a result, the test of immunological abilities obtained at pre-treatment time was reliable to forecast tumor regression and survival time. (author)

  19. Immunology taught by rats

    OpenAIRE

    Klenerman, P; Barnes, EJ

    2017-01-01

    Immunology may be best taught by viruses, and possibly by humans, but the rats of New York City surprisingly also have plenty to offer. A survey published in 2014 of the pathogens carried by rats trapped in houses and parks in Manhattan identified a huge burden of infectious agents in these animals, including several novel viruses. Among these are Norway rat hepaciviruses (NrHVs), which belong to the same family as hepatitis C virus (HCV). NrHVs were found in rat livers, raising the possibili...

  20. Chapter 29: Unproved and controversial methods and theories in allergy-immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Rachna; Greenberger, Paul A

    2012-01-01

    Unproved methods and controversial theories in the diagnosis and management of allergy-immunology are those that lack scientific credibility. Some definitions are provided for perspective because in chronic medical conditions, frequently, nonscientifically based treatments are developed that can have a very positive psychological effect on the patients in the absence of objective physical benefit. Standard practice can be described as "the methods of diagnosis and treatment used by reputable physicians in a particular subspecialty or primary care practice" with the understanding that diagnosis and treatment options are consistent with established mechanisms of conditions or diseases.(3) Conventional medicine (Western or allopathic medicine) is that which is practiced by the majority of MDs, DOs, psychologists, RNs, and physical therapists. Complementary medicine uses the practice of conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine such as using acupuncture for pain relief in addition to opioids. Alternative medicine implies use of complementary and alternative practices in place of conventional medicine. Unproved and controversial methods and theories do not have supporting data, validation, and sufficient scientific scrutiny, and they should not be used in the practice of allergy-immunology. Some examples of unproven theories about allergic immunologic conditions include allergic toxemia, idiopathic environmental intolerance, association with childhood vaccinations, and adrenal fatigue. Unconventional (unproved) diagnostic methods for allergic-immunologic conditions include cytotoxic tests, provocation-neutralization, electrodermal diagnosis, applied kinesiology assessments, and serum IgG or IgG(4) testing. Unproven treatments and intervention methods for allergic-immunologic conditions include acupuncture, homeopathy ("likes cure likes"), halotherapy, and autologous urine injections.

  1. Evaluation of immunological methods for detection of bovine growth hormone (BGH) produced in E. coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosner, A.; Zwang, R.; Aviv, H.

    1982-01-01

    The use of several immunological methods for studies on synthesis of bovine growth hormone (BGH) by E. coli is described here. The ELISA procedure was shown to be the least sensitive and unfit for assaying BGH in E. coli extracts. The solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) proved to be highly sensitive, but since E. coli extract itself (not containing BGH) interfered with the immunological reaction, its use for measuring BGH was practically limited. The best adequate procedure proved to be radioimmunoassay in solution, which was not adversely affected by the E. coli extract and was sufficiently sensitive to detect nanogram quantities of BGH. The size of the BGH produced by normal bacterial cells was investigated by protein fractionation, transfer to nitrocellulose paper and detection by anti-BGH serum. This method also served for semi-quantitative determination of BGH in the bacterial extract. (Auth.)

  2. Evaluation of immunological methods for detection of bovine growth hormone (BGH) produced in E. coli

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosner, A; Zwang, R; Aviv, H [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Virology

    1982-07-30

    The use of several immunological methods for studies on synthesis of bovine growth hormone (BGH) by E. coli is described here. The ELISA procedure was shown to be the least sensitive and unfit for assaying BGH in E. coli extracts. The solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) proved to be highly sensitive, but since E. coli extract itself (not containing BGH) interfered with the immunological reaction, its use for measuring BGH was practically limited. The most adequate procedure proved to be radioimmunoassay in solution, which was not adversely affected by the E. coli extract and was sufficiently sensitive to detect nanogram quantities of BGH. The size of the BGH produced by normal bacterial cells was investigated by protein fractionation, transfer to nitrocellulose paper and detection by anti-BGH serum. This method also served for semi-quantitative determination of BGH in the bacterial extract.

  3. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The). Journal Home · ABOUT · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 13, No 1 (2015) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  4. Immunological comparison of basic encephalitogen and histone F2A1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bustin, M.; Teitelbaum, D.; Webb, C.

    1975-01-01

    The extent of immunological cross-reaction between basic encephalitogen and histone F2A1 on both the humoral antibody level and on the cellular level has been established. The extent of humoral cross-reaction was tested by direct complement fixation employing both anti-histone F2A1 and antisera to basic encephalitogen, by inhibition of complement fixation, by radioimmunoassay and by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. The data obtained failed to reveal immunological cross-reaction between the proteins on the humoral antibody level. The extent of cross-reaction at the cellular level was tested by the lymphocyte stimulation technique in rabbits and guinea pigs, by inhibition of lymphocyte stimulation and by delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions. It is concluded that the immunological studies provide limited evidence that the two proteins share antigenic determinants. (orig./GSE) [de

  5. Biosensors in immunology: the story so far

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pathak, S.S.; Savelkoul, H.F.J.

    1997-01-01

    Optical biosensors are finding a range of applications in immunology. They enable biomolecular interactions to be characterized in real time without the need to label reactants, and, because individual binding steps can be visualized, are particularly suited to complex assays

  6. Environmental conditions, immunologic phenotypes, atopy, and asthma: new evidence of how the hygiene hypothesis operates in Latin America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueiredo, Camila Alexandrina; Amorim, Leila D; Alcantara-Neves, Neuza M; Matos, Sheila M A; Cooper, Philip J; Rodrigues, Laura C; Barreto, Mauricio L

    2013-04-01

    It has been proposed that improved hygiene and reduced experience of infections in childhood influences the development of allergic diseases. The mechanisms by which the hygiene operates are not well established but are underpinned by two apparently incompatible immunologic paradigms, the balance of TH1 versus TH2 cytokines and IL-10-mediated regulation of TH2 cytokines. This study defined immunologic phenotypes with the use of latent class analysis and investigated their associations with environmental factors, markers of allergy and asthma, in a Latin American population. We studied 1127 children living in urban Brazil. Data on wheeze and environmental exposures were collected with standardized questionnaires. Atopy was measured by specific IgE in serum and skin prick test reactivity to aeroallergens. Cytokines were measured in culture after the stimulation of peripheral blood leukocytes with mitogen. Infections with pathogens were assessed by serology and stool examinations. Children were classified as having high or low burden of infection. Latent class analysis was used to identify immune phenotypes on the basis of cytokine production. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the adjusted effects of environment and burden of infection on the immunologic phenotypes and the effect of the phenotypes on atopy and asthma. Three phenotypes were identified, labeled underresponsive, intermediate, and responsive. Children of more educated mothers, living in improved environmental conditions, and with a low burden of infection were significantly more likely to have the responsive phenotype. The responsive phenotype was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of atopy but not asthma. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the immune mechanisms by which the hygiene hypothesis operates in urban Latin America. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. JTM’s Tumor immunology goes broad: announcing the Immunobiology and Immunotherapy section

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bot Adrian

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract For the last four years the Journal of Translational Medicine (JTM has hosted the Section of Tumor Immunology and Biological Cancer Therapy. Under the editorial leadership of Dr. Pedro Romero and with the direct support of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC, this section enriched the communication between basic immunological sciences and the clinical investigation arena in oncology. We are re-launching this Section of JTM, now entitled Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, succeeding Tumor Immunology and Biological Cancer Therapy. While aiming to build on the editorial success and focus of its predecessor, this novel Section will have a broader scope, hosting translational immunology topics pertaining to immunotherapy beyond oncology, including disciplines such as inflammation, autoimmunity, transplantation, metabolic disorders and others. As the vision of this re-launched Section of JTM broadens up to serve a communication need for translational immunologists involved with immunotherapy irrespectively of the therapeutic area, a novel and focused journal entitled Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (JITC has just been initiated, sponsored by the SITC.

  8. Hematology and immunology studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimzey, S. L.

    1977-01-01

    A coordinated series of experiments were conducted to evaluate immunologic and hemotologic system responses of Skylab crewmen to prolonged space flights. A reduced PHA responsiveness was observed on recovery, together with a reduced number of T-cells, with both values returning to normal 3 to 5 days postflight. Subnormal red cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit values also returned gradually to preflight limits. Most pronounced changes were found in the shape of red blood cells during extended space missions with a rapid reversal of these changes upon reentry into a normal gravitational environment.

  9. Mucosal immunology and virology

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Tyring, Stephen

    2006-01-01

    .... A third chapter focuses on the proximal end of the gastrointestinal tract (i.e. the oral cavity). The mucosal immunology and virology of the distal end of the gastrointestinal tract is covered in the chapter on the anogenital mucosa. Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) plays a role in protection against all viral (and other) infections except those that enter the body via a bite (e.g. yellow fever or dengue from a mosquito or rabies from a dog) or an injection or transfusion (e.g. HIV, Hepatitis B). ...

  10. Immunologic changes in children with egg allergy ingesting extensively heated egg.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemon-Mulé, Heather; Sampson, Hugh A; Sicherer, Scott H; Shreffler, Wayne G; Noone, Sally; Nowak-Wegrzyn, Anna

    2008-11-01

    Prior studies have suggested that heated egg might be tolerated by some children with egg allergy. We sought to confirm tolerance of heated egg in a subset of children with egg allergy, to evaluate clinical and immunologic predictors of heated egg tolerance, to characterize immunologic changes associated with continued ingestion of heated egg, and to determine whether a diet incorporating heated egg is well tolerated. Subjects with documented IgE-mediated egg allergy underwent physician-supervised oral food challenges to extensively heated egg (in the form of a muffin and a waffle), with tolerant subjects also undergoing regular egg challenges (in a form of scrambled egg or French toast). Heated egg-tolerant subjects incorporated heated egg into their diets. Skin prick test wheal diameters and egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid IgE levels, as well as ovalbumin and ovomucoid IgG4 levels, were measured at baseline for all subjects and at 3, 6, and 12 months for those tolerant of heated egg. Sixty-four of 117 subjects tolerated heated egg, 23 tolerated regular egg, and 27 reacted to heated egg. Heated egg-reactive subjects had larger skin test wheals and greater egg white-specific, ovalbumin-specific, and ovomucoid-specific IgE levels compared with heated egg- and egg-tolerant subjects. Continued ingestion of heated egg was associated with decreased skin test wheal diameters and ovalbumin-specific IgE levels and increased ovalbumin-specific and ovomucoid-specific IgG4 levels. The majority of subjects with egg allergy were tolerant of heated egg. Continued ingestion of heated egg was well tolerated and associated with immunologic changes that paralleled the changes observed with the development of clinical tolerance to regular egg.

  11. Immunologically active biomaterials for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Omar A; Mooney, David J

    2011-01-01

    Our understanding of immunological regulation has progressed tremendously alongside the development of materials science, and at their intersection emerges the possibility to employ immunologically active biomaterials for cancer immunotherapy. Strong and sustained anticancer, immune responses are required to clear large tumor burdens in patients, but current approaches for immunotherapy are formulated as products for delivery in bolus, which may be indiscriminate and/or shortlived. Multifunctional biomaterial particles are now being developed to target and sustain antigen and adjuvant delivery to dendritic cells in vivo, and these have the potential to direct and prolong antigen-specific T cell responses. Three-dimensional immune cell niches are also being developed to regulate the recruitment, activation and deployment of immune cells in situ to promote potent antitumor responses. Recent studies demonstrate that materials with immune targeting and stimulatory capabilities can enhance the magnitude and duration of immune responses to cancer antigens, and preclinical results utilizing material-based immunotherapy in tumor models show a strong therapeutic benefit, justifying translation to and future testing in the clinic.

  12. [Immunologic risk analysis of blood transfusion: 1991-1998].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouger, P; Le Pennec, P Y; Noizat-Pirenne, F

    2000-02-01

    The immunologic risk associated to erythrocyte transfusions is bound to the polymorphism of blood group systems and to the respect of blood transfusion regulations. The results of three studies are presented, which were carried out respectively by the French Society of Blood Transfusion, the National Institute of Blood Transfusion and the National Haemovigilance Network. Two hundred and twenty-seven cases of immunologic accidents are analysed using the Kaplan's interpretation model and the traditional method of process analysis. The results show three critical factors in the occurrence of this type of incident: the relevance of the clinical examinations prescribed, the way in which the biological results are taken into account, and the relationship/exchange of information between private and public hospitals, and blood transfusion centers.

  13. Expression of Fgf23 in activated dendritic cells and macrophages in response to immunological stimuli in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Yuki; Ohta, Hiroya; Morita, Yumiko; Nakayama, Yoshiaki; Miyake, Ayumi; Itoh, Nobuyuki; Konishi, Morichika

    2015-01-01

    Fibroblast growth factors (Fgfs) are polypeptide growth factors with diverse biological activities. While several studies have revealed that Fgf23 plays important roles in the regulation of phosphate and vitamin D metabolism, the additional physiological roles of Fgf23 remain unclear. Although it is believed that osteoblasts/osteocytes are the main sources of Fgf23, we previously found that Fgf23 mRNA is also expressed in the mouse thymus, suggesting that it might be involved in the immune system. In this study we examined the potential roles of Fgf23 in immunological responses. Mouse serum Fgf23 levels were significantly increased following inoculation with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus or intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide. We also identified activated dendritic cells and macrophages that potentially contributed to increased serum Fgf23 levels. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling was essential for the induction of Fgf23 expression in dendritic cells in response to immunological stimuli. Moreover, we examined the effects of recombinant Fgf23 protein on immune cells in vitro. Fgfr1c, a potential receptor for Fgf23, was abundantly expressed in macrophages, suggesting that Fgf23 might be involved in signal transduction in these cells. Our data suggest that Fgf23 potentially increases the number in macrophages and induces expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), a proinflammatory cytokine. Collectively, these data suggest that Fgf23 might be intimately involved in inflammatory processes.

  14. Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease: genetic, immunological, and clinical features of inborn errors of IFN-γ immunity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustamante, Jacinta; Boisson-Dupuis, Stéphanie; Abel, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent

    2014-01-01

    Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is a rare condition characterized by predisposition to clinical disease caused by weakly virulent mycobacteria, such as BCG vaccines and environmental mycobacteria, in otherwise healthy individuals with no overt abnormalities in routine hematological and immunological tests. MSMD designation does not recapitulate all the clinical features, as patients are also prone to salmonellosis, candidiasis and tuberculosis, and more rarely to infections with other intramacrophagic bacteria, fungi, or parasites, and even, perhaps, a few viruses. Since 1996, nine MSMD-causing genes, including seven autosomal (IFNGR1, IFNGR2, STAT1, IL12B, IL12RB1, ISG15, and IRF8) and two X-linked (NEMO, CYBB) genes have been discovered. The high level of allelic heterogeneity has already led to the definition of 18 different disorders. The nine gene products are physiologically related, as all are involved in IFN-γ-dependent immunity. These disorders impair the production of (IL12B, IL12RB1, IRF8, ISG15, NEMO) or the response to (IFNGR1, IFNGR2, STAT1, IRF8, CYBB) IFN-γ. These defects account for only about half the known MSMD cases. Patients with MSMD-causing genetic defects may display other infectious diseases, or even remain asymptomatic. Most of these inborn errors do not show complete clinical penetrance for the case-definition phenotype of MSMD. We review here the genetic, immunological, and clinical features of patients with inborn errors of IFN-γ-dependent immunity. PMID:25453225

  15. Immunologic mapping of glycomes: implications for cancer diagnosis and therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Dapeng; Levery, Steven B; Hsu, Fong-Fu

    2011-01-01

    Cancer associated glycoconjugates are important biomarkers, as exemplified by globo-H, CA125, CA15.3 and CA27.29. However, the exact chemical structures of many such biomarkers remain unknown because of technological limitations. In this article, we propose the "immunologic mapping" of cancer...... glycomes based on specific immune recognition of glycan structures, which can be hypothesized theoretically, produced chemically, and examined biologically by immuno-assays. Immunologic mapping of glycans not only provides a unique perspective on cancer glycomes, but also may lead to the invention...

  16. Immunological Risk of Injectable Drug Delivery Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jiskoot, W.; van Schie, R.M.F.; Carstens, M.G.; Schellekens, H.

    2009-01-01

    Injectable drug delivery systems (DDS) such as particulate carriers and water-soluble polymers are being used and developed for a wide variety of therapeutic applications. However, a number of immunological risks with serious clinical implications are associated with administration of DDS. These

  17. Introduction to a Special Issue of the Journal of Immunological Methods: Building global resource programs to support HIV/AIDS clinical trial studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Ana M; Denny, Thomas N; O'Gorman, Maurice

    2014-07-01

    This Special Issue of the Journal of Immunological Methods includes 16 manuscripts describing quality assurance activities related to virologic and immunologic monitoring of six global laboratory resource programs that support international HIV/AIDS clinical trial studies: Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD); Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI); External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL); HIV Vaccine Trial Network (HVTN); International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI); and Immunology Quality Assessment (IQA). The reports from these programs address the many components required to develop comprehensive quality control activities and subsequent quality assurance programs for immune monitoring in global clinical trials including: all aspects of processing, storing, and quality assessment of PBMC preparations used ubiquitously in HIV clinical trials, the development and optimization of assays for CD8 HIV responses and HIV neutralization, a comprehensive global HIV virus repository, and reports on the development and execution of novel external proficiency testing programs for immunophenotyping, intracellular cytokine staining, ELISPOT and luminex based cytokine measurements. In addition, there are articles describing the implementation of Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) in a large quality assurance laboratory, the development of statistical methods specific for external proficiency testing assessment, a discussion on the ability to set objective thresholds for measuring rare events by flow cytometry, and finally, a manuscript which addresses a framework for the structured reporting of T cell immune function based assays. It is anticipated that this series of manuscripts covering a wide range of quality assurance activities associated with the conduct of global clinical trials will provide a resource for individuals and programs involved in improving the harmonization, standardization, accuracy, and sensitivity of

  18. The influence of Listeria monocytogenes cells on the primary immunologic response in irradiated mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borowski, J.; Jokoniuk, P.

    1977-01-01

    The influence of killed Listeria monocytogenes cells on the primary immunologic response in mice irradiated with 300 or 500 R was studied. The immunologic response of the mice to sheep red blood cells used as antigen was assessed at the cellular level (by counting PFC) and humoral level. Injection of killed Listeria monocytogenes cells before irradiation of the mice diminished the immunosuppressive effect of roentgen radiation. Injection of the cells after irradiation accelerated regeneration of immunologic reactivity in the irradiated mice. (author)

  19. Recommended Immunological Assays to Screen for Ricin-Containing Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphanie Simon

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Ricin, a toxin from the plant Ricinus communis, is one of the most toxic biological agents known. Due to its availability, toxicity, ease of production and absence of curative treatments, ricin has been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC as category B biological weapon and it is scheduled as a List 1 compound in the Chemical Weapons Convention. An international proficiency test (PT was conducted to evaluate detection and quantification capabilities of 17 expert laboratories. In this exercise one goal was to analyse the laboratories’ capacity to detect and differentiate ricin and the less toxic, but highly homologuous protein R. communis agglutinin (RCA120. Six analytical strategies are presented in this paper based on immunological assays (four immunoenzymatic assays and two immunochromatographic tests. Using these immunological methods “dangerous” samples containing ricin and/or RCA120 were successfully identified. Based on different antibodies used the detection and quantification of ricin and RCA120 was successful. The ricin PT highlighted the performance of different immunological approaches that are exemplarily recommended for highly sensitive and precise quantification of ricin.

  20. [Prognostication of immunological reactivity and the choice of the variant of reflexotherapy for a newborn infant].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filonenko, A V; Sergeeva, A I; Filonenko, V A

    2014-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to determine the classification differences in immunological reactivity and to identify its predictors in the newborn infants. The study involved 115 full-term newborn infants presenting with grade 3 prenatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in the late neonatal period. The features of immunological reactivity under the influence of acupuncture were examined. Statistical processing was carried out by means of discriminant analysis. The assessment and prediction of the effectiveness of acupuncture in the neonates suffering from cerebral ischemia are based on the index of immunological reactivity and the leukocyte index of intoxication, as well as on the ratio of monocytes to band neutrophils content. For generation of the group classifier of immunological predictors in a newborn infant and development of indications for reflex therapy, nine parameters of interest were measured. The group specificity of the child was determined by three variables, viz. leukocyte index of intoxication, monocyte and band neutrophil counts with values of the Fisher's exact test (F) and reliability (Wilks Lambda 0.90894; approximation F (3.144) = 4.809; p newborn infants and the choice of the treatment modality on an individual basis (parent, child, or both) in the "mother-newborn" system. The variant of treatment was determined by comparing the values of the results of the formulas. The newborns were referred to the subgroup with the highest value of the classification function. The predictors made it possible to reliably distinguished the second (p = 0.032) and the third (p = 0.022) subgroups from the first one, with some degree of overlapping between the edge zones of centroids of the second and third subgroups (p = 0.073). Therefore, the sensitivity of classification in the individual subgroups was lower than in the group model and was estimated at 34.4, 71.9, and 65.6% for the first, second and third groups, respectively. The mathematical models

  1. Immunological mechanisms of sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Natalija; Bieber, T; Allam, J-P

    2011-06-01

    Within the last 100 years of allergen-specific immunotherapy, many clinical and scientific efforts have been made to establish alternative noninvasive allergen application strategies. Thus, intra-oral allergen delivery to the sublingual mucosa has been proven to be safe and effective. As a consequence, to date, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is widely accepted by most allergists as an alternative to conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy. Although immunological mechanisms remain to be elucidated in detail, several studies in mice and humans within recent years provided deeper insights into local as well as systemic immunological features in response to SLIT. First of all, it was shown that the target organ, the oral mucosa, harbours a sophisticated immunological network as an important prerequisite for SLIT, which contains among other cells, local antigen-presenting cells (APC), such as dendritic cells (DCs), with a constitutive disposition to enforce tolerogenic mechanisms. Further on, basic research on local DCs within the oral mucosa gave rise to possible alternative strategies to deliver the allergens to other mucosal regions than sublingual tissue, such as the vestibulum oris. Moreover, characterization of oral DCs led to the identification of target structures for both allergens as well as adjuvants, which could be applied during SLIT. Altogether, SLIT came a long way since its very beginning in the last century and some, but not all questions about SLIT could be answered so far. However, recent research efforts as well as clinical approaches paved the way for another exciting 100 years of SLIT. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  2. A roadmap towards personalized immunology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Delhalle, Sylvie; Bode, Sebastian F N; Balling, Rudi

    2018-01-01

    Big data generation and computational processing will enable medicine to evolve from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to precise patient stratification and treatment. Significant achievements using "Omics" data have been made especially in personalized oncology. However, immune cells relative to tu......-communicable inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune diseases or allergies. We provide a roadmap and highlight experimental, clinical, computational analysis, data management, ethical and regulatory issues to accelerate the implementation of personalized immunology....

  3. Contextual analysis of immunological response through whole-organ fluorescent imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodruff, Matthew C; Herndon, Caroline N; Heesters, B A; Carroll, Michael C

    2013-09-01

    As fluorescent microscopy has developed, significant insights have been gained into the establishment of immune response within secondary lymphoid organs, particularly in draining lymph nodes. While established techniques such as confocal imaging and intravital multi-photon microscopy have proven invaluable, they provide limited insight into the architectural and structural context in which these responses occur. To interrogate the role of the lymph node environment in immune response effectively, a new set of imaging tools taking into account broader architectural context must be implemented into emerging immunological questions. Using two different methods of whole-organ imaging, optical clearing and three-dimensional reconstruction of serially sectioned lymph nodes, fluorescent representations of whole lymph nodes can be acquired at cellular resolution. Using freely available post-processing tools, images of unlimited size and depth can be assembled into cohesive, contextual snapshots of immunological response. Through the implementation of robust iterative analysis techniques, these highly complex three-dimensional images can be objectified into sortable object data sets. These data can then be used to interrogate complex questions at the cellular level within the broader context of lymph node biology. By combining existing imaging technology with complex methods of sample preparation and capture, we have developed efficient systems for contextualizing immunological phenomena within lymphatic architecture. In combination with robust approaches to image analysis, these advances provide a path to integrating scientific understanding of basic lymphatic biology into the complex nature of immunological response.

  4. The 3rd international conference on reproductive immunology in Shanghai: September 27-29, 2013. Shanghai, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, MeiRong; Piao, HaiLan; Li, DaJin

    2014-03-01

    After the first and second international conferences on reproductive immunology held by Dr. DaJin Li in Shanghai, the related investigators all over the world hope to get together to share their latest findings with each other. Drs. DaJin Li and MeiRong Du sponsored and organized the third international conference on reproductive immunology at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, Shanghai, China, in the autumn of 2013. This congress brought together more than 100 International and National investigators representing a wide range of scientific disciplines. All the investigators actively work on reproductive immunology using human or large and small animal models. A range of reproductive immunological topics including the maternal-fetal immune regulation, reproductive tract mucosal immunology, immunocontraception, and pregnancy complications were highlighted and discussed in this conference. This conference supplied a good platform for the international reproductive immunologists to exchange their latest study progression and discuss the development direction of reproductive immunology in the near future. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Exposure to Mercury and Aluminum in Early Life: Developmental Vulnerability as a Modifying Factor in Neurologic and Immunologic Effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José G. Dórea

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Currently, ethylmercury (EtHg and adjuvant-Al are the dominating interventional exposures encountered by fetuses, newborns, and infants due to immunization with Thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs. Despite their long use as active agents of medicines and fungicides, the safety levels of these substances have never been determined, either for animals or for adult humans—much less for fetuses, newborns, infants, and children. I reviewed the literature for papers reporting on outcomes associated with (a multiple exposures and metabolism of EtHg and Al during early life; (b physiological and metabolic characteristics of newborns, neonates, and infants relevant to xenobiotic exposure and effects; (c neurobehavioral, immunological, and inflammatory reactions to Thimerosal and Al-adjuvants resulting from TCV exposure in infancy. Immunological and neurobehavioral effects of Thimerosal-EtHg and Al-adjuvants are not extraordinary; rather, these effects are easily detected in high and low income countries, with co-exposure to methylmercury (MeHg or other neurotoxicants. Rigorous and replicable studies (in different animal species have shown evidence of EtHg and Al toxicities. More research attention has been given to EtHg and findings have showed a solid link with neurotoxic effects in humans; however, the potential synergic effect of both toxic agents has not been properly studied. Therefore, early life exposure to both EtHg and Al deserves due consideration.

  6. Understanding immunology: fun at an intersection of the physical, life, and clinical sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Arup K.

    2014-10-01

    Understanding how the immune system works is a grand challenge in science with myriad direct implications for improving human health. The immune system protects us from infectious pathogens and cancer, and maintains a harmonious steady state with essential microbiota in our gut. Vaccination, the medical procedure that has saved more lives than any other, involves manipulating the immune system. Unfortunately, the immune system can also go awry to cause autoimmune diseases. Immune responses are the product of stochastic collective dynamic processes involving many interacting components. These processes span multiple scales of length and time. Thus, statistical mechanics has much to contribute to immunology, and the oeuvre of biological physics will be further enriched if the number of physical scientists interested in immunology continues to increase. I describe how I got interested in immunology and provide a glimpse of my experiences working on immunology using approaches from statistical mechanics and collaborating closely with immunologists.

  7. Advances in basic and clinical immunology in 2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinen, Javier; Badran, Yousef R; Geha, Raif S; Chou, Janet S; Fried, Ari J

    2017-10-01

    Advances in basic immunology in 2016 included studies that further characterized the role of different proteins in the differentiation of effector T and B cells, including cytokines and proteins involved in the actin cytoskeleton. Regulation of granule formation and secretion in cytotoxic cells was also further described by examining patients with familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The role of prenylation in patients with mevalonate kinase deficiency leading to inflammation has been established. We reviewed advances in clinical immunology, as well as new approaches of whole-genome sequencing and genes newly reported to be associated with immunodeficiency, such as linker of activation of T cells (LAT); B-cell CLL/lymphoma 11B (BCL11B); RGD, leucine-rich repeat, tropomodulin domain, and proline-rich domain-containing protein (RLTPR); moesin; and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1). Trials of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy for primary immunodeficiency have had relative success; the use of autologous virus-specific cytotoxic T cells has proved effective as well. New medications are being explored, such as pioglitazone, which is under study for its role in enhancing the oxidative burst in patients with chronic granulomatous disease. Development of vaccines for HIV infection continues to provide insight into the immune response against a virus with an extraordinary mutation rate. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Simple Calculation Programs for Biology Immunological Methods

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Simple Calculation Programs for Biology Immunological Methods. Computation of Ab/Ag Concentration from EISA data. Graphical Method; Raghava et al., 1992, J. Immuno. Methods 153: 263. Determination of affinity of Monoclonal Antibody. Using non-competitive ...

  9. Noninvasive measurement of physiological signals on a modified home bathroom scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inan, O T; Dookun Park; Giovangrandi, L; Kovacs, G T A

    2012-08-01

    A commercial bathroom scale with both handlebar and footpad electrodes was modified to enable measurement of four physiological signals: the ballistocardiogram (BCG), electrocardiogram (ECG), lower body impedance plethysmogram (IPG), and lower body electromyogram (EMG). The BCG, which describes the reaction of the body to cardiac ejection of blood, was measured using the strain gauges in the scale. The ECG was detected using handlebar electrodes with a two-electrode amplifier. For the lower body IPG, the two electrodes under the subject's toes were driven with an ac current stimulus, and the resulting differential voltage across the heels was measured and demodulated synchronously with the source. The voltage signal from the same two footpad electrodes under the heels was passed through a passive low-pass filter network into another amplifier, and the output was the lower body EMG signal. The signals were measured from nine healthy subjects, and the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while the subjects were standing still was estimated for the four signals as follows: BCG, 7.6 dB; ECG, 15.8 dB; IPG, 10.7 dB. During periods of motion, the decrease in SNR for the BCG signal was found to be correlated to the increase in rms power for the lower body EMG (r = 0.89, p <; 0.01). The EMG could, thus, be used to flag noise-corrupted segments of the BCG, increasing the measurement robustness. This setup could be used for monitoring the cardiovascular health of patients at home.

  10. Utilizing social networks, blogging and YouTube in allergy and immunology practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimov, Ves; Eidelman, Frank

    2015-01-01

    Online social networks are used to connect with friends and family members, and increasingly, to stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments in allergy and immunology. As communication is a central part of healthcare delivery, the utilization of such networking channels in allergy and immunology will continue to grow. There are inherent risks to online social networks related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professionalism and privacy. Malpractice and liability risks should also be considered. There is a paucity of information in the literature on how social network interventions affect patient outcomes. The allergy and immunology community should direct future studies towards investigating how the use of social networks and other technology tools and services can improve patient care.

  11. The Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The ImmPort system serves as a long-term, sustainable archive of immunology research data generated by investigators mainly funded through the NIAID/DAIT. The core...

  12. House dust extracts contain potent immunological adjuvants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beukelman, C.J.; Dijk, H. van; Aerts, P.C.; Rademaker, P.M.; Berrens, L.; Willers, J.M.N.

    1987-01-01

    A crude aqueous extract of house dust and two house dust subfractions were tested for adjuvant activity in a sensitivity assay performed in mice. Evidence is presented that house dust contains at least two potent immunological adjuvants. One of these, present in both subfractions, was probably

  13. Immunological responses to parasitic arthropods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, R W; Weintraub, J

    1987-03-01

    Parasitic arthropods are responsible for enormous economic losses to livestock producers throughout the world. These production losses may range from simple irritation caused by biting and non-biting flies to deaths and/or damage to carcass, fleece, or skin resulting from attack by myiasis flies. The estimated costs of these losses are colossal but even these usually include only direct losses and ignore those associated with pesticide application. In the USA alone (in 1976), these losses were conservatively estimated at more than 650 million US dollars. The long term use of chemical control measures for these pests has resulted in many serious problems including residues in meat and milk products, rapid development of insecticide resistance, the destruction of non-target organisms, environmental pollution, and mortality and morbidity of livestock. These concerns have prompted researchers to seek alternative methods of arthropod control, including the artificial induction of immunity. In this review, R. W. Baron and J. Weintraub discuss several examples of ectoparasites that can induce immunological resistance in the host, including Sarcoptes and Demodex mites, the sheep ked (Melophagus ovinus), Anopluran lice and myiasis-causing flies such as Hypoderma.

  14. Factors determining immunological response to vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis virus in older individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindblom, Pontus; Wilhelmsson, Peter; Fryland, Linda; Matussek, Andreas; Haglund, Mats; Sjöwall, Johanna; Vene, Sirkka; Nyman, Dag; Forsberg, Pia; Lindgren, Per-Eric

    2014-01-01

    We performed a cross-sectional study including 533 individuals (median age 61) from the highly TBE endemic Åland Islands in the archipelago between Sweden and Finland. Blood samples, questionnaires and vaccination records were obtained from all study participants. The aim was to investigate if there was any association between TBEV antibody titer and 12 health-related factors. Measurement of TBEV IgG antibodies was performed using two commercial ELISA assays (Enzygnost and Immunozym), and a third in-house rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test was used to measure TBEV neutralizing antibodies. The age of the individual and the number of vaccine doses were the two most important factors determining the immunological response to vaccination. The response to each vaccine dose declined linearly with increased age. A 35 year age difference corresponds to a vaccine dose increment from 3 to 4 to achieve the same immunological response. Participants previously vaccinated against other flaviviruses had lower odds of being seropositive for neutralizing TBEV antibodies on average, while participants with self-reported asthma had higher odds of being seropositive. By comparing the 3 serological assays we show that the Enzygnost and Immunozym assay differ due to choice of cutoffs, but not in overall accuracy.

  15. Detection of spore coat protein of Bacillus subtilis by immunological method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchida, Aritsune; Kadota, Hajime

    1976-01-01

    The spore coat protein of Bacillus subtilis was separated, and the qualitative assay for the spore coat protein was made by use of the immunological technique. The immunological method was found to be useful for judging the maturation of spore coat in the course of sporulation. The spore coat protein antigen appeared at t 2 stage of sporulation. The addition of rifampicin at the earlier stages of sporulation inhibited the increase in content of the spore coat antigen. (auth.)

  16. Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead Exposure and Immunologic Function in Workers in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chin-Ching; Sung, Fung-Chang; Chen, Yi-Chun

    2018-04-05

    There has been growing concern over the impact of environmental exposure to heavy metals and other trace elements on immunologic functions. This study investigated men's arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) contents in hair samples and their associations with immunological indicators, including white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte and monocyte counts, and the immunoglobulin (Ig) levels including IgA, IgG and IgE. We recruited 133 men from one antimony trioxide manufacturing plant, two glass manufacturing plants and two plastics manufacturing plants. The mean concentration of Cd [0.16 (SD = 0.03) ug/g] was lower than means of As [0.86 (SD = 0.16) ug/g] and Pb [0.91 (SD = 0.22) ug/g] in hair samples, exerting no relationship with immunologic functions for Cd. The Spearman's correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between monocyte counts and hair Pb levels, but negative relations between As and IgG and between As and IgE. In conclusion, findings from these industry workers suggest that As levels in hair may have a stronger relation with immunologic function than Cd and PB have. Further research is needed to confirm the negative relationship.

  17. Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead Exposure and Immunologic Function in Workers in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chin-Ching Wu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available There has been growing concern over the impact of environmental exposure to heavy metals and other trace elements on immunologic functions. This study investigated men’s arsenic (As, cadmium (Cd and lead (Pb contents in hair samples and their associations with immunological indicators, including white blood cell (WBC, lymphocyte and monocyte counts, and the immunoglobulin (Ig levels including IgA, IgG and IgE. We recruited 133 men from one antimony trioxide manufacturing plant, two glass manufacturing plants and two plastics manufacturing plants. The mean concentration of Cd [0.16 (SD = 0.03 ug/g] was lower than means of As [0.86 (SD = 0.16 ug/g] and Pb [0.91 (SD = 0.22 ug/g] in hair samples, exerting no relationship with immunologic functions for Cd. The Spearman’s correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between monocyte counts and hair Pb levels, but negative relations between As and IgG and between As and IgE. In conclusion, findings from these industry workers suggest that As levels in hair may have a stronger relation with immunologic function than Cd and PB have. Further research is needed to confirm the negative relationship.

  18. Gamma irradiation reduces the immunological toxicity of doxorubicin, anticancer drug

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jae-Hun; Sung, Nak-Yun; Raghavendran, H. Balaji; Yoon, Yohan; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il [Team for Radiation Food Science and Biotechnology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Young-Choon [Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Konyang University, Daejeon 302-718 (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Myung-Woo [Team for Radiation Food Science and Biotechnology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Young-Jeong [Division of Food Science, International University of Korea, Jinju 660-759 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ju-Woon [Team for Radiation Food Science and Biotechnology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: sjwlee@kaeri.re.kr

    2009-07-15

    Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used anticancer agent, but exhibits some immunological toxicity to patients during chemotherapy. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on the immunological response and the inhibition activity on in vivo tumor mass of DOX. The results showed that DOX irradiated at 10 and 20 kGy reduce the inhibition of mouse peritoneal macrophage proliferation and induce the release of cytokines (TNF-{alpha} and IL-6) when compared with non-irradiated DOX. The cytotoxicity against human breast (MCF-7), murine colon adenocarcinoma (Colon 26) and human monocytic (THP-1) tumor cell were not significantly different between non-irradiated and irradiated DOX (P<0.05). In vivo study on the tumor mass inhibition, gamma-irradiated DOX showed a considerable inhibition of tumor mass and this effect was statistically non-significant as compared with non-irradiated DOX. In conclusion, gamma irradiation could be regarded as a potential method for reducing the immunological toxicity of DOX. Further researches is needed to reveal the formation and activity of radiolysis products by gamma irradiation.

  19. Gamma irradiation reduces the immunological toxicity of doxorubicin, anticancer drug

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jae-Hun; Sung, Nak-Yun; Raghavendran, H. Balaji; Yoon, Yohan; Song, Beom-Seok; Choi, Jong-il; Yoo, Young-Choon; Byun, Myung-Woo; Hwang, Young-Jeong; Lee, Ju-Woon

    2009-01-01

    Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used anticancer agent, but exhibits some immunological toxicity to patients during chemotherapy. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on the immunological response and the inhibition activity on in vivo tumor mass of DOX. The results showed that DOX irradiated at 10 and 20 kGy reduce the inhibition of mouse peritoneal macrophage proliferation and induce the release of cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) when compared with non-irradiated DOX. The cytotoxicity against human breast (MCF-7), murine colon adenocarcinoma (Colon 26) and human monocytic (THP-1) tumor cell were not significantly different between non-irradiated and irradiated DOX (P<0.05). In vivo study on the tumor mass inhibition, gamma-irradiated DOX showed a considerable inhibition of tumor mass and this effect was statistically non-significant as compared with non-irradiated DOX. In conclusion, gamma irradiation could be regarded as a potential method for reducing the immunological toxicity of DOX. Further researches is needed to reveal the formation and activity of radiolysis products by gamma irradiation.

  20. Effects of compound amino acids capsule on the immunological function of naval servicemen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hai-zhong ZHONG

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective  To investigate the effects of the compound amino acids capsule on the immunological function of the naval servicemen during military activity. Methods  The subjects included 100 officers and soldiers, whose Modified Fatigue Rating Scale (MFIS scores were >21 points. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, namely, the amino acids capsule group and placebo group (n=50. Under the condition of military operations, either amino acids capsule (8 kinds of essential amino acids and 11 kinds of vitamins were contained or placebo capsule was given for 14 days continuously. The humoral immune indices, i.e., IgG, IgA, IgM, and complements C3 and C4, were measured with immunoturbidimetry. The percentage of peripheral blood CD subsets was measured using flow cytometry on the first day and 14th day. Results  The levels of IgG, IgM, and complement C3 in the capsule group were significantly higher on the 14th day than on the first day (P+CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD3-CD19+ B lymphocytes in the capsule group on the 14th day were higher than those on the first day, whereas the CD3-CD56+ NK lymphocytes decreased significantly (PConclusion  Compound amino acids capsule can improve the humoral and cellular immunological function of naval servicemen.

  1. Tumor Biology and Immunology | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tumor Biology and Immunology The Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium is collaborating with National Center for Advanced Translational Sciences to complete whole exome sequencing on canine meningioma samples. Results will be published and made publicly available.

  2. Prevalence of biochemical and immunological abnormalities in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tile prevalence of biochemical and immunological abnormalities was studied in a group of 256 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (104 coloureds, 100 whites and 52 blacks). The most common biochemical abnormalities detected were a reduction in the serum creatinine value (43,4%), raised globulins (39,7%), raised serum ...

  3. Immunological, clinical, haematological and oxidative responses to long distance transportation in horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padalino, Barbara; Raidal, Sharanne Lee; Carter, Nicole; Celi, Pietro; Muscatello, Gary; Jeffcott, Leo; de Silva, Kumudika

    2017-12-01

    Horses are transported frequently and often over long distances. Transportation may represent a physiological stressor with consequential health and welfare implications. This study reports the effects of a long distance journey on immunological, clinical, haematological, inflammatory and oxidative parameters in an Experimental Group (EG) of ten horses, comparing them with six horses of similar age and breed used as a non-transported Control Group (CG). Clinical examination and blood sampling were performed twice on all horses: immediately after unloading for the EG, and at rest on the same day for the CG (day 1); at rest on the same day one week later for both groups (day 7). On day 1 EG horses showed increased heart and respiratory rates (Ptransportation induced an acute phase response impairing the cell-mediated immune response. Clinical examinations, including assessing CRT and body weight loss, and the monitoring of redox balance may be useful in evaluating the impact of extensive transport events on horses. A better understanding of the link between transportation stress, the immune system and the acute phase response is likely to inform strategies for enhancing the welfare of transported horses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Failure to achieve immunological recovery in HIV-infected patients with clinical and virological success after 10 years of combined ART: role of treatment course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raffi, François; Le Moing, Vincent; Assuied, Alex; Habak, Sofiane; Spire, Bruno; Cazanave, Charles; Billaud, Eric; Dellamonica, Pierre; Ferry, Tristan; Fagard, Catherine; Leport, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    We assessed factors, including treatment course, associated with failure to obtain a 10 year immunological response after starting first-generation PI-containing combined ART (cART). In the prospective COPILOTE cohort of HIV-infected patients started on a first-generation PI-containing regimen in 1997-99, the impact of cART history on the failure to achieve immunological response measured at 10 years was assessed by multivariate logistic regression models in the 399 patients with clinical and virological success of cART. Failure of CD4 response (CD4 >500/mm 3 ) was associated with age ≥40 years at baseline (P failure to achieve complete immunological response (CD4 >500/mm 3 and CD4:CD8 ratio >1) were CD4:CD8 ratio ≤0.8 at month 8 (P success. Lack of treatment interruption may improve long-term immunological outcome in HIV infection. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Exercise Effects on Sleep Physiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunao eUchida

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This mini-review focuses on the effects of exercise on sleep. In its early days, sleep research largely focused on central nervous system (CNS physiology using standardized tabulations of several sleep-specific landmark electroencephalogram (EEG waveforms. Though coarse, this method has enabled the observation and inspection of numerous uninterrupted sleep phenomena. Thus, research on the effects of exercise on sleep began, in the 1960’s, with a focus primarily on sleep EEG (CNS sleep changes. Those early studies found only small effects of exercise on sleep. More recent sleep research has explored not only CNS functioning, but somatic physiology as well. As physical exercise mostly affects somatic functions, endocrine and autonomic nervous system (ANS changes that occur during sleep should be affected by daytime exercise. Since endocrinological, metabolic and autonomic changes can be measured during sleep, it should be possible to assess exercise effects on somatic physiology in addition to CNS sleep quality, building from standard polysomnographic (PSG techniques. Incorporating measures of somatic physiology in the quantitative assessment of sleep could further our understanding of sleep's function as an auto-regulatory, global phenomenon.

  6. Methodological Advances for Detecting Physiological Synchrony During Dyadic Interactions

    OpenAIRE

    McAssey, M.P.; Helm, J.; Hsieh, F.; Sbarra, D.; Ferrer, E.

    2011-01-01

    A defining feature of many physiological systems is their synchrony and reciprocal influence. An important challenge, however, is how to measure such features. This paper presents two new approaches for identifying synchrony between the physiological signals of individuals in dyads. The approaches are adaptations of two recently-developed techniques, depending on the nature of the physiological time series. For respiration and thoracic impedance, signals that are measured continuously, we use...

  7. Review of immunological and infectous disease studies at ABCC-RERF

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Finch, S C [Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima (Japan)

    1981-05-01

    This is a review of the prospective study undertaken for 20 years at ABCC-RERF concerning infectiousness, response to inflammation, and immunological abnormality of atomic bomb survivors. Immunological investigation, although relatively few, suggested some possible disturbance of antibody reaction against influenza virus type A, the survivors in utero, and also demonstrated a higher incidence of the serum-hepatitis antigen in high dose exposures than controls. Preliminary survey showed decreased T/B lymphocyte ratio and PHA response, especially in elders. No findings indicating an increase in infectiousness and incidence of inflammatory diseases were found in A-bomb survivors.

  8. The immunological synapse: a focal point for endocytosis and exocytosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Gillian M; Tsun, Andy; Stinchcombe, Jane C

    2010-05-03

    There are many different cells in the immune system. To mount an effective immune response, they need to communicate with each other. One way in which this is done is by the formation of immunological synapses between cells. Recent developments show that the immune synapse serves as a focal point for exocytosis and endocytosis, directed by centrosomal docking at the plasma membrane. In this respect, formation of the immunological synapse bears striking similarities to cilia formation and cytokinesis. These intriguing observations suggest that the centrosome may play a conserved role in designating a specialized area of membrane for localized endocytosis and exocytosis.

  9. A systematic review of maternal confidence for physiologic birth: characteristics of prenatal care and confidence measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avery, Melissa D; Saftner, Melissa A; Larson, Bridget; Weinfurter, Elizabeth V

    2014-01-01

    Because a focus on physiologic labor and birth has reemerged in recent years, care providers have the opportunity in the prenatal period to help women increase confidence in their ability to give birth without unnecessary interventions. However, most research has only examined support for women during labor. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the research literature for information about prenatal care approaches that increase women's confidence for physiologic labor and birth and tools to measure that confidence. Studies were reviewed that explored any element of a pregnant woman's interaction with her prenatal care provider that helped build confidence in her ability to labor and give birth. Timing of interaction with pregnant women included during pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum period. In addition, we looked for studies that developed a measure of women's confidence related to labor and birth. Outcome measures included confidence or similar concepts, descriptions of components of prenatal care contributing to maternal confidence for birth, and reliability and validity of tools measuring confidence. The search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases provided a total of 893 citations. After removing duplicates and articles that did not meet inclusion criteria, 6 articles were included in the review. Three relate to women's confidence for labor during the prenatal period, and 3 describe tools to measure women's confidence for birth. Research about enhancing women's confidence for labor and birth was limited to qualitative studies. Results suggest that women desire information during pregnancy and want to use that information to participate in care decisions in a relationship with a trusted provider. Further research is needed to develop interventions to help midwives and physicians enhance women's confidence in their ability to give birth and to develop a tool to measure confidence for use during prenatal care. © 2014 by

  10. The Physiology of Fear and Sound

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Garner, Tom Alexander; Grimshaw, Mark

    2013-01-01

    and systematically altering the game environment in response. This article presents empirical data the analysis of which advocates electrodermal activity and electromyography as suitable physiological measures to work effectively within a computer video game-based biometric feedback loop, within which sound......The potential value of a looping biometric feedback system as a key component of adaptive computer video games is significant. Psychophysiological measures are essential to the development of an automated emotion recognition program, capable of interpreting physiological data into models of affect...

  11. Immunological and toxicological risk assessment of e-cigarettes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Gagandeep; Pinkston, Rakeysha; Mclemore, Benathel; Dorsey, Waneene C; Batra, Sanjay

    2018-03-31

    Knowledge of the long-term toxicological and immunological effects of e-cigarette (e-cig) aerosols remains elusive due to the relatively short existence of vaping. Therefore, we performed a systematic search of articles published in public databases and analysed the research evidence in order to provide critical information regarding e-cig safety. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (or e-cigs) are an alternative to traditional cigarettes for the delivery of nicotine and are typically filled with glycerol or propylene glycol-based solutions known as e-liquids. Though present in lower quantities, e-cig aerosols are known to contain many of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke. However, due to the paucity of experimental data and contradictory evidence, it is difficult to draw conclusive outcomes regarding toxicological, immunological and clinical impacts of e-cig aerosols. Excessive vaping has been reported to induce inflammatory responses including mitogen-activated protein kinase, Janus tyrosine kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription and nuclear factor-κB signalling, similar to that induced by tobacco smoke. Based on recent evidence, prolonged exposure to some constituents of e-cig aerosols might result in respiratory complications such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammation. Future studies are warranted that focus on establishing correlations between e-cig types, generations and e-liquid flavours and immunological and toxicological profiles to broaden our understanding about the effects of vaping. Copyright ©ERS 2018.

  12. Immunological and toxicological risk assessment of e-cigarettes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gagandeep Kaur

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of the long-term toxicological and immunological effects of e-cigarette (e-cig aerosols remains elusive due to the relatively short existence of vaping. Therefore, we performed a systematic search of articles published in public databases and analysed the research evidence in order to provide critical information regarding e-cig safety. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (or e-cigs are an alternative to traditional cigarettes for the delivery of nicotine and are typically filled with glycerol or propylene glycol-based solutions known as e-liquids. Though present in lower quantities, e-cig aerosols are known to contain many of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke. However, due to the paucity of experimental data and contradictory evidence, it is difficult to draw conclusive outcomes regarding toxicological, immunological and clinical impacts of e-cig aerosols. Excessive vaping has been reported to induce inflammatory responses including mitogen-activated protein kinase, Janus tyrosine kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription and nuclear factor-κB signalling, similar to that induced by tobacco smoke. Based on recent evidence, prolonged exposure to some constituents of e-cig aerosols might result in respiratory complications such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammation. Future studies are warranted that focus on establishing correlations between e-cig types, generations and e-liquid flavours and immunological and toxicological profiles to broaden our understanding about the effects of vaping.

  13. Space Physiology within an Exercise Physiology Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Jason R.; West, John B.

    2013-01-01

    Compare and contrast strategies remain common pedagogical practices within physiological education. With the support of an American Physiological Society Teaching Career Enhancement Award, we have developed a junior- or senior-level undergraduate curriculum for exercise physiology that compares and contrasts the physiological adaptations of…

  14. Historical overview of immunological tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Ronald H

    2012-04-01

    A fundamental property of the immune system is its ability to mediate self-defense with a minimal amount of collateral damage to the host. The system uses several different mechanisms to achieve this goal, which is collectively referred to as the "process of immunological tolerance." This article provides an introductory historical overview to these various mechanisms, which are discussed in greater detail throughout this collection, and then briefly describes what happens when this process fails, a state referred to as "autoimmunity."

  15. The physiological challenges of the 1952 Copenhagen poliomyelitis epidemic and a renaissance in clinical respiratory physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, John B.

    2005-01-01

    The 1952 Copenhagen poliomyelitis epidemic provided extraordinary challenges in applied physiology. Over 300 patients developed respiratory paralysis within a few weeks, and the ventilator facilities at the infectious disease hospital were completely overwhelmed. The heroic solution was to call upon 200 medical students to provide round-the-clock manual ventilation using a rubber bag attached to a tracheostomy tube. Some patients were ventilated in this way for several weeks. A second challenge was to understand the gas exchange and acid-base status of these patients. At the onset of the epidemic, the only measurement routinely available in the hospital was the carbon dioxide concentration in the blood, and the high values were initially misinterpreted as a mysterious “alkalosis.” However, pH measurements were quickly instituted, the PCO2 was shown to be high, and modern clinical respiratory acid-base physiology was born. Taking a broader view, the problems highlighted by the epidemic underscored the gap between recent advances made by physiologists and their application to the clinical environment. However, the 1950s ushered in a renaissance in clinical respiratory physiology. In 1950 the coverage of respiratory physiology in textbooks was often woefully inadequate, but the decade saw major advances in topics such as mechanics and gas exchange. An important development was the translation of the new knowledge from departments of physiology to the clinical setting. In many respects, this period was therefore the beginning of modern clinical respiratory physiology. PMID:16020437

  16. DMPD: DUSP meet immunology: dual specificity MAPK phosphatases in control of theinflammatory response. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 17114416 DUSP meet immunology: dual specificity MAPK phosphatases in control of the...ml) (.csml) Show DUSP meet immunology: dual specificity MAPK phosphatases in control of theinflammatory resp...onse. PubmedID 17114416 Title DUSP meet immunology: dual specificity MAPK phospha

  17. Haematological and immunological effect of coadministration of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study evaluated the effect of co-administration of extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (VA) and Azadirachta indica Linn.(AI) on haemapoietic and immunological indices of normal and diabetic rats. White blood cells which were non-significantly decreased (p>0.05) in diabetic control rats relative to the normal control, ...

  18. Immunological functioning in Alzheimer's disease: differential effects of relative left versus right temporoparietal dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foster, Paul S; Roosa, Katelyn M; Williams, Megan R; Witt, John C; Heilman, Kenneth M; Drago, Valeria

    2013-10-15

    The cerebral hemispheres are differentially involved in regulating immunological functioning and the neuropathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is asymmetrical. Thus, subgroups of AD patients may exhibit different patterns of immunological dysfunction. We explored this possibility in a group of AD patients and found that patients with low white blood cell counts and low lymphocyte numbers exhibited better performance on tests of right temporoparietal functioning. Also, a significant positive relationship exists between lymph numbers and performance on a test of left temporoparietal functioning. Thus, some AD patients have greater immunological dysfunction based on relative left versus right temporoparietal functioning. © 2013.

  19. A Pronounced Inflammatory Activity Characterizes the Early Fracture Healing Phase in Immunologically Restricted Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoff, Paula; Gaber, Timo; Strehl, Cindy; Jakstadt, Manuela; Hoff, Holger; Schmidt-Bleek, Katharina; Lang, Annemarie; Röhner, Eric; Huscher, Dörte; Matziolis, Georg; Burmester, Gerd-Rüdiger; Schmidmaier, Gerhard; Perka, Carsten; Duda, Georg N.; Buttgereit, Frank

    2017-01-01

    Immunologically restricted patients such as those with autoimmune diseases or malignancies often suffer from delayed or insufficient fracture healing. In human fracture hematomas and the surrounding bone marrow obtained from immunologically restricted patients, we analyzed the initial inflammatory phase on cellular and humoral level via flow cytometry and multiplex suspension array. Compared with controls, we demonstrated higher numbers of immune cells like monocytes/macrophages, natural killer T (NKT) cells, and activated T helper cells within the fracture hematomas and/or the surrounding bone marrow. Also, several pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin (IL)-6 and Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), chemokines (e.g., Eotaxin and RANTES), pro-angiogenic factors (e.g., IL-8 and Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: MIF), and regulatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10) were found at higher levels within the fracture hematomas and/or the surrounding bone marrow of immunologically restricted patients when compared to controls. We conclude here that the inflammatory activity on cellular and humoral levels at fracture sites of immunologically restricted patients considerably exceeds that of control patients. The initial inflammatory phase profoundly differs between these patient groups and is probably one of the reasons for prolonged or insufficient fracture healing often occurring within immunologically restricted patients. PMID:28282868

  20. The microbiome in allergic disease: Current understanding and future opportunities—2017 PRACTALL document of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yvonne J.; Marsland, Benjamin J.; Bunyavanich, Supinda; O’Mahony, Liam; Leung, Donald Y. M.; Muraro, Antonella; Fleisher, Thomas A.

    2018-01-01

    PRACTALL is a joint initiative of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to provide shared evidence-based recommendations on cutting-edge topics in the field of allergy and immunology. PRACTALL 2017 is focused on what has been established regarding the role of the microbiome in patients with asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy. This is complemented by outlining important knowledge gaps regarding its role in allergic disease and delineating strategies necessary to fill these gaps. In addition, a review of progress in approaches used to manipulate the microbiome will be addressed, identifying what has and has not worked to serve as a baseline for future directions to intervene in allergic disease development, progression, or both. PMID:28257972

  1. The immunological response of HIV-positive patients initiating HAART at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annison, L; Dompreh, A; Adu-Sarkodie, Y

    2013-12-01

    The study sought to document the experience of immunological improvement among Ghanaian PLHIV on HAART comparing different categories of patients. Serology Unit, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. The study comprised a convenient sample of 303 treatment naïve HIV patients due to start HAART. Questionnaires were used to collect patient demographic and clinical data. Four CD4 counts were measured at six-monthly intervals to determine rates of CD4 change. These were pre-therapy, 1(st) post-therapy, 2(nd) post-therapy, and 3(rd) post-therapy counts. The rates of CD4 change among the different categories of patients were also compared. At baseline, women had higher CD4 count (mean of 77.4 cells/μl), and mean age of participants was 40 years. The CD4 count increased from a mean baseline of 70.2 cells/μl to 229.2, 270.0, and 297.6 cells/μl at 6, 12, and 18 months of treatment respectively (P response. There was no difference (P=0.18) in treatment response comparing those with CD4 immunological recovery during 12 months of treatment The study, therefore, concludes that significant immunological improvement is possible among Ghanaian PLHIV on HAART as long as a high level of treatment adherence is observed.

  2. The effect of consignment to broodmare Sales on physiological stress measured by faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in pregnant Thoroughbred mares.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schulman, Martin; Becker, Annet; Ganswindt, Stefanie; Guthrie, Alan; Stout, Tom; Ganswindt, Andre

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Validation of a method for the minimally-invasive measurement of physiological stress will help understanding of risk factors that may contribute to stress-associated events including recrudescence of Equid herpesvirus (EHV), which is anecdotally associated with sales consignment of

  3. 76 FR 48715 - Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Reclassification of the Herpes Simplex Virus Serological...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Part 866 [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0429] Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Reclassification of the Herpes Simplex Virus... CFR part 866 is amended as follows: PART 866--IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES 0 1. The authority...

  4. 76 FR 16292 - Medical Devices; Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Classification of Ovarian Adnexal Mass...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Part 866 [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0026] Medical Devices; Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Classification of Ovarian... of Food and Drugs, 21 CFR part 866 is amended as follows: PART 866--IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY...

  5. Electrophoretic and immunological properties of folate-binding protein isolated from bovine milk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwai, Kazuo; Tani, Masako; Fushiki, Tohru

    1983-01-01

    Changes of the folate-binding protein (FBP) concentration in bovine milk after parturition were investigated. The FBP was highly purified from mature milk by affinity chromatography. The purified FBP showed a single protein band in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and was immunologically homogenous in double immunodiffusion. However, in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, the FBP was separated into several spots in isoelectric focusing in the first dimension, and each spot also showed two molecular weights in SDS-gel electrophoresis in the second dimension. But these FBP molecules were immunologically identical with each other. The neuraminidase treatment obviously diminished the number of isoelectric points of the FBP. Thus, the variety of FBP molecules was at least partially due to the variability of the sialic acid content in the carbohydrate moieties. Moreover, the milk FBP showed species-specificity among mammals immunologically as well as physicochemically. (author)

  6. Getting ahead of one's self? The common culture of immunology and philosophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Warwick

    2014-09-01

    During the past thirty years, immunological metaphors, motifs, and models have come to shape much social theory and philosophy. Immunology, so it seems, often has served to naturalize claims about self, identity, and sovereignty--perhaps most prominently in Jacques Derrida's later studies. Yet the immunological science that functions as "nature" in these social and philosophical arguments is derived from interwar and Cold War social theory and philosophy. Theoretical immunologists and social theorists knowingly participated in a common culture. Thus the "naturalistic fallacy" in this case might be reframed as an error of categorization: its conditions of possibility would require ceaseless effort to purify and separate out the categories of nature and culture. The problem--inasmuch as there is a problem-therefore is not so much the making of an appeal to nature as assuming privileged access to an independent, sovereign category called "nature".

  7. Laparoscopic surgery contributes more to nutritional and immunologic recovery than fast-track care in colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Dong; Li, Jun; Song, Yongmao; Zhou, Jiaojiao; Sun, Fangfang; Wang, Jianwei; Duan, Yin; Hu, Yeting; Liu, Yue; Wang, Xiaochen; Sun, Lifeng; Wu, Linshan; Ding, Kefeng

    2015-02-04

    Many clinical trials had repeatedly shown that fast-track perioperative care and laparoscopic surgery are both preferred in the treatment of colorectal cancer. But few studies were designed to explore the diverse biochemical impacts of the two counterparts on human immunologic and nutritional status. Ninety-two cases of colorectal cancer patients meeting the inclusion criteria were randomized to four groups: laparoscopy with fast-track treatment (LAFT); open surgery with fast-track treatment (OSFT); laparoscopy with conventional treatment (LAC); open surgery with conventional treatment (OSC). Peripheral blood tests including nutritional factors (albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin), humoral immunologic factors (IgG, IgM, and IgA), and cellular immunologic factors (T and NK cells) were evaluated. Blood samples were collected preoperatively (baseline) and 12 and 96 h after surgery (indicated as POH12 and POH96, respectively). Albumin, transferrin, prealbumin, and IgG levels were the highest in the LAFT group for both POH12 and POH96 time intervals. Repeated measures (two-way ANOVA) indicated that the difference of albumin, transferrin, and IgG level were attributed to surgery type (P  0.05). Only in the laparoscopy-included groups, the relative albumin and IgG levels of POH96 were obviously higher than that of POH12. Laparoscopic surgery accelerated postoperative nutrition and immune levels rising again while fast-track treatment retarded the drop of postoperative nutrition and immune levels. Laparoscopic surgery might play a more important role than fast-track treatment in the earlier postoperative recovery of nutritional and immunologic status. Combined laparoscopic surgery with fast-track treatment provided best postoperative recovery of nutrition and immune status. These results should be further compared with the clinical outcomes of our FTMDT trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01080547).

  8. Understanding key performance indicators for breast support: An analysis of breast support effects on biomechanical, physiological and subjective measures during running.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risius, Debbie; Milligan, Alexandra; Berns, Jason; Brown, Nicola; Scurr, Joanna

    2017-05-01

    To assess the effectiveness of breast support previous studies monitored breast kinematics and kinetics, subjective feedback, muscle activity (EMG), ground reaction forces (GRFs) and physiological measures in isolation. Comparing these variables within one study will establish the key performance variables that distinguish between breast supports during activities such as running. This study investigates the effects of changes in breast support on biomechanical, physiological and subjective measures during running. Ten females (34D) ran for 10 min in high and low breast supports, and for 2 min bare breasted (2.8 m·s -1 ). Breast and body kinematics, EMG, expired air and heart rate were recorded. GRFs were recorded during 10 m overground runs (2.8 m·s -1 ) and subjective feedback obtained after each condition. Of the 62 variables measured, 22 kinematic and subjective variables were influenced by changes in breast support. Willingness to exercise, time lag and superio-inferior breast velocity were most affected. GRFs, EMG and physiological variables were unaffected by breast support changes during running. Breast displacement reduction, although previously advocated, was not the most sensitive variable to breast support changes during running. Instead breast support products should be assessed using a battery of performance indicators, including the key kinematic and subjective variables identified here.

  9. 75 FR 59670 - Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Reclassification of the Herpes Simplex Virus Serological...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Part 866 [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0429] Immunology and Microbiology Devices; Reclassification of the Herpes Simplex Virus... proposed that 21 CFR part 866 be amended as follows: PART 866--IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES 1. The...

  10. Immunological changes in the intestines and skin after senna administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamate, Yurika; Hiramoto, Keiichi; Yokoyama, Satoshi; Ooi, Kazuya

    2015-06-01

    It has been reported that chronic sennoside use is associated with the development of melanosis coli, colonic adenoma, and/or carcinomas. In this study, we investigated the immunological changes in the colon and skin after the administration of senna. In this study, we investigated the colon and epidermis of C57/BL6j mice after a single administration of 10 mg/kg of senna [Cassia angustifolia (Caesalpiniaceae); 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after administration] and after repeated once per week administrations (on days 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 of administration). The LD50 and ED50 of senna used in this experiment were 165 mg/kg and 13 g/kg, respectively. We demonstrated that the DOPA-positive cells in the colon increased at 12 h after single administration and were further increased from at 5-28 d after repeated administration. We also studied the physiological changes of the small intestine using the charcoal meal test. We found that there was a tendency for peristalsis to be inhibited after repeated senna administration. In the epidermis, we investigated the number of Langerhans cells, because they are important immune cells of the skin. The number of these cells decreased, especially after repeated administration. The present findings suggested that it is necessary to pay attention to not only the intestine but also the skin, during long-term senna treatment.

  11. Evaluation of physiological and behavioral measures in relation to dental anxiety during sequential dental visits in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rayen R

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Anxiety is a special variety of fear, experienced in anticipation of threatening stimuli. While some research workers have said that the response of a child improves with the number of visits, many have felt otherwise. The present study is yet another effort to find the patterns of anxiety in children during sequential dental visits. The main aim was to determine the physiological and behavioral variations during sequential dental visits and its impact on age and sex. The study was conducted at the outpatient Department of Pedodontics and preventive dentistry, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, Chennai to evaluate the physiological and behavioural measures of stress and anxiety in children. One hundred and fifteen children, between four and eleven years of age who reported for dental treatment were selected for the study.

  12. [Bacterial Translocation from Intestine: Microbiological, Immunological and Pathophysiological Aspects].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podoprigora, G I; Kafarskaya, L I; Bainov, N A; Shkoporov, A N

    2015-01-01

    Bacterial translocation (BT) is both pathology and physiology phenomenon. In healthy newborns it accompanies the process of establishing the autochthonous intestinal microbiota and the host microbiome. In immunodeficiency it can be an aethio-pathogenetic link and a manifestation of infection or septic complications. The host colonization resistance to exogenous microbic colonizers is provided by gastrointestinal microbiota in concert with complex constitutional and adaptive defense mechanisms. BT may be result of barrier dysfunction and self-purification mechanisms involving the host myeloid cell phagocytic system and opsonins. Dynamic cell humoral response to microbial molecular patterns that occurs on the mucous membranes initiates receptorsignalingpathways and cascade ofreactions. Their vector and results are largely determined by cross-reactivity between microbiome and the host genome. Enterocyte barriers interacting with microbiota play leading role in providing adaptive, homeostatic and stress host reactivity. Microcirculatory ischemic tissue alterations and inflammatory reactions increase the intestinal barrier permeability and BT These processes a well as mechanisms for apoptotic cells and bacteria clearance are justified to be of prospective research interest. The inflammatory and related diseases caused by alteration and dysfunction of the intestinal barrier are reasonably considered as diseases of single origin. Maternal microbiota affects theformation of the innate immune system and the microbiota of the newborn, including intestinal commensal translocation during lactation. Deeper understanding of intestinal barrier mechanisms needs complex microbiological, immunological, pathophysiological, etc. investigations using adequate biomodels, including gnotobiotic animals.

  13. Autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immunological effects of ayahuasca: a comparative study with d-amphetamine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Santos, Rafael G; Valle, Marta; Bouso, José Carlos; Nomdedéu, Josep F; Rodríguez-Espinosa, José; McIlhenny, Ethan H; Barker, Steven A; Barbanoj, Manel J; Riba, Jordi

    2011-12-01

    Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea combining the 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase-inhibiting β-carboline alkaloids that render DMT orally active. The tea, obtained from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, has traditionally been used for religious, ritual, and medicinal purposes by the indigenous peoples of the region. More recently, the syncretistic religious use of ayahuasca has expanded to the United States and Europe. Here we conducted a double-blind randomized crossover clinical trial to investigate the physiological impact of ayahuasca in terms of autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immunomodulatory effects. An oral dose of encapsulated freeze-dried ayahuasca (1.0 mg DMT/kg body weight) was compared versus a placebo and versus a positive control (20 mg d-amphetamine) in a group of 10 healthy volunteers. Ayahuasca led to measurable DMT plasma levels and distinct subjective and neurophysiological effects that were absent after amphetamine. Both drugs increased pupillary diameter, with ayahuasca showing milder effects. Prolactin levels were significantly increased by ayahuasca but not by amphetamine, and cortisol was increased by both, with ayahuasca leading to the higher peak values. Ayahuasca and amphetamine induced similar time-dependent modifications in lymphocyte subpopulations. Percent CD4 and CD3 were decreased, whereas natural killer cells were increased. Maximum changes occurred around 2 hours, returning to baseline levels at 24 hours. In conclusion, ayahuasca displayed moderate sympathomimetic effects, significant neuroendocrine stimulation, and a time-dependent modulatory effect on cell-mediated immunity. Future studies on the health impact of long-term ayahuasca consumption should consider the assessment of immunological status in regular users.

  14. Immunological targeting of cytomegalovirus for glioblastoma therapy

    OpenAIRE

    Nair, Smita K; Sampson, John H; Mitchell, Duane A

    2014-01-01

    Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is purportedly present in glioblastoma (GBM) while absent from the normal brain, making CMV antigens potentially ideal immunological anti-GBM targets. We recently demonstrated that patient-derived CMV pp65-specific T cells are capable of recognizing and killing autologous GBM tumor cells. This data supports CMV antigen-directed immunotherapies against GBM.

  15. Personality, emotion, and individual differences in physiological responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stemmler, Gerhard; Wacker, Jan

    2010-07-01

    A dominant paradigm in biopsychological personality research seeks to establish links between emotional and motivational traits and habitual, transsituationally consistent individual differences in measures of physiological activity. An alternative approach conceptualizes traits as dispositions that are only operative in certain situational contexts and consequently predicts associations between emotional and motivational traits and physiological activity only for trait-relevant situational contexts in which the physiological systems underlying the traits in question are engaged. In the present paper we first examine and contrast these personistic and interactionistic conceptualizations of personality and personality-physiology associations and then present data from several large studies (N>100) in which electrocortical (e.g., frontal alpha asymmetry) and somatovisceral parameters were measured in various situational contexts (e.g., after the induction of either anger, or fear, or anxiety). As predicted by the interactionistic conceptualization of traits as dispositions the situational context and its subjective representation by the participants moderated the personality-physiology relationships for measures of both central and peripheral nervous system activity. We conclude by outlining the implications of the interactionistic approach for biopsychological personality research. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The microbiome in allergic disease: Current understanding and future opportunities-2017 PRACTALL document of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yvonne J; Marsland, Benjamin J; Bunyavanich, Supinda; O'Mahony, Liam; Leung, Donald Y M; Muraro, Antonella; Fleisher, Thomas A

    2017-04-01

    PRACTALL is a joint initiative of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to provide shared evidence-based recommendations on cutting-edge topics in the field of allergy and immunology. PRACTALL 2017 is focused on what has been established regarding the role of the microbiome in patients with asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy. This is complemented by outlining important knowledge gaps regarding its role in allergic disease and delineating strategies necessary to fill these gaps. In addition, a review of progress in approaches used to manipulate the microbiome will be addressed, identifying what has and has not worked to serve as a baseline for future directions to intervene in allergic disease development, progression, or both. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Effects of purified zearalenone on selected immunological measurements of blood in post-weaning gilts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijie Yang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Zearalenone (ZEA, an estrogenic mycotoxin, is produced mainly by Fusarium fungi. Previous studies have indicated that acute ZEA exposure induced various damages in different species; however, its transparent hematotoxicity in female piglets at dietary levels of 1.1 to 3.2 mg/kg has not been shown. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary ZEA (1.1–3.2 mg/kg on hematology, T lymphocyte subset, immunoglobulin, antibody titer, lymphocyte proliferation rate (LPR, and interleukin-2 (IL-2 in peripheral blood of post-weaning gilts. A total of 20 female piglets (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc, weaned at 42 d with an average body weight of 10.36 ± 1.21 kg were used in the study. Female piglets were kept in a temperature controlled room, divided into four treatments, and fed a diet based on corn-soybean meal-fishmeal-whey, with an addition of 0, 1.1, 2.0, or 3.2 mg/kg purified ZEA for 18 d ad libitum. Feed intake and refusal were measured daily and individual pigs were weighed weekly. Blood and serum samples were collected for selected immunological measurements. Female piglets fed different levels of dietary ZEA grew similarly with no difference in feed intake. Hematological values including leukocytes, platelets, lymphocytes, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH decreased linearly (P < 0.05 as dietary ZEA increased. Female piglets fed diets containing 2.0 mg/kg ZEA or greater showed significantly decreased CD4+CD8+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ in comparison to the control (P < 0.05, whereas CD8+ was significantly increased (P = 0.026 in the gilts which were fed the diet containing 3.2 mg/kg ZEA. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG and the antibody titer on d 18 were reduced linearly as dietary ZEA levels increased (P < 0.001. Linear decrease in LPR was observed (P < 0.05. Female piglets fed diets containing 2.0 mg/kg ZEA or more showed significantly decreased IL-2 in comparison to the control (P < 0

  18. Immunological and genetic aspects of asthma and allergy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne-Marie Madore

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Anne-Marie Madore, Catherine LapriseUniversité du Québec à Chicoutimi, Département des sciences fondamentales, Saguenay, CanadaAbstract: Prevalence of allergy and allergic asthma are increasing worldwide. More than half of the US population has a positive skin prick test and approximately 10% are asthmatics. Many studies have been conducted to define immunological pathways underlying allergy and asthma development and to identify the main genetic determinants. In the effort to find missing pieces of the puzzle, new genomic approaches and more standardized ones, such as the candidate gene approach, have been used collectively. This article proposes an overview of the actual knowledge about immunological and genetic aspects of allergy and asthma. Special attention has been drawn to the challenges linked to genetic research in complex traits such as asthma and to the contribution of new genomic approaches.Keywords: immune response, allergy, asthma, genetics, genomics

  19. [Immunological Markers in Organ Transplantation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckmann, J H; Heits, N; Braun, F; Becker, T

    2017-04-01

    The immunological monitoring in organ transplantation is based mainly on the determination of laboratory parameters as surrogate markers of organ dysfunction. Structural damage, caused by alloreactivity, can only be detected by invasive biopsy of the graft, which is why inevitably rejection episodes are diagnosed at a rather progressive stage. New non-invasive specific markers that enable transplant clinicians to identify rejection episodes at an earlier stage, on the molecular level, are needed. The accurate identification of rejection episodes and the establishment of operational tolerance permit early treatment or, respectively, a controlled cessation of immunosuppression. In addition, new prognostic biological markers are expected to allow a pre-transplant risk stratification thus having an impact on organ allocation and immunosuppressive regimen. New high-throughput screening methods allow simultaneous examination of hundreds of characteristics and the generation of specific biological signatures, which might give concrete information about acute rejection, chronic dysfunction as well as operational tolerance. Even though multiple studies and a variety of publications report about important advances on this subject, almost no new biological marker has been implemented in clinical practice as yet. Nevertheless, new technologies, in particular analysis of the genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome will make personalised transplantation medicine possible and will further improve the long-term results and graft survival rates. This article gives a survey of the limitations and possibilities of new immunological markers in organ transplantation. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  20. Effect of endosulfan on immunological competence of layer birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, P P; Kumar, Ashok; Chauhan, R S; Pankaj, P K

    2016-07-01

    The present study was aimed to investigate the immunological competence of endosulfan insecticide after limited oral administration in White Leghorn layer chickens. A total of 20 White Leghorn birds were given endosulfan in drinking water at 30 ppm/bird/day (no observable effect level dose) for a period of 3-months. Immune competence status of layer birds and chicks hatched from endosulfan offered birds were estimated at 15-day interval in layer birds and at monthly interval in chicks using immunological, biochemical parameters, and teratological estimates. There was a significant decrease in levels of total leukocytes count, absolute lymphocyte count, absolute heterophil count, total serum protein, serum albumin, serum globulin, and serum gamma globulin in the birds fed with endosulfan as compared to control. Similarly, immune competence tests such as lymphocyte stimulation test, oxidative burst assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests indicated lower immunity in birds treated with endosulfan as compared to control. Subsequently, chicks produced from endosulfan-treated birds were also examined for immune competence, but no significant difference was observed between chicks of both the groups. The exposure to endosulfan in limited oral dosage was able to exhibit hemo-biochemical and other changes that could be correlated with changes in the immunological profile of layer chickens suggesting cautious usage of endosulfan insecticide in poultry sheds.

  1. A global "imaging'' view on systems approaches in immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ludewig, Burkhard; Stein, Jens V; Sharpe, James; Cervantes-Barragan, Luisa; Thiel, Volker; Bocharov, Gennady

    2012-12-01

    The immune system exhibits an enormous complexity. High throughput methods such as the "-omic'' technologies generate vast amounts of data that facilitate dissection of immunological processes at ever finer resolution. Using high-resolution data-driven systems analysis, causal relationships between complex molecular processes and particular immunological phenotypes can be constructed. However, processes in tissues, organs, and the organism itself (so-called higher level processes) also control and regulate the molecular (lower level) processes. Reverse systems engineering approaches, which focus on the examination of the structure, dynamics and control of the immune system, can help to understand the construction principles of the immune system. Such integrative mechanistic models can properly describe, explain, and predict the behavior of the immune system in health and disease by combining both higher and lower level processes. Moving from molecular and cellular levels to a multiscale systems understanding requires the development of methodologies that integrate data from different biological levels into multiscale mechanistic models. In particular, 3D imaging techniques and 4D modeling of the spatiotemporal dynamics of immune processes within lymphoid tissues are central for such integrative approaches. Both dynamic and global organ imaging technologies will be instrumental in facilitating comprehensive multiscale systems immunology analyses as discussed in this review. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Influence of Immunology Knowledge on Healthcare and Healthy Lifestyle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu Kassim, Noor Lide; Saleh Huddin, Afiqah Binti; Daoud, Jamal Ibrahim; Rahman, Mohammad Tariqur

    2016-01-01

    Completing a course in Immunology is expected to improve health care knowledge (HCK), which in turn is anticipated to influence a healthy lifestyle (HLS), controlled use of health care services (HCS) and an awareness of emerging health care concerns (HCC). This cross-sectional study was designed to determine whether these interrelationships are empirically supported. Participants involved in this study were government servants from two ministries in Malaysia (n = 356) and university students from a local university (n = 147). Participants were selected using the non-random purposive sampling method. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire, which had been validated in a pilot study involving similar subjects. The questionnaire items were analyzed using Rasch analysis, SPSS version 21 and AMOS version 22. Results have shown that participants who followed a course in Immunology (CoI) had a higher primary HCK (Mean = 0.69 logit, SD = 1.29 logits) compared with those who had not (Mean = -0.27logit, SD = 1.26 logits). Overall, there were significant correlations among the HLS, the awareness of emerging HCC, and the controlled use of HCS (p Immunology at various levels of education and increasing the public awareness of emerging HCC might help to improve population health en masse. In addition, further investigations on the factors affecting HLS is required to provide a better understanding on the relationship between primary HCK and HLS.

  3. Ginsenoside Rh2 enhances the antitumor immunological response of a melanoma mice model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Meng; Yan, Shi-Ju; Zhang, Hong-Tao; Li, Nan; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Ying-Long; Li, Xiao-Xiang; Ma, Qiong; Qiu, Xiu-Chun; Fan, Qing-Yu; Ma, Bao-An

    2017-02-01

    The treatment of malignant tumors following surgery is important in preventing relapse. Among all the post-surgery treatments, immunomodulators have demonstrated satisfactory effects on preventing recurrence according to recent studies. Ginsenoside is a compound isolated from panax ginseng, which is a famous traditional Chinese medicine. Ginsenoside aids in killing tumor cells through numerous processes, including the antitumor processes of ginsenoside Rh2 and Rg1, and also affects the inflammatory processes of the immune system. However, the role that ginsenoside serves in antitumor immunological activity remains to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the effect of ginsenoside Rh2 on the antitumor immunological response. With a melanoma mice model, ginsenoside Rh2 was demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and improved the survival time of the mice. Ginsenoside Rh2 enhanced T-lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor and triggered cytotoxicity in spleen lymphocytes. In addition, the immunological response triggered by ginsenoside Rh2 could be transferred to other mice. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that ginsenoside Rh2 treatment enhanced the antitumor immunological response, which may be a potential therapy for melanoma.

  4. Reactivation of Immunological Response in Lethally X-Irradiated Mice Treated with Isogeneic Bone Marrow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stankovic, V.; Slijepcevic, M.; Hrsak, I. [Institute Ruder Boskovic, Zagreb, Yugoslavia (Croatia)

    1968-08-15

    Male and female C57BL/H and CBA/H mice aged 10-12 weeks were used as recipients and donors, respectively. All recipient mice were given a lethal whole-body X-irradiation dose (850 R for C57BL and 950 R for CBA mice) followed by iv injection of 10 x 106 isogeneic eosin-negative bone-marrow cells suspended in 0.5 ml of Hank's solution. The number of eosin-positive cells was less than 10%. The state of immunological responsiveness of irradiated recipients was measured at different time intervals up to 86 days after irradiation. The immune response to bacterial antigen was measured with the titre of agglutinating antibodies in serum six days after iv antigenic stimulation with a suspension of 2 x 10{sup 7} killed Salmonella typhimurium cells. The immune response to tissue antigens was evaluated by: (a) the effectiveness of the spleen cells from isologous radiation chimeric parental mice in preventing bone marrow from F{sub 1} (C57BL x CBA) hybrid donor from therapeutically affecting lethally irradiated F j recipient mice; (b) the effectiveness of the spleen cells in inducing splenom egaly in recipient F{sub 1} hybrid mice (Simonsen test). It was found that the responsiveness to bacterial antigens reappears much earlier and increases much faster than the immunological responsiveness to tissue antigens. (author)

  5. Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits and Parenting Stress: The Utility of Using a Physiological Measure of Parental Stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Factor, Reina S.; Swain, Deanna M.; Scarpa, Angela

    2018-01-01

    Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report greater stress due to unique parenting demands (e.g.; Estes et al. in "Brain Dev" 35(2):133-138, 2013). Stress is often studied through self-report and has not been extensively studied using physiological measures. This study compared parenting stress in mothers of…

  6. Endolymphatic radionuclide therapy (ERT) in malignant melanomas and its immunological side effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richter, G.; Heidenbluth, I.; Heidelbach, U.

    1982-01-01

    Doses of some thousands Gy affecting the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, but hardly causing reduction of subjective well-being, are interesting as to the endolymphatic instillation of 32 P tri-n-octylphosphate as an additional prophylactic therapy in operated stage 1 melanomas of the extremities. A real proof for its utility, however, has been missed till now, not only in our hitherto controlled 46 patients but also in the literature. On the other hand we found a significant lymphopenia for more than 1 year and reduced percentages of stimulated lymphocytes and rosette forming cells for 3 months. Compared to 3 control groups (melanomas before treatment, effect of operation and anaesthesia, patients without immunological alterations) these immunological changes proved to be caused by the ERT itself. They suggest a limitation of ERT to melanomas with a high likelihood of separating tumor cells or micrometastases as well as further immunological follow-up checks. (author)

  7. Short-term increase of body weight triggers immunological variables in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van de Velde, H; Janssens, G P J; Stuyven, E; Cox, E; Buyse, J; Hesta, M

    2012-01-15

    Overweight in dogs is, as in other companion animals, a major risk factor for several metabolic disorders. However, it is not yet known whether immunity is challenged by increased body weight in dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a short-term increase in body weight on immunological variables in adult healthy beagle dogs. Sixteen dogs, divided into a control group (CG) and weight gain group (WGG), were included. During a period of 13 weeks, the CG was fed at maintenance energy requirement (MER), whereas the WGG received a double amount of food. After 13 weeks, blood samples were taken for immunological and biochemical analyses. Weight gain and increased body condition score in the WGG were accompanied by a significant higher leptin concentration. Weight gain increased the number of lymphocytes and immunoglobulins A and M and was responsible for a higher proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Short-term increase of body weight thus seems to trigger immunological variables in dogs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Network Physiology: How Organ Systems Dynamically Interact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartsch, Ronny P.; Liu, Kang K. L.; Bashan, Amir; Ivanov, Plamen Ch.

    2015-01-01

    We systematically study how diverse physiologic systems in the human organism dynamically interact and collectively behave to produce distinct physiologic states and functions. This is a fundamental question in the new interdisciplinary field of Network Physiology, and has not been previously explored. Introducing the novel concept of Time Delay Stability (TDS), we develop a computational approach to identify and quantify networks of physiologic interactions from long-term continuous, multi-channel physiological recordings. We also develop a physiologically-motivated visualization framework to map networks of dynamical organ interactions to graphical objects encoded with information about the coupling strength of network links quantified using the TDS measure. Applying a system-wide integrative approach, we identify distinct patterns in the network structure of organ interactions, as well as the frequency bands through which these interactions are mediated. We establish first maps representing physiologic organ network interactions and discover basic rules underlying the complex hierarchical reorganization in physiologic networks with transitions across physiologic states. Our findings demonstrate a direct association between network topology and physiologic function, and provide new insights into understanding how health and distinct physiologic states emerge from networked interactions among nonlinear multi-component complex systems. The presented here investigations are initial steps in building a first atlas of dynamic interactions among organ systems. PMID:26555073

  9. Network Physiology: How Organ Systems Dynamically Interact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartsch, Ronny P; Liu, Kang K L; Bashan, Amir; Ivanov, Plamen Ch

    2015-01-01

    We systematically study how diverse physiologic systems in the human organism dynamically interact and collectively behave to produce distinct physiologic states and functions. This is a fundamental question in the new interdisciplinary field of Network Physiology, and has not been previously explored. Introducing the novel concept of Time Delay Stability (TDS), we develop a computational approach to identify and quantify networks of physiologic interactions from long-term continuous, multi-channel physiological recordings. We also develop a physiologically-motivated visualization framework to map networks of dynamical organ interactions to graphical objects encoded with information about the coupling strength of network links quantified using the TDS measure. Applying a system-wide integrative approach, we identify distinct patterns in the network structure of organ interactions, as well as the frequency bands through which these interactions are mediated. We establish first maps representing physiologic organ network interactions and discover basic rules underlying the complex hierarchical reorganization in physiologic networks with transitions across physiologic states. Our findings demonstrate a direct association between network topology and physiologic function, and provide new insights into understanding how health and distinct physiologic states emerge from networked interactions among nonlinear multi-component complex systems. The presented here investigations are initial steps in building a first atlas of dynamic interactions among organ systems.

  10. A role for Waldeyer's ring in immunological response to allergens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masieri, Simonetta; Trabattoni, Daria; Incorvaia, Cristoforo; De Luca, Maria Cristina; Dell'Albani, Ilaria; Leo, Gualtiero; Frati, Franco

    2014-02-01

    Adenoids, tubal tonsil, palatine tonsil, and lingual tonsil are immunological organs included in the Waldeyer's ring, the basic function of which is the antibody production to common environmental antigens. Adenoidal hypertrophy (AH) is a major medical issue in children, and adenoidectomy is still the most used treatment worldwide. The response of adenoids to allergens is a good model to evaluate their immunological function. This report assessed the immunological changes in adenoid tissues from children with allergic rhinitis (AR) undergoing sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Adenoid samples from 16 children (seven males, nine females, mean age 7.12 years) with AH and clinical indication to adenoidectomy were collected. Of them, five children were not allergic and 11 had house dust mite and grass pollen-induced AR. Among allergic children, in four AR was treated by antihistamines while in seven AR was treated by high-dose SLIT during 4-6 months. The evaluation addressed the T helper 1 (Th1), Th2, and Th3 cells by performing a PCR array on mRNA extracted from adenoid samples. In non-allergic children, a typical Th1 pattern was found. SLIT induced a strong down-regulation of genes involved in Th2 and Th1 activation and function. In particular, in SLIT-treated allergic children IL-4, CCR2, CCR3, and PTGDR2 (Th2 related genes) and CD28, IL-2, and INHA (Th1 related genes) expression was reduced, compared with children treated with antihistamines. These preliminary findings warrant investigation in trials including larger numbers of patients, but indicate that hypertrophic adenoids of allergic children have the typical response to the specific allergen administered by SLIT. This should suggest that one should reconsider the immunological role of adenoids.

  11. prevalence of clinical, immunological and virological failure among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Esem

    ABSTRACT. Background: There is increasing evidence that the current clinical and immunological monitoring tools are not sufficient to identify early enough patients who are failing on treatment. Development of resistance to the limited treatment options for children and premature switching are the dangers. The objective of ...

  12. Advances in in vitro diagnostics in allergy, asthma, and immunology in 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renz, Harald

    2013-12-01

    Laboratory tests play an increasing role in risk assessment, diagnostics, and disease monitoring. Great advances have been achieved lately, particularly in the field of clinical immunology and allergy. These include neonatal screening of immunodeficiencies and asthma biomarkers and investigation into the role of recombinant allergens in in vitro testing. The latter area has implications for the diagnostics of food allergy, pollen-induced allergies, asthma, and insect allergies. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Precision medicine in allergic disease-food allergy, drug allergy, and anaphylaxis-PRACTALL document of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muraro, A; Lemanske, Robert F; Castells, M

    2017-01-01

    This consensus document summarizes the current knowledge on the potential for precision medicine in food allergy, drug allergy, and anaphylaxis under the auspices of the PRACTALL collaboration platform. PRACTALL is a joint effort of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the ......This consensus document summarizes the current knowledge on the potential for precision medicine in food allergy, drug allergy, and anaphylaxis under the auspices of the PRACTALL collaboration platform. PRACTALL is a joint effort of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology...... and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which aims to synchronize the European and American approaches to allergy care. Precision medicine is an emerging approach for disease treatment based on disease endotypes, which are phenotypic subclasses associated with specific mechanisms underlying...

  14. [Immunological theory of senescence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drela, Nadzieja

    2014-01-01

    Senescence can result from decreased potential of the immune system to respond to foreign and self antigens. The most common effect is the inhibition to destroy dying and cancer cells and the decrease of the immune response to pathogens. Aging is closely related to inflammatory phenotype, which facilitate the development of age-related diseases. The mammal immune system is highly organized and adapted to react to a wide range of antigens. According to the immunological theory, the causative agents of senescence are multilevel changes of development and functions of immune cells. Some of changes can be beneficial for the maintenance of homeostasis and lifespan in continuously changing endogenous environment and immune history of the organism.

  15. Direct administration of 2-Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin into guinea pig cochleae: Effects on physiological and histological measurements.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J T Lichtenhan

    Full Text Available 2-Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin (HPβCD can be used to treat Niemann-Pick type C disease, Alzheimer's disease, and atherosclerosis. But, a consequence is that HPβCD can cause hearing loss. HPβCD was recently found to be toxic to outer hair cells (OHCs in the organ of Corti. Previous studies on the chronic effects of in vivo HPβCD toxicity did not know the intra-cochlear concentration of HPβCD and attributed variable effects on OHCs to indirect drug delivery to the cochlea. We studied the acute effects of known HPβCD concentrations administered directly into intact guinea pig cochleae. Our novel approach injected solutions through pipette sealed into scala tympani in the cochlear apex. Solutions were driven along the length of the cochlear spiral toward the cochlear aqueduct in the base. This method ensured that therapeutic levels were achieved throughout the cochlea, including those regions tuned to mid to low frequencies and code speech vowels and background noise. A wide variety of measurements were made. Results were compared to measurements from ears treated with the HPβCD analog methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD, salicylate that is well known to attenuate the gain of the cochlear amplifier, and injection of artificial perilymph alone (controls. Histological data showed that OHCs appeared normal after treatment with a low dose of HPβCD, and physiological data was consistent with attenuation of cochlear amplifier gain and disruption of non-linearity associated with transferring acoustic sound into neural excitation, an origin of distortion products that are commonly used to objectively assess hearing and hearing loss. A high dose of HPβCD caused sporadic OHC losses and markedly affected all physiologic measurements. MβCD caused virulent destruction of OHCs and physiologic responses. Toxicity of HPβCD to OHC along the cochlear length is variable even when a known intra-cochlear concentration is administered, at least for the duration

  16. Is Graves’ disease a primary immunodeficiency? New immunological perspectives on an endocrine disease

    OpenAIRE

    Struja, Tristan; Kutz, Alexander; Fischli, Stefan; Meier, Christian; Mueller, Beat; Recher, Mike; Schuetz, Philipp

    2017-01-01

    Background Uncertainty about factors influencing the susceptibility and triggers for Graves’ disease persists, along with a wide variation in the response to anti-thyroid drugs, currently at approximately 50% of non-responders. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize immunological concepts, with a combined endocrine and immunological perspective, to highlight potential new areas of research. Main text Relevant studies were identified through a systematic literature search using the P...

  17. The Latent Reservoir for HIV-1: How Immunologic Memory and Clonal Expansion Contribute to HIV-1 Persistence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Alexandra J.; Kwon, Kyungyoon J.; Farber, Donna L.; Siliciano, Robert F.

    2016-01-01

    Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-1 infection reduces plasma virus levels to below the limit of detection of clinical assays. However, even with prolonged suppression of viral replication with ART, viremia rebounds rapidly after treatment interruption. Thus ART is not curative. The principal barrier to cure is a remarkably stable reservoir of latent HIV-1 in resting memory CD4+ T cells. Here we consider explanations for the remarkable stability of the latent reservoir. Stability does not appear to reflect replenishment from new infection events but rather normal physiologic processes that provide for immunologic memory. Of particular importance are proliferative processes that drive clonal expansion of infected cells. Recent evidence suggests that in some infected cells, proliferation is a consequence of proviral integration into host genes associated with cell growth. Efforts to cure HIV-1 infection by targeting the latent reservoir may need to consider the potential of latently infected cells to proliferate. PMID:27382129

  18. A Cost-Effective Approach to Producing Animated Infographics for Immunology Teaching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Helena Bellei

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Multimedia resources such as video and animations are increasingly used to enhance student engagement and understanding, particularly when teaching cognitively complex concepts.  However, the creation of animation is time-consuming and hence, expensive compared to the creation of graphics. Recognizing this and the challenges students face in learning immunology, we describe here a process of a multi-disciplinary collaboration that produced a series of 3-minute animated infographics videos for tertiary-level immunology teaching within an Australian university. We evaluate the benefit of these and their merit as supplemental curriculum resources to enhance learning.

  19. Introduction: Immunology and assisted reproductive technology in the 21st century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Velasco, Juan A

    2017-06-01

    In the past few years we have witnessed reproductive immunology taking a leading role after repeated implantation failure. We still face the problem of even euploid embryos that either fail to implant or are miscarried. These focused articles present the attending clinician with the most recent evidence to understand how immunology contributes to human reproduction, what can be done at the clinical level, and what is still an area for research and should not be offered to patients outside of a clinical research scenario. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. 76 FR 48871 - Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0002] Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Food and Drug...: Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee. General Function of the Committee: To...

  1. THE ROLE OF IMMUNOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. E. Zhiltsova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The basis for the development of atopic dermatitis (AtD is a complex interaction between genetic disorders, environmental factors, lack of the skin barrier and immunological disorders. In view of the importance of immunological disorders in the etiopathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, the study of these parameters in patients with AtD is a necessary aspect to assess the severity of the course, prognosis of complications and recurrence.Purpose. Comprehensive assessment of clinical and immunological parameters in adolescents with atopic dermatitis.Materials and methods. The study included examination of 28 patients with atopic dermatitis aged from 12 to 16 years, with disease duration from 10 to 15 years, which included analysis of complaints and anamnesis data, evaluation of disease severity on the SCORAD scale, General clinical and immunological studies. The peculiarities of cellular and humoral immunity in the relapse stage were determined. The main indicators of phagocytic activity of blood neutrophils were also investigated.Results. In the analysis of anamnestic data of patients, a history of diseases associated with atopia in 16 (57.1% of 28 adolescents (AtD, bronchial asthma in relatives of the first and second line of kinship was revealed. When assessing the disease severity on a scale of SCORAD, prevailed patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis over — 19 (67,9% patients, the average score of the assessment of the severity of AtD amounted to 29.3 ± 1,25. The conducted immunological examination with assessment of cellular and humoral immunity showed significant changes in immunological reactivity in patients with AtD. On the part of the cellular immunity level it is necessary to note a clear decrease in CD3+ and CD8+, as well as an increase in the subpopulation of T-lymphocytes — CD4+ and b-lymphocytes — CD20+ in most patients compared to normal indicators characteristic of this age group. Compared to healthy adolescents

  2. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Position Paper on the Use of Telemedicine for Allergists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Tania; Shih, Jennifer; Dinakar, Chitra; Portnoy, Jay; Fineman, Stanley

    2017-12-01

    The integration of telecommunications and information systems in health care first began 4 decades ago with 500 patient consultations performed via interactive television. The use of telemedicine services and technology to deliver health care at a distance is increasing exponentially. Concomitant with this rapid expansion is the exciting ability to provide enhancements in quality and safety of care. Telemedicine enables increased access to care, improvement in health outcomes, reduction in medical costs, better resource use, expanded educational opportunities, and enhanced collaboration between patients and physicians. These potential benefits should be weighed against the risks and challenges of using telemedicine. The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology advocates for incorporation of meaningful and sustained use of telemedicine in allergy and immunology practice. This article serves to offer policy and position statements of the use of telemedicine pertinent to the allergy and immunology subspecialty. Copyright © 2017 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Immunological challenges during pregnancy : preeclampsia and egg donation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoorn, Marie-Louise van der

    2012-01-01

    Human pregnancy is an interesting immunological paradox. The fetus is a semi-allograft, carrying paternal and maternal genes but is not rejected by the maternal immune system. The placenta is a key player in maintaining the pregnancy, since this fetus-derived organ is in direct contact with the

  4. Immunologic methods for monitoring carcinogen exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santella, Regina M.; Perera, Frederica P.; Zhang, Yu J.; Chen, Chen J.; Young, Tie L.

    1993-03-01

    Immunologic methods have been developed for monitoring human exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens. These methods involve the development of monoclonal and polyclonal antisera which specifically recognize the carcinogens themselves or their DNA or protein adducts. Antisera recognizing the DNA adducts of several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon diol epoxides have been used in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to monitor adducts in tissue or blood samples. Elevated levels of DNA adducts have been seen in mononuclear cells of smokers and in total white blood cells of foundry and coke oven workers. Environmental exposure to PAH has been measured in individuals living in a highly polluted region of Poland. Antisera recognizing PAH-DNA adducts have also been used in immunohistochemical studies to monitor adducts in specific cells of biopsy samples. The DNA adducts of aflatoxin B1 have been monitored in liver tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma patients in Taiwan. Detectable adducts were seen in 50 - 70% of the patients suggesting that dietary exposure to this carcinogen may be a risk factor for cancer induction. Thus, immunoassays for monitoring exposure to carcinogens are an important tool in epidemiologic studies.

  5. Gingival immunologic defense index: a new indicator for evaluating dental plaque infection risk in allergic children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seno Pradopo

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available There is a possible relationship between dental plaque and children allergic diseases. According to literatures, gingivitis suffered mostly by allergic children than control. Case reports also revealed that dental plaque control therapy was able to reduce, even eliminate rhinosinusitis and asthmatic symptoms without additional medications. However, the exact method for confirming the gingivitis-related allergy is still uncertain. Allergic diseases have multifactorial etiologies and dental plaque had been proposed as a new trigger of allergic symptoms. Nevertheless, since not every child with gingivitis suffered from allergy or vice versa, this uncertain phenomenon may lead to patients or other clinician disbelief. The objective of the present study was to propose a new method, which involving the Gingival immunologic defense index (GIDI to evaluate the susceptibility to allergic diseases. GIDI is an index that had been developed earlier for evaluating gingival immunologic defense with respect to immunoglobulin A (IgA levels. This index based on the simple count of the inflamed gingival surfaces of a child plus the measurement of salivary IgA content. It provides clinicians with important information about the immunologic defense potential of each subject. Interestingly, most allergic children also had inherited IgA deficiency, thus this concept is likely. Based on literatures, GIDI could be a potential index for evaluating the risk of allergic diseases through gingival health assessment. However, prior investigation to the value of Indonesian GIDI index which related to allergy should be conducted.

  6. Immunological characteristics and response to lipopolysaccharide of mouse lines selectively bred with natural and acquired immunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narahara, Hiroki; Sakai, Eri; Katayama, Masafumi; Ohtomo, Yukiko; Yamamoto, Kanako; Takemoto, Miki; Aso, Hisashi; Ohwada, Shyuichi; Mohri, Yasuaki; Nishimori, Katsuhiko; Isogai, Emiko; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Fukuda, Tomokazu

    2012-05-01

    Genetic improvement of resistance to infectious diseases is a challenging goal in animal breeding. Infection resistance involves multiple immunological characteristics, including natural and acquired immunity. In the present study, we developed an experimental model based on genetic selection, to improve immunological phenotypes. We selectively established three mouse lines based on phagocytic activity, antibody production and the combination of these two phenotypes. We analyzed the immunological characteristics of these lines using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is one of the main components of Gram-negative bacteria. An intense immunological reaction was induced in each of the three mouse lines. Severe loss of body weight and liver damage were observed, and a high level of cytokine messenger RNA was detected in the liver tissue. The mouse line established using a combination of the two selection standards showed unique characteristics relative to the mouse lines selected on the basis of a single phenotype. Our results indicate that genetic selection and breeding is effective, even for immunological phenotypes with a relatively low heritability. Thus, it may be possible to improve resistance to infectious diseases by means of genetic selection. © 2011 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2011 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  7. A global database of sap flow measurements (SAPFLUXNET) to link plant and ecosystem physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poyatos, Rafael; Granda, Víctor; Flo, Víctor; Molowny-Horas, Roberto; Mencuccini, Maurizio; Oren, Ram; Katul, Gabriel; Mahecha, Miguel; Steppe, Kathy; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi

    2017-04-01

    Regional and global networks of ecosystem CO2 and water flux monitoring have dramatically increased our understanding of ecosystem functioning in the last 20 years. More recently, analyses of ecosystem-level fluxes have successfully incorporated data streams at coarser (remote sensing) and finer (plant traits) organisational scales. However, there are few data sources that capture the diel to seasonal dynamics of whole-plant physiology and that can provide a link between organism- and ecosystem-level function. Sap flow measured in plant stems reveals the temporal patterns in plant water transport, as mediated by stomatal regulation and hydraulic architecture. The widespread use of thermometric methods of sap flow measurement since the 1990s has resulted in numerous data sets for hundreds of species and sites worldwide, but these data have remained fragmentary and generally unavailable for syntheses of regional to global scope. We are compiling the first global database of sub-daily sap flow measurements in individual plants (SAPFLUXNET), aimed at unravelling the environmental and biotic drivers of plant transpiration regulation globally. I will present the SAPFLUXNET data infrastructure and workflow, which is built upon flexible, open-source computing tools within the R environment (dedicated R packages and classes, interactive documents and apps with Rmarkdown and Shiny). Data collection started in mid-2016, we have already incorporated > 50 datasets representing > 40 species and > 350 individual plants, globally distributed, and the number of contributed data sets is increasing rapidly. I will provide a general overview of the distribution of available data sets according to climate, measurement method, species, functional groups and plant size attributes. In parallel to the sap flow data compilation, we have also collated published results from calibrations of sap flow methods, to provide a first quantification on the variability associated with different sap

  8. Egyptian Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (The): Journal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Publisher. Contact: Professor Ihab Z. El-Hakim. Email ihab.elhakim@gmail.com. Phone +201111224974. Fax … +202 33045060. Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University, Ramses Street, Abbassiya, Cairo 11566, Egypt. The Egyptian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology ...

  9. Recognition of higher order patterns in proteins: immunologic kernels.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert D Bremel

    Full Text Available By applying analysis of the principal components of amino acid physical properties we predicted cathepsin cleavage sites, MHC binding affinity, and probability of B-cell epitope binding of peptides in tetanus toxin and in ten diverse additional proteins. Cross-correlation of these metrics, for peptides of all possible amino acid index positions, each evaluated in the context of a ±25 amino acid flanking region, indicated that there is a strongly repetitive pattern of short peptides of approximately thirty amino acids each bounded by cathepsin cleavage sites and each comprising B-cell linear epitopes, MHC-I and MHC-II binding peptides. Such "immunologic kernel" peptides comprise all signals necessary for adaptive immunologic cognition, response and recall. The patterns described indicate a higher order spatial integration that forms a symbolic logic coordinating the adaptive immune system.

  10. Sustained attention performance during sleep deprivation associates with instability in behavior and physiologic measures at baseline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Eric Chern-Pin; Yeo, Sing-Chen; Lee, Ivan Tian-Guang; Tan, Luuan-Chin; Lau, Pauline; Cai, Shiwei; Zhang, Xiaodong; Puvanendran, Kathiravelu; Gooley, Joshua J

    2014-01-01

    To identify baseline behavioral and physiologic markers that associate with individual differences in sustained attention during sleep deprivation. In a retrospective study, ocular, electrocardiogram, and electroencephalogram (EEG) measures were compared in subjects who were characterized as resilient (n = 15) or vulnerable (n = 15) to the effects of total sleep deprivation on sustained attention. Chronobiology and Sleep Laboratory, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore. Healthy volunteers aged 22-32 years from the general population. Subjects were kept awake for at least 26 hours under constant environmental conditions. Every 2 hours, sustained attention was assessed using a 10-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). During baseline sleep and recovery sleep, EEG slow wave activity was similar in resilient versus vulnerable subjects, suggesting that individual differences in vulnerability to sleep loss were not related to differences in homeostatic sleep regulation. Rather, irrespective of time elapsed since wake, subjects who were vulnerable to sleep deprivation exhibited slower and more variable PVT response times, lower and more variable heart rate, and higher and more variable EEG spectral power in the theta frequency band (6.0-7.5 Hz). Performance decrements in sustained attention during sleep deprivation associate with instability in behavioral and physiologic measures at baseline. Small individual differences in sustained attention that are present at baseline are amplified during prolonged wakefulness, thus contributing to large between-subjects differences in performance and sleepiness.

  11. INFLUENCE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ON CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

    OpenAIRE

    T.L. Nastausheva; L.T. Dmitrieva

    2008-01-01

    Clinical and immunological status has been evaluated in 85 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before and after physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis with dimexid and magnetotherapy. The control group of 31 children did not follow physiotherapeutic procedures. The following results were fixed: clinical indices and immunological status of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis have been changed in a larger degree in case of magnetotherapy.

  12. Effect of 137Cs on immunological reactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shubik, V.M.

    1975-01-01

    An important role of 137 Cs as a new ecological factor was shown by analyzing 31 different studies. The radioisotope may at present be detected in the organisms of all inhabitants of this planet. The migration of 137 Cs along the chain lichen-deer-man leads to its accumulation in the organism of humans living in the Extreme North and taking venison in their food. Although the high sensitivity of immunological reactions to various unfavourable environmental factors is well known, data on the effect of incorporated 137 Cs on immunity are scanty. Experiments on animals showed changes in factors of nonspecific immunity (phagocytic reaction of blood neutrophils, bactericidal activity, lysozyme and complement titres of blood serum) and specific immunity (formation of antiviral antibodies). The blood of animals injured by the isotope displays complete and incomplete autoantibodies. The dependence of immunobiological changes on the dose absorbed by the organism is shown. The 137 Cs intake of inhabitants of the Extreme North who eat venison did not, with the absorbed dose equalling up to 50 Mrem per year, lead to changes in their immunological reactivity. (author)

  13. Examining the Relationship between Physiological Measurements and Self-Reports of Stress and Well-Being in Middle School Teachers over One School Year

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Deirdre A.; Harris, Alexis R.; Abenavoli, Rachel M.; Greenberg, Mark T.

    2013-01-01

    Educators are exposed to a variety of stressors, which can lead to poorer teaching performance, burnout, and increased student misbehavior (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Although self-report measures of stress are most commonly used in education research, physiological measures of stress may also contribute to the understanding of educators'…

  14. Current trends of reproductive immunology practices in in vitro fertilization (IVF) - a first world survey using IVF-Worldwide.com.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwak-Kim, Joanne; Han, Ae Ra; Gilman-Sachs, Alice; Fishel, Simon; Leong, Milton; Shoham, Zeev

    2013-01-01

    Reproductive immunology has evolved from basic research studies to clinical applications. In this study, we aim to investigate the actual application of reproductive immunology concepts and findings in clinical reproductive medicine such as recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL), repeated implantation failures (RIF), and failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. A web-based survey was performed on IVF-Worldwide.com. Collected data were analyzed by the computerized software. A significant proportion of physicians recommend thrombophilia workups (86%), parental genetic study (79%), and immunologic evaluations (69%) to IVF candidates who have a history of RPL or chemical pregnancy losses. IVF physicians consider an immunologic workup when patients have two (30%) or three (21%) failed IVF cycles. Assays for anticardiolipin antibody, lupus anticoagulant, thyroid peroxidase antibody, and antinuclear antibody are the four most commonly ordered immunologic tests for RPL (88, 84, 50, 47% each) and RIF (68, 63, 38, 38% each). Cellular immune evaluations, such as NK assay, human leukocyte antigen study, Th1/Th2 study or immunophenotype assay, are less commonly ordered. Reproductive immunology principles have been applied to the clinical management of RPL, RIF, and failed IVF cycles, and a significant proportion of IVF physicians acknowledge the importance of immunologic alterations with reproductive outcomes. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  15. Novel immunological strategies for islet transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tezza, Sara; Ben Nasr, Moufida; Vergani, Andrea; Valderrama Vasquez, Alessandro; Maestroni, Anna; Abdi, Reza; Secchi, Antonio; Fiorina, Paolo

    2015-08-01

    Islet transplantation has been demonstrated to improve glycometabolic control, to reduce hypoglycemic episodes and to halt the progression of diabetic complications. However, the exhaustion of islet function and the side effects related to chronic immunosuppression limit the spread of this technique. Consequently, new immunoregulatory protocols have been developed, with the aim to avoid the use of a life-time immunosuppression. Several approaches have been tested in preclinical models, and some are now under clinical evaluation. The development of new small molecules and new monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies is continuous and raises the possibility of targeting new costimulatory pathways or depleting particular cell types. The use of stem cells and regulatory T cells is underway to take advantage of their immunological properties and to induce tolerance. Xenograft islet transplantation, although having severe problems in terms of immunological compatibility, could theoretically provide an unlimited source of donors; using pigs carrying human immune antigens has showed indeed promising results. A completely different approach, the use of encapsulated islets, has been developed; synthetic structures are used to hide islet alloantigen from the immune system, thus preserving islet endocrine function. Once one of these strategies is demonstrated safe and effective, it will be possible to establish clinical islet transplantation as a treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes long before the onset of diabetic-related complications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A Genome-Wide Association Study of IVGTT-Based Measures of First Phase Insulin Secretion Refines the Underlying Physiology of Type 2 Diabetes Variants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wood, Andrew R; Jonsson, Anna; Jackson, Anne U

    2017-01-01

    Understanding the physiological mechanisms by which common variants predispose to type 2 diabetes requires large studies with detailed measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity. Here we performed the largest genome-wide association study of first-phase insulin secretion, as measured by intrav...

  17. Physiological Measures of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Activity During Attentional Set Shifting and Reversal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Péter Pajkossy

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Dopamine (DA and noradrenaline (NA are important neurotransmitters, which are suggested to play a vital role in modulating the neural circuitry involved in the executive control of cognition. One way to investigate the functions of these neurotransmitter systems is to assess physiological indices of DA and NA transmission. Here we examined how variations of spontaneous eye-blink rate and pupil size, as indirect measures of DA and NA activity, respectively, are related to performance in a hallmark aspect of executive control: attentional set shifting. We used the Intra/Extradimensional Set Shifting Task, where participants have to choose between different compound stimuli while the stimulus-reward contingencies change periodically. During such rule shifts, participants have to refresh their attentional set while they reassess which stimulus-features are relevant. We found that both eye-blink rate (EBR and pupil size increased after rule shifts, when explorative processes are required to establish stimulus–reward contingencies. Furthermore, baseline pupil size was related to performance during the most difficult, extradimensional set shifting stage, whereas baseline EBR was associated with task performance prior to this stage. Our results support a range of neurobiological models suggesting that the activity of DA and NA neurotransmitter systems determines individual differences in executive functions (EF, possibly by regulating neurotransmission in prefrontal circuits. We also suggest that assessing specific, easily accessible indirect physiological markers, such as pupil size and blink rate, contributes to the comprehension of the relationship between neurotransmitter systems and EF.

  18. Particularities of the human genome immunological effects under radiogenic stress conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coretchi, L.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper the immunological effects and individual dosimeter control results of the occupationally exposed workers (OEW) employed in the radiological therapy and radiological diagnostic are presented. The peripheral blood lymphocytes immunological phenotypization has been made by using monoclonal antibodies ('Sorbent' LTD, Moscow, Russia). The number of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD16+, CD19+ T-lymphocytes and CDHLA DR has been determined by utilizing 'FACS-COUNT' flow cytometry and 'LOMO' luminescent microscope. Length of service (seniority) in the radiogenic stress conditions, age and individual accumulated doses of the OEW were taken into consideration during the results' analysis. The thermoluminescent dosimeters have been used in the process of individual dosimeter monitoring of the OEW. A data base was created in Access and afterwards exported to Microsoft Excel, the latter being used for descriptive statistic. The results demonstrated the general dysfunction of the OEW immunological system, which manifested itself through the diminution, balance or co-expression of the superficial determinants responsible with immunity system. The individual doses of the investigated OEW were within admissible levels according to Fundamental Norms of Radiation Protection standards. (authors)

  19. Immunological disturbances and their role in treatment for cervical carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grinevich, Yu.A.; Dzyubko, N.Ya.; Kokhanevich, E.V.

    1983-01-01

    The study is concerned with immunologic status (cell-mediated and humoral immunity) as a factor influencing the choice of scheme of treatment for carcinoma of cervix uteri. The indexes of immunocompetence should be taken into account in planning the differential treatment of precancer and early forms of carcinoma of cervix uteri. Radiation treatment exerts an immunosuppressive effect. However, immunologic indexes are not affected considerably by laser destruction or surgery. Cryodestruction has a beneficial effect on cell-mediated immunity. Considering these effects as well as the long-term results of different orocedures of treatment, laser coagulation, cryogenic destruction or diathermoconization should be recommended for management of carcinoma in situ of cervix uteri, and extensive extirpation of the uterus, unattended by radiation, for Tla

  20. Immunological effects of adalimumab in rheumatoid arthritis: Results of a Russian national study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitri Evgenyevich Karateev

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A reduction in immunological parameters during therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA can yield new data on the mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action and be of great practical importance since this allows judgment of the depth of impact on the immunological process and therefore may be regarded as one of the components of improvement and remission. Objective: to study the effect of the tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-а inhibitor adalimumab (ADA on a number of key immunological parameters in RA. Subjects and methods. The study included 100 patients (11 men and 89 women diagnosed with RA from 5 research centers. The patients were observed to have high RA activity: at baseline, DAS28 6.22+0.84 scores; C-reactive protein (CRP 37.1+34.7 mg/l. The mean number of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs used by a patient in the history was 2.1. During 24-week treatment, the patients took ADA in a subcutaneous dose of 40 mg every 2 weeks both alone and in combination with DMARDs. The time course of changes in the serum levels of CRP, IGM rheumatoid factor (RF and in the concentration of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide 2 (anti-CCP2 antibodies was determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA using the Axis-Shield Diagnostics commercial kits (United Kingdom. The levels of TNF-a, interleukin (IL 6, 12, matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3 were measured in pg/ml by EIA using the Bender MedSystems commercial kits (USA according to the manufacturer's directions. Results. During ADA therapy, there was a rapid reduction in the level of CRP from 34.3 to 11.317.2 mg/l following 2 weeks (p<0.001, which thereafter remained low (11.9 mg/l, with some fluctuations, until week 24 of the study. There was a significant reduction in blood RF levels from 169.24 to 111.97 at 24 weeks (p<0.001. After 12 weeks of ADA treatment, there was virtually a two-fold decrease in IL-6 content from 8.87 to 4.87 pg/ml and later on to 4.03 pg/ml at week 24 (p>0,05. The mean levels of anti-CCP2

  1. Role of immunological surveillance in radiation carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sado, Toshihiko

    2003-01-01

    The immune system is known to be highly susceptible to various physical, chemical, and biological insults. The studies on the immediate and long-term effects of radiation on immune system of mice indicated very clearly that there was a dose-dependent reduction in the number of T and B cells, depression of antibody and cytotoxic T cell responses as well as proliferative responses of spleen cells to T and B cell mitogens shortly after irradiation, but they all recovered to the control level within a few months. Immunosuppression observed shortly after irradiation had little influence on the development of radiogenic tumors. The effects of radiation on the incidence of Friend leukemia virus (FLV)-induced leukemias are examined by using young adult B6C3F 1 male mice which are normally resistant to FLV-induced leukemogenesis. There was a clear threshold dose of 2 Gy below which the development of FLV induced leukemias was not observed but after exposure to >3 Gy high incidence of leukemias was observed. Fractionated, weekly exposure of young C57BL strain mice to 1.6 Gy of X-rays for four successive weeks causes most of the exposed mice to develop thymic lymphomas between 3 and 10 months. However, when the exposed mice are grafted with bone marrow cells from normal donors, the development of thymic lymphomas on the exposed mice is greatly inhibited. There was a clear dose response relationship between the number of bone marrow cells injected and the inhibition of the development of thymic lymphomas. It now appears clear that T cell-mediated immunological surveillance against newly arising neoplasms conceived by Thomas and Burnet does not hold true anymore in the original form, although virus-infected host cells and other host cells expressing altered-self' markers on their cell surfaces are constantly monitored by the immunological surveillance mechanism. A surveillance function against newly arising neoplasms may be a property of surrounding normal tissue cells rather

  2. Objective Physiological Measurements but Not Subjective Reports Moderate the Effect of Hunger on Choice Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabat-Simon, Maytal; Shuster, Anastasia; Sela, Tal; Levy, Dino J.

    2018-01-01

    Hunger is a powerful driver of human behavior, and is therefore of great interest to the study of psychology, economics, and consumer behavior. Assessing hunger levels in experiments is often biased, when using self-report methods, or complex, when using blood tests. We propose a novel way of objectively measuring subjects’ levels of hunger by identifying levels of alpha-amylase (AA) enzyme in their saliva samples. We used this measure to uncover the effect of hunger on different types of choice behaviors. We found that hunger increases risk-seeking behavior in a lottery-choice task, modifies levels of vindictiveness in a social decision-making task, but does not have a detectible effect on economic inconsistency in a budget-set choice task. Importantly, these findings were moderated by AA levels and not by self-report measures. We demonstrate the effects hunger has on choice behavior and the problematic nature of subjective measures of physiological states, and propose to use reliable and valid biologically based methods to overcome these problems. PMID:29875715

  3. Immunology of age-related macular degeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambati, Jayakrishna; Atkinson, John P.; Gelfand, Bradley D.

    2014-01-01

    Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in aged individuals. Recent advances have highlighted the essential role of immune processes in the development, progression and treatment of AMD. In this Review we discuss recent discoveries related to the immunological aspects of AMD pathogenesis. We outline the diverse immune cell types, inflammatory activators and pathways that are involved. Finally, we discuss the future of inflammation-directed therapeutics to treat AMD in the growing aged population. PMID:23702979

  4. Immunological response to quadrivalent HPV vaccine in treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjon Pian Gi, Robin E A; San Giorgi, Michel R M; Pawlita, Michael; Michel, Angelika; van Hemel, Bettien M; Schuuring, Ed M D; van den Heuvel, Edwin R; van der Laan, Bernard F A M; Dikkers, Frederik G

    2016-10-01

    Aim of this study was to explore influence of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil(®)) on the immune status of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) patients. In retrospective observational study, six RRP patients who received the quadrivalent HPV vaccine and whose HPV seroreactivity was measured were included. Multiplex HPV Serology was used to determine HPV-specific antibodies pre- and post-vaccination. Surgical interventions and patient records were analyzed. Five HPV6 and 1 HPV11 infected patient were included. Mean antibody reactivity against the associated HPV type rose from 1125 median fluorescence intensity (MFI) pre-vaccination to 4690 MFI post-vaccination (p immunological increase can cause decrease in number of surgeries.

  5. INFLUENCE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ON CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.L. Nastausheva

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Clinical and immunological status has been evaluated in 85 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA before and after physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis with dimexid and magnetotherapy. The control group of 31 children did not follow physiotherapeutic procedures. The following results were fixed: clinical indices and immunological status of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis have been changed in a larger degree in case of magnetotherapy.

  6. Intestinal parasitic infections in HIV/AIDS patients: epidemiological, nutritional and immunological aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    FAM Amâncio

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study applied a socioeconomic questionnaire designed to evaluate the frequency of intestinal parasites and characterize epidemiological, nutritional, and immunological variables in 105 HIV/AIDS patients - with and without parasitic infections, attending the Day Hospital in Botucatu, UNESP, from 2007 to 2008. Body mass index was calculated and the following tests performed: parasitological stool examinations; eosinophil, IgE, CD4+ T and CD8+ T lymphocyte cell counts; albumin test; viral load measure; and TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-5 and IL-10 cytokine levels. Results were positive for parasitic intestinal infections in 12.4% of individuals. Most patients had good socioeconomic conditions with basic sanitation, urban dwellings, treated water supply and sewage, good nutritional and immunological status and were undergoing HAART. Parasites were found at the following frequencies: Entamoeba - five patients (38.5%, Giardia lamblia - four (30.7%, Blastocystis hominis - three (23.0%, Endolimax nana - two (15.4%, and Ascaris lumbricoides - one (7.7%. There were no significant differences between the two groups for eosinophils, albumin, IgE, CD4+ T and CD8+ T lymphocytes, INF-γ, IL-2, or IL-10. Most patients also showed undetectable viral load levels. Significant differences were found for TNF-α and IL-5. These results show the importance of new studies on immunodeficient individuals to increase understanding of such variables.

  7. The emergence of Applied Physiology within the discipline of Physiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tipton, Charles M

    2016-08-01

    Despite the availability and utilization of the physiology textbooks authored by Albrecht von Haller during the 18th century that heralded the modern age of physiology, not all physicians or physiologists were satisfied with its presentation, contents, or application to medicine. Initial reasons were fundamental disagreements between the "mechanists," represented by Boerhaave, Robinson, and von Haller, and the "vitalists," represented by the faculty and graduates of the Montpellier School of Medicine in France, notably, Bordeu and Barthez. Subsequently, objections originated from Europe, United Kingdom, and the United States in publications that focused not only on the teaching of physiology to medical and secondary students, but on the specific applications of the content of physiology to medicine, health, hygiene, pathology, and chronic diseases. At the turn of the 20th century, texts began to appear with applied physiology in their titles and in 1926, physician Samson Wright published a textbook entitled Applied Physiology that was intended for both medical students and the medical profession. Eleven years later, physicians Best and Taylor published The Physiological Basis of Medical Practice: A University of Toronto Texbook in Applied Physiology Although both sets of authors defined the connection between applied physiology and physiology, they failed to define the areas of physiology that were included within applied physiology. This was accomplished by the American Physiological Society (APS) Publications Committee in 1948 with the publication of the Journal of Appplied Physiology, that stated the word "applied" would broadly denote human physiology whereas the terms stress and environment would broadly include work, exercise, plus industrial, climatic and social factors. NIH established a study section (SS) devoted to applied physiology in 1964 which remained active until 2001 when it became amalgamated into other SSs. Before the end of the 20th century when

  8. Interpretation of physiological indicators of motivation: Caveats and recommendations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richter, Michael; Slade, Kate

    2017-09-01

    Motivation scientists employing physiological measures to gather information about motivation-related states are at risk of committing two fundamental errors: overstating the inferences that can be drawn from their physiological measures and circular reasoning. We critically discuss two complementary approaches, Cacioppo and colleagues' model of psychophysiological relations and construct validation theory, to highlight the conditions under which these errors are committed and provide guidance on how to avoid them. In particular, we demonstrate that the direct inference from changes in a physiological measure to changes in a motivation-related state requires the demonstration that the measure is not related to other relevant psychological states. We also point out that circular reasoning can be avoided by separating the definition of the motivation-related state from the hypotheses that are empirically tested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Measuring positive and negative affect and physiological hyperarousal among Serbian youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevanovic, Dejan; Laurent, Jeff; Lakic, Aneta

    2013-01-01

    This study extended previous cross-cultural work regarding the tripartite model of anxiety and depression by developing Serbian translations of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children (PANAS-C), the Physiological Hyperarousal Scale for Children (PH-C), and the Affect and Arousal Scale (AFARS). Characteristics of the scales were examined using 449 students (M age = 12.61 years). Applying item retention criteria established in other studies, PH-C, PANAS-C, and AFARS translations with psychometric properties similar to English-language versions were identified. Preliminary validation of the scales was conducted using a subset of 194 students (M age = 12.37 years) who also completed measures of anxiety and depression. Estimates of reliability, patterns of correlations among scales, and age and gender differences were consistent with previous studies with English-speaking samples. Findings regarding scale validity were mixed, although consistent with existing literature. Serbian translations of the PH-C, PANAS-C, and AFARS mirror the original English-language scales in terms of both strengths and weaknesses.

  10. The changes of the immunological indexes in the patients with bone metastases treated with 89SrCl2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yong; Fang Na

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To study the influence of 89 SrCl 2 on the immunological functions in the patients with bone metastases. Methods: Forty-two patients with proved bone metastases were treated with 89 SrCl 2 and according to the final therapeutic efficiency for the metastatic lesions, the patients were divided into efficacious and inefficacious group. Twenty untreated healthy adults served as control group. The T lymphocyte subsets CD 4 + , CD 8 + , CD 4 + /CD 8 + were analyzed before and after 89 SrCl 2 treatment. Results: The immunological indexes were not significantly different between the two patient groups before the therapy of 89 SrCl 2 . The indexes between the controls and patients before and after the therapy were different significantly (P 89 SrCl 2 , 37 (88.10%) patients' immunological functions were improved, 33 patients (78.57%) stated that their pain were effectively relieved, 29 (69.05%) patients' bone metastatic lesions reduced. Conclusions: The immunological functions in the patients with bone metastases were inhibited obviously. Treating with 89 SrCl 2 can improve their immunological functions to a certain extent. The recovery level of the inefficacious patients was lower than that of the efficacious patients. The changes of immunological functions can reflect the therapeutical effectiveness. (authors)

  11. Human tumour xenografts established and serially transplanted in mice immunologically deprived by thymectomy, cytosine arabinoside and whole-body irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selby, P.J.; Thomas, J.M.; Peckham, M.J.

    1980-01-01

    Mice immunologically deprived by thymectomy, cytosine arabinoside treatment and whole-body irradiation were used to study the growth of human tumours as xenografts. 10/16 melanoma biopsies, 4/13 ovarian carcinoma biopsies and 3/6 uterine cancer biopsies grew as serially transplantable xenograft lines. The tumour lines were studied through serial passages by histology, histo-chemistry, electron microscopy, chromosome analysis, immune fluorescence, growth rate measurement and mitotic counts. They retained the characteristics of the tumours of origin, with the exception of loss of pigmentation in two melanomas, histological dedifferentiation in the uterine carcinomas, and increased mitotic frequency and growth rate in some melanomas. It was concluded that this type of animal preparation is as useful as alternative methods of immunological deprivation, or as athymic nude mice, for the growth of human tumour xenografts, at least for some experimental purposes. (author)

  12. The host immunological response to cancer therapy: An emerging concept in tumor biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voloshin, Tali; Voest, Emile E.; Shaked, Yuval

    2013-01-01

    Almost any type of anti-cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted drugs can induce host molecular and cellular immunological effects which, in turn, can lead to tumor outgrowth and relapse despite an initial successful therapy outcome. Tumor relapse due to host immunological effects is attributed to angiogenesis, tumor cell dissemination from the primary tumors and seeding at metastatic sites. This short review will describe the types of host cells that participate in this process, the types of factors secreted from the host following therapy that can promote tumor re-growth, and the possible implications of this unique and yet only partially-known process. It is postulated that blocking these specific immunological effects in the reactive host in response to cancer therapy may aid in identifying new host-dependent targets for cancer, which in combination with conventional treatments can prolong therapy efficacy and extend survival. Additional studies investigating this specific research direction—both in preclinical models and in the clinical setting are essential in order to advance our understanding of how tumors relapse and evade therapy. -- Highlights: • Cancer therapy induces host molecular and cellular pro-tumorigenic effects. • Host effects in response to therapy may promote tumor relapse and metastasis. • The reactive host consists of immunological mediators promoting tumor re-growth. • Blocking therapy-induced host mediators may improve outcome

  13. The host immunological response to cancer therapy: An emerging concept in tumor biology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Voloshin, Tali [Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Rappaport Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, 1 Efron Street, Bat Galim, Haifa 31096 (Israel); Voest, Emile E. [Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Shaked, Yuval, E-mail: yshaked@tx.technion.ac.il [Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Rappaport Institute, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, 1 Efron Street, Bat Galim, Haifa 31096 (Israel)

    2013-07-01

    Almost any type of anti-cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted drugs can induce host molecular and cellular immunological effects which, in turn, can lead to tumor outgrowth and relapse despite an initial successful therapy outcome. Tumor relapse due to host immunological effects is attributed to angiogenesis, tumor cell dissemination from the primary tumors and seeding at metastatic sites. This short review will describe the types of host cells that participate in this process, the types of factors secreted from the host following therapy that can promote tumor re-growth, and the possible implications of this unique and yet only partially-known process. It is postulated that blocking these specific immunological effects in the reactive host in response to cancer therapy may aid in identifying new host-dependent targets for cancer, which in combination with conventional treatments can prolong therapy efficacy and extend survival. Additional studies investigating this specific research direction—both in preclinical models and in the clinical setting are essential in order to advance our understanding of how tumors relapse and evade therapy. -- Highlights: • Cancer therapy induces host molecular and cellular pro-tumorigenic effects. • Host effects in response to therapy may promote tumor relapse and metastasis. • The reactive host consists of immunological mediators promoting tumor re-growth. • Blocking therapy-induced host mediators may improve outcome.

  14. Allergy-immunology glossary | El-Sayed | Egyptian Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Towards a clear designation of some of the terms used in allergology and immunology. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about ...

  15. Domestication and tameness: brain gene expression in red junglefowl selected for less fear of humans suggests effects on reproduction and immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bélteky, Johan; Agnvall, Beatrix; Johnsson, Martin; Wright, Dominic; Jensen, Per

    2016-08-01

    The domestication of animals has generated a set of phenotypic modifications, affecting behaviour, appearance, physiology and reproduction, which are consistent across a range of species. We hypothesized that some of these phenotypes could have evolved because of genetic correlation to tameness, an essential trait for successful domestication. Starting from an outbred population of red junglefowl, ancestor of all domestic chickens, we selected birds for either high or low fear of humans for five generations. Birds from the fifth selected generation (S 5 ) showed a divergent pattern of growth and reproduction, where low fear chickens grew larger and produced larger offspring. To examine underlying genetic mechanisms, we used microarrays to study gene expression in thalamus/hypothalamus, a brain region involved in fear and stress, in both the parental generation and the S 5 . While parents of the selection lines did not show any differentially expressed genes, there were a total of 33 genes with adjusted p -values below 0.1 in S 5 . These were mainly related to sperm-function, immunological functions, with only a few known to be relevant to behaviour. Hence, five generations of divergent selection for fear of humans produced changes in hypothalamic gene expression profiles related to pathways associated with male reproduction and to immunology. This may be linked to the effects seen on growth and size of offspring. These results support the hypothesis that domesticated phenotypes may evolve because of correlated effects related to reduced fear of humans.

  16. Science and Measurement Requirements for a Plant Physiology and Functional Types Mission: Measuring the Composition, Function and Health of Global Land and Coastal Ocean Ecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Robert O.; Rogez, Francois; Green, Rob; Ungar, Steve; Knox, Robert; Asner, Greg; Muller-Karger, Frank; Bissett, Paul; Chekalyuk, Alex; Dierssen, Heidi; hide

    2007-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the proposed Plant Physiology and Functional Types (PPFT) Mission. The National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey, placed a critical priority on a Mission to observe distribution and changes in ecosystem functions. The PPFT satellite mission provides the essential measurements needed to assess drivers of change in biodiversity and ecosystem services that affect human welfare. The presentation reviews the science questions that the mission will be designed to answer, the science rationale, the science measurements, the mission concept, the planned instrumentation, the calibration method, and key signal to noise ratios and uniformity requirements.

  17. 76 FR 55398 - Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee: Notice of Postponement of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0002] Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee: Notice of Postponement of Meeting AGENCY... postponing the meeting of the Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee scheduled...

  18. Relationship between surgery, chemotherapy, irradiation and immunological state in patients of laryngeal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krajina, Z.; Kosokovic, F.; Bolanca, S.; Bumber, Z.

    1980-01-01

    The relationship between surgery, chemotherapy irradiation and the immunological state in patients of laryngeal cancer with or without metastasis was investigated. The lymphocyte reaction to PHA (Phytohaemagglutinin) stimulation and T-lymphocyte count was examined before and immediately after the therapy in 66 patients divided into three groups. From the results the authors conclude that surgical treatment, partial or total laryngectomy, with or without radical Neckdissection influence the immunological state of the patients at least chemotherapy more and irradiation at most. (orig.) [de

  19. Polish scientists in fish immunology: a short history : review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Muiswinkel, van W.B.; Pilarczyk, A.

    2015-01-01

    This review describes the role played by Polish scientists in the field of fish immunology and vaccination starting around 1900. In the early days, most publications were dealing with a description of relevant cells and organs in fish. Functional studies (phagocytosis, antibody response) came later

  20. Highlights of the 8th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veterinary immunologists have expanded understanding of the immune systems for our companion animals and developed new vaccines and therapeutics. This manuscript summarizes the highlights of the 8th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (8 th IVIS) held August 15th-19th, 2007, in Ouro Preto,...

  1. The lymphopenic mouse in immunology: from patron to pariah.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Nevil J; Schwartz, Ronald H

    2006-12-01

    A recent surge of interest in the behavior of T and B cells in lymphopenic model systems has resurrected a certain cynicism about the validity of using such models to answer important immunological questions. Here we discuss this skepticism in a broader historical context.

  2. Involvement of immunologic and biochemical mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landau, Yuval Eliahu; Steinberg, Tamar; Richmand, Brian; Leckman, James Frederick; Apter, Alan

    2014-01-01

    Tourette's syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder clinically characterized by multiple motor and phonic tics. It is likely that a neurobiological susceptibility to the disorder is established during development by the interaction of genetic, biochemical, immunological, and environmental factors. This study sought to investigate the possible correlation of several immunological and biochemical markers with Tourette's syndrome. Children with Tourette's syndrome attending a tertiary pediatric medical center from May 2008 to April 2010, and healthy age-matched control subjects underwent a comprehensive biochemical and immunological work-up. Demographic data were abstracted from the medical records. Findings were compared between the groups and analyzed statistically. Sixty-eight children with Tourette's syndrome (58 males, 85.3%) and 36 healthy children (25 males, 69.4%) were recruited. Compared with the control group, the Tourette's syndrome group had significantly higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.01) and hemoglobin (p = 0.02), a lower level of zinc (p = 0.05), and a lower percentage of non-ceruloplasmin copper (p = 0.01). Analysis of the immunological markers revealed no significant between-group differences in IgA, IgM or IgG; however, IgE and IgG-4 levels were significantly higher in the Tourette's syndrome group (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). Children with Tourette's syndrome have high levels of biochemical indices of oxidative stress and the quantitative immunoglobulins. These findings add to the still-limited knowledge on the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome and may have implications for the development of novel therapeutic modalities. PMID:22139323

  3. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice - 2016 Year in Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schatz, Michael; Sicherer, Scott H; Zeiger, Robert S

    As editors, we concluded that it would be helpful to our readers to write a Year in Review article that highlights the Review, Original, and Clinical Communication articles published in 2016 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. We summarized articles on the topics of asthma, rhinitis/rhinosinusitis, food allergy, anaphylaxis, drug allergy, urticarial/angioedema, eosinophilic disorders, and immunodeficiency. Within each topic, epidemiologic findings are presented, relevant aspects of prevention are described, and diagnostic and therapeutic advances are enumerated. Diagnostic tools described include history, skin tests, and in vitro tests. Treatments discussed include behavioral therapy, allergen avoidance therapy, positive and negative effects of pharmacologic therapy, and various forms of immunologic and desensitization management. We hope this review will help you, our readers, consolidate and use this extensive and practical knowledge for the benefit of your patients. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Who is on guard for harmony? On harmony, phagocytes and immunological identity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek S. Podgórski

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this introduction is to outline certain historical and theoretical frames of modern immunology. Immunology as a discipline that has been shaped relatively recently attempts to explain all kinds of phenomena safeguarding the integrity of an organism. An organism is understood as a complex multi-system structure developed in the course of evolution. In the case of such a broad sense concept of immunity a penetrating discussion is required. Thus, biology philosophers as well as scientists – immunologists, for nearly 50. years have been analysing the basic definitions, which led them to interesting conclusions.

  5. Invasive physiological indices to determine the functional significance of coronary stenosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firas R. AL-Obaidi

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Physiological measurements are now commonly used to assess coronary lesions in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, and this practice is evidence-based and supported by clinical guidelines. Fractional flow reserve is currently the gold standard method to determine whether coronary lesions are functionally significant, and is used to guide revascularization. There are however several other physiological measurements that have been proposed as alternatives to the fractional flow reserve. This review aims to comprehensively discuss physiological indices that can be used in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory to determine the functional significance of coronary lesions. We will focus on their advantages and disadvantages, and the current evidence supporting their use. Keywords: Coronary physiology, Fractional flow reserve, Resting physiological indices, Coronary flow reserve

  6. Re-evaluation of the immunological Big Bang.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flajnik, Martin F

    2014-11-03

    Classically the immunological 'Big Bang' of adaptive immunity was believed to have resulted from the insertion of a transposon into an immunoglobulin superfamily gene member, initiating antigen receptor gene rearrangement via the RAG recombinase in an ancestor of jawed vertebrates. However, the discovery of a second, convergent adaptive immune system in jawless fish, focused on the so-called variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs), was arguably the most exciting finding of the past decade in immunology and has drastically changed the view of immune origins. The recent report of a new lymphocyte lineage in lampreys, defined by the antigen receptor VLRC, suggests that there were three lymphocyte lineages in the common ancestor of jawless and jawed vertebrates that co-opted different antigen receptor supertypes. The transcriptional control of these lineages during development is predicted to be remarkably similar in both the jawless (agnathan) and jawed (gnathostome) vertebrates, suggesting that an early 'division of labor' among lymphocytes was a driving force in the emergence of adaptive immunity. The recent cartilaginous fish genome project suggests that most effector cytokines and chemokines were also present in these fish, and further studies of the lamprey and hagfish genomes will determine just how explosive the Big Bang actually was. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Biomonitoring of physiological status and cognitive performance of underway submariners undergoing a novel watch-standing schedule

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duplessis, C. A.; Cullum, M. E.; Crepeau, L. J.

    2005-05-01

    Submarine watch-standers adhere to a 6 hour-on, 12 hour-off (6/12) watch-standing schedule, yoking them to an 18-hr day, engendering circadian desynchronization and chronic sleep deprivation. Moreover, the chronic social crowding, shift work, and confinement of submarine life provide additional stressors known to correlate with elevated secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and cortisol levels, reduced performance, immunologic dysfunction, malignancies, infections, gastrointestinal illness, coronary disease, anxiety, and depression. We evaluated an alternative, compressed, fixed work schedule designed to enhance circadian rhythm entrainment, sleep hygiene, performance, and health on 10 underway submariners, who followed the alternative and 6/12 schedules for approximately 2 weeks each. We measured subjects" sleep, cognitive performance, and salivary biomarker levels. Pilot analysis of the salivary data on one subject utilizing ELISA suggests elevated biomarker levels of stress. Average PM cortisol levels were 0.2 μg/L (normal range: nondetectable - 0.15 μg/L), and mean sIgA levels were 562 μg/ml (normal range: 100-500 μg/ml). Future research exploiting real-time salivary bioassays, via fluorescent polarimetry technology, identified by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) as a future Naval requirement, allows researchers to address correlations between stress-induced elaboration of salivary biomarkers with physiological and performance decrements, thereby fostering insight into the underway submariner"s psychoimmunological status. This may help identify strategies that enhance resilience to stressors. Specifically, empirically-based modeling can identify optimal watch-standing schedules and stress-mitigating procedures -- within the operational constraints of the submarine milieu and the mission --that foster improved circadian entrainment and reduced stress reactivity, enhancing physiological health, operational performance, safety, and job satisfaction.

  8. Modulation of the ISFET response by an immunological reaction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schasfoort, Richardus B.M.; Bergveld, Piet; Bomer, Johan G.; Kooyman, R.P.H.; Greve, Jan

    1989-01-01

    A new method is presented for the detection of an immunological reaction in a membrane. Antigens (or antibodies) are taken up in a porous membrane, which covers the gate area of an ISFET. By stepwise changing of the electrolyte concentration, a transient transport of ions through the

  9. Relationship between maternal immunological response during pregnancy and onset of preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Varea, Alicia; Pellicer, Begoña; Perales-Marín, Alfredo; Pellicer, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Maternofetal immune tolerance is essential to maintain pregnancy. The maternal immunological tolerance to the semiallogeneic fetus becomes greater in egg donation pregnancies with unrelated donors as the complete fetal genome is allogeneic to the mother. Instead of being rejected, the allogeneic fetus is tolerated by the pregnant woman in egg donation pregnancies. It has been reported that maternal morbidity during egg donation pregnancies is higher as compared with spontaneous or in vitro fertilization pregnancies. Particularly, egg donation pregnancies are associated with a higher incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension and placental pathology. Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific disease characterized by the development of both hypertension and proteinuria, remains the leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this review is to characterize and relate the maternofetal immunological tolerance phenomenon during pregnancies with a semiallogenic fetus, which are the spontaneously conceived pregnancies and in vitro fertilization pregnancies, and those with an allogeneic fetus or egg donation pregnancies. Maternofetal immune tolerance in uncomplicated pregnancies and pathological pregnancies, such as those with preeclampsia, has also been assessed. Moreover, whether an inadequate maternal immunological response to the allogenic fetus could lead to a higher prevalence of preeclampsia in egg donation pregnancies has been addressed.

  10. Immunology teaching by incorporating knowledge from theater and music

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha Elisa Ferreira Almeida

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The Immunology knowledge is important to therapeutic prevention of several diseases. The aim of this study was present a teaching methodology of Immunology and verify its efficacy as the knowledge acquisition by the participants of an event. To assess the progress of knowledge by the participants as well the use of the play and sung music, each participant fill a questionnaire, containing ten questions, before and after the presentation. The results were evaluated by paired T test at 5%. In both types there was knowledge incorporation after the play activity because the notes after the event were statistically higher. The participants remained attentive and praised the event. The knowledge showed by most of participants was considered lower and regular before the event and after the ludic activities they showed higher grades which categorized knowledge as regular and high. It was concluded that the methodology used contributed with knowledge acquisition and could contribute with the cultural and social education of the participants.

  11. Disturbances of immunological homeostasis induced by radioactive iodine agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anokhin, Yu.N.; Norets, T.A.

    1986-01-01

    (CBAxC57B1/6)F 1 mice were injected with 125 I and 131 I-sodium iodide at a dose of 5.74x10 4 Bq/g. For a long time after such treatment the animals manifested an increased level of spleen cells humoral immune response to a foreign antigen (sheep erythrocytes). The autoreactivity of spleen and lymph node lymphocytes to autologous erythrocytes was also elevated. At the same time the selective migration of 51 Cr-labeled spleen lymphocytes to the peripheral lymphoid organs was suppressed. The use of a model system of adoptive cell transfer revealed an increase in the functional activity of cells suppressing a humoral response in mice treated with radiopharmaceuticals. The most pronounced disturbances of immunological reactivity in mice took place 6 mos. after the beginning of the experiment. The results obtained indicated that mechanisms of immune response regulation played a certain role in disturbances of immunological homeostasis induced by radioactive iodine agents

  12. Studies on the specificity of immunological reactions of synthetic and natural Thomsen-Friedenreich antigens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoeppner, W.

    1982-01-01

    A number of derivatives of disaccharide β-D-Gal-(1,3)-D-GalNAc, the carbohydrate component of T-antigen, and four different synthetic antigens having this disaccharide structure have been investigated. The immunological reactions with native human antibodies and rabbit immune antibodies have been studied in the haemagglutination inhibition test and in RIA. The findings are relevant to the use of synthetic carbohydrate antigens as model substances for immunological studies. (orig./MG) [de

  13. [Physiology in Relation to Anesthesia Practice: Preface and Comments].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Yoshitsugu

    2016-05-01

    It has been long recognized that anesthesia practice is profoundly based in physiology. With the advance of the technology of imaging, measurement and information, a serious gap has emerged between anesthesia mainly handling gross systemic parameters and molecular physiology. One of the main reasons is the lack of establishment of integration approach. This special series of reviews deals with systems physiology covering respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. It also includes metabolism, and fluid, acid-base, and electrolyte balance. Each review focuses on several physiological concepts in each area, explaining current understanding and limits of the concepts based on the new findings. They reaffirm the importance of applying physiological inference in anesthesia practice and underscore the needs of advancement of systems physiology.

  14. Immunological Deregulation in Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romano, Alessandra; Vetro, Calogero; Caocci, Giovanni; Greco, Marianna; Parrinello, Nunziatina Laura; Di Raimondo, Francesco; La Nasa, Giorgio

    2014-01-01

    Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) has a unique histology since only a few neoplastic cells are surrounded by inflammatory accessory cells that in the last years have emerged as crucial players in sustaining the course of disease. In addition, recent studies suggest that the abnormal activity of these inflammatory cells (such as deregulation in regulatory T cells signaling, expansion of myeloid derived suppressor cells, HLA-G signaling and natural killer cells dysfunction) may have prognostic significance. This review is focused on summarizing recent advanced in immunological defects in cHL with translational implications. PMID:24959336

  15. Students' Motivation toward Laboratory Work in Physiology Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dohn, Niels Bonderup; Fago, Angela; Overgaard, Johannes; Madsen, Peter Teglberg; Malte, Hans

    2016-01-01

    The laboratory has been given a central role in physiology education, and teachers report that it is motivating for students to undertake experimental work on live animals or measuring physiological responses on the students themselves. Since motivation is a critical variable for academic learning and achievement, then we must concern ourselves…

  16. , 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms (ID 960, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), and stimulation of immunological responses (ID 962, 968, 970, 972, 976, 984, 986, 995, 997, 999, 1007, 1015) (further, assessment) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tetens, Inge

    Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to provide a scientific opinion on health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 in the framework of further assessment related to various microorganisms...... and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients, decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms, and stimulation of immunological responses. The food constituents, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis THT 010801, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis THT 010201...... 030802, Lactobacillus salivarius THT 031001 and Streptococcus thermophilus THT 070102, are sufficiently characterised. The evidence provided did not establish that the proposed claimed effect, stimulation of immunological responses, is a beneficial physiological effect. The references provided...

  17. Summary of the primer on tumor immunology and the biological therapy of cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margolin Kim

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBTc is one of the "premier destinations for interaction and innovation in the cancer biologics community". It provides a primer course each year during the annual meeting to address the most important areas of tumor immunology and immunotherapy. The course has been given by prominent investigators in the area of interest, covering the core principles of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. The target audience for this program includes investigators from academic, regulatory, and biopharmaceutical venues. The program goal is to enable the attendees to learn the current status and the most recent advances in biologic therapies, and to leverage this knowledge towards the improvement of cancer therapy. The 2008 immunologic primer course was held on October 30 at the 23rd Annual meeting of iSBTc in San Diego, CA. Nine internationally renowned investigators gave excellent presentations on different topics. The topics covered in this primer included: (1 cytokines in cancer immunology; (2 anti-angiogenic therapy; (3 end stage: immune killing of tumors; (4 blocking T cell checkpoints; (5 approach to identification and therapeutic exploitation of tumor antigens; (6 T regulatory cells; (7 adoptive T cell therapy; (8 immune monitoring of cancer immunotherapy; and (9 immune adjuvants. We summarized the topics in this primer for public education. The related topic slides and schedule can be accessed online http://www.isbtc.org/meetings/am08/primer08.

  18. Physiological blunting during pregnancy extends to induced relaxation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPietro, Janet A; Mendelson, Tamar; Williams, Erica L; Costigan, Kathleen A

    2012-01-01

    There is accumulating evidence that pregnancy is accompanied by hyporesponsivity to physical, cognitive, and psychological challenges. This study evaluates whether observed autonomic blunting extends to conditions designed to decrease arousal. Physiological and psychological responsivity to an 18-min guided imagery relaxation protocol in healthy pregnant women during the 32nd week of gestation (n=54) and non-pregnant women (n=28) was measured. Data collection included heart period (HP), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), tonic and phasic measures of skin conductance (SCL and NS-SCR), respiratory period (RP), and self-reported psychological relaxation. As expected, responses to the manipulation included increased HP, RSA, and RP and decreased SCL and NS-SCR, followed by post-manipulation recovery. However, responsivity was attenuated for all physiological measures except RP in pregnant women, despite no difference in self-reported psychological relaxation. Findings support non-specific blunting of physiological responsivity during pregnancy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Immunological Response of Hiv-Infected Children to Highly Active ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in children has not been well studied specially in developing countries where the burden of HIV is high. This study was aimed to assess the immunologic response of HIV-infected children to HAART at Pediatric ART Clinic Gondar University ...

  20. Kinetics and clonality of immunological memory in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beverley, Peter C L

    2004-10-01

    T-cell immunological memory consists largely of clones of proliferating lymphocytes maintained by antigenic stimulation and the survival and proliferative effects of cytokines. The duration of survival of memory clones in humans is determine by the Hayflick limit on the number of cell divisions, the rate of cycling of memory cells and factors that control erosion of telomeres, including mechanisms that control telomerase.

  1. Nasal Physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Caregivers Contact ARS HOME ANATOMY Nasal Anatomy Sinus Anatomy Nasal Physiology Nasal Endoscopy Skull Base Anatomy Virtual Anatomy Disclosure ... Patient Education About this Website Font Size + - Home > ANATOMY > Nasal Physiology Nasal Anatomy Sinus Anatomy Nasal Physiology Nasal Endoscopy ...

  2. Therapeutic Effects of Bee Venom on Immunological and Neurological Diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Deok-Sang; Kim, Sun Kwang; Bae, Hyunsu

    2015-06-29

    Bee Venom (BV) has long been used in Korea to relieve pain symptoms and to treat inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The underlying mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions of BV have been proved to some extent. Additionally, recent clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that BV and BV-derived active components are applicable to a wide range of immunological and neurodegenerative diseases, including autoimmune diseases and Parkinson's disease. These effects of BV are known to be mediated by modulating immune cells in the periphery, and glial cells and neurons in the central nervous system. This review will introduce the scientific evidence of the therapeutic effects of BV and its components on several immunological and neurological diseases, and describe their detailed mechanisms involved in regulating various immune responses and pathological changes in glia and neurons.

  3. Advances in mechanisms of asthma, allergy, and immunology in 2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyce, Joshua A; Bochner, Bruce; Finkelman, Fred D; Rothenberg, Marc E

    2012-02-01

    2011 was marked by rapid progress in the identification of basic mechanisms of allergic disease and the translation of these mechanisms into human cell systems. Studies published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology this year provided new insights into the molecular determinants of allergenicity, as well as the environmental, cellular, and genetic factors involved in sensitization to allergens. Several articles focused on mechanisms of allergen immunotherapy and the development of novel strategies to achieve tolerance to allergens. Additional studies identified substantial contributions from T(H)17-type cells and cytokines to human disease pathogenesis. Finally, new therapeutic applications of anti-IgE were identified. The highlights of these studies and their potential clinical implications are summarized in this review. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. An interactive web application for the dissemination of human systems immunology data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speake, Cate; Presnell, Scott; Domico, Kelly; Zeitner, Brad; Bjork, Anna; Anderson, David; Mason, Michael J; Whalen, Elizabeth; Vargas, Olivia; Popov, Dimitry; Rinchai, Darawan; Jourde-Chiche, Noemie; Chiche, Laurent; Quinn, Charlie; Chaussabel, Damien

    2015-06-19

    Systems immunology approaches have proven invaluable in translational research settings. The current rate at which large-scale datasets are generated presents unique challenges and opportunities. Mining aggregates of these datasets could accelerate the pace of discovery, but new solutions are needed to integrate the heterogeneous data types with the contextual information that is necessary for interpretation. In addition, enabling tools and technologies facilitating investigators' interaction with large-scale datasets must be developed in order to promote insight and foster knowledge discovery. State of the art application programming was employed to develop an interactive web application for browsing and visualizing large and complex datasets. A collection of human immune transcriptome datasets were loaded alongside contextual information about the samples. We provide a resource enabling interactive query and navigation of transcriptome datasets relevant to human immunology research. Detailed information about studies and samples are displayed dynamically; if desired the associated data can be downloaded. Custom interactive visualizations of the data can be shared via email or social media. This application can be used to browse context-rich systems-scale data within and across systems immunology studies. This resource is publicly available online at [Gene Expression Browser Landing Page ( https://gxb.benaroyaresearch.org/dm3/landing.gsp )]. The source code is also available openly [Gene Expression Browser Source Code ( https://github.com/BenaroyaResearch/gxbrowser )]. We have developed a data browsing and visualization application capable of navigating increasingly large and complex datasets generated in the context of immunological studies. This intuitive tool ensures that, whether taken individually or as a whole, such datasets generated at great effort and expense remain interpretable and a ready source of insight for years to come.

  5. DMPD: Adipose tissue as an immunological organ: Toll-like receptors, C1q/TNFs andCTRPs. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 17681884 Adipose tissue as an immunological organ: Toll-like receptors, C1q/TNFs an...ng) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show Adipose tissue as an immunological organ: Toll-like receptors, C1q/TNFs andC...TRPs. PubmedID 17681884 Title Adipose tissue as an immunological organ: Toll-like

  6. Clinical and immunological research of qualities of antimicrobial disepidermic cryolyophylized xenoderm grafts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serhii Nazarchuk

    2015-08-01

    3Vinnytsya National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Department of Microbiology, Virology and Immunology Abstract In the article the results of the research of immunological changes after the using of antimicrobial disepidermic cryolyophilized xenoderm grafts in the model of intestinal anastomosis forming; clinical effectiveness of their use for prevention intestinal sutures’ and anastomosis’ insolvency in patients with oncological pathology are presented. In experiment, it is shown, that while using DCXG the essential changes of local immune reactivity have place. It is proved  that  the tendency of unevenly and not proportionally increasing of cells with main classes Ig A, Ig M, Ig G, Ig E shows highly active and non-stable local immunologic reactions of intestinal mucosa on using DCXG; the intensity of local immune reactions significantly decreases by the 25th day and is nearby to normal ones. DCXG were used in 50 patients, who underwent surgery in Khmelnytskyi Regional Clinical Oncological Dispensary and Khmelnytskyi Regional Clinical Hospital in 2009–2013 years. The incidence of purulent-inflammatory complications of intestinal anastomosis’ insolvency in the main group of patients was above 4,3 % and 16 % in control one. Key words: sutures’ insolvency, anastomosis, xenoderm grafts, antimicrobial materials.

  7. Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroko Kuriyama

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available This preliminary investigation compares peripheral blood cell counts including red blood cells (RBCs, white blood cells (WBCs, neutrophils, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs, CD4+, CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, hematocrit, humoral parameters including serum interferon-γ and interleukin-6, salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA. Psychological measures including the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS between recipients (n = 11 of carrier oil massage and aromatherapy massage, which includes sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cypress oil and sweet marjoram oil. Though both STAI and SDS showed a significant reduction (P 0.05 increase in PBLs, possibly due to an increase in CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, which had significantly increased post-treatment (P < 0.01. Consequently, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.01. The paucity of such differences after carrier oil massage suggests that aromatherapy massage could be beneficial in disease states that require augmentation of CD8+ lymphocytes. While this study identifies the immunological benefits of aromatherapy massage, there is a need to validate the findings prospectively in a larger cohort of patients.

  8. The role of EMMPRIN in T cell biology and immunological diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hahn, Jennifer Nancy; Kaushik, Deepak Kumar; Yong, V Wee

    2015-07-01

    EMMPRIN (CD147), originally described as an inducer of the expression of MMPs, has gained attention in its involvement in various immunologic diseases, such that anti-EMMPRIN antibodies are considered as potential therapeutic medications. Given that MMPs are involved in the pathogenesis of various disease states, it is relevant that targeting an upstream inducer would make for an effective therapeutic strategy. Additionally, EMMPRIN is now appreciated to have multiple roles apart from MMP induction, including in cellular functions, such as migration, adhesion, invasion, energy metabolism, as well as T cell activation and proliferation. Here, we review what is known about EMMPRIN in numerous immunologic/inflammatory disease conditions with a particular focus on its complex roles in T cell biology. © Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  9. PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF ELITE JUNIOR AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALLERS DURING MATCH-PLAY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James P. Veale

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Australian Football (AF is Australia's major football code. Despite research in other football codes, to date, no data has been published on the physiological responses of AF players during match play. Fifteen athletes (17.28 ± 0.76 yrs participated in four pre-season matches, sanctioned by Australian Football League (AFL Victoria, investigating Heart Rate (HR, Blood Lactate (BLa, Core Temperature (Tcore, and Hydration status. Match HR was measured continuously using HR monitors. BLa was measured via finger prick lancet at the end of each quarter of play. Tcore was measured by use of ingestible temperature sensor and measured wirelessly at the end of each quarter of play. Hydration status was measured using refractometry, measuring urine specific gravity, and body weight pre and post-match. Environmental conditions were measured continuously during matches. Results of HR responses showed a high exertion of players in the 85-95% maximum HR range. Elevated mean BLa levels, compared to rest, were observed in all players over the duration of the matches (p = 0.007. Mean Tcore rose 0.68 °C between start and end of matches. Mean USG increased between 0.008 g/ml (p = 0.001 with mean body weight decreasing 1.88 kg (p = 0.001. This study illustrates physiological responses in junior AF players playing in the heat as well as providing physiological data for consideration by AF coaching staff when developing specific training programs. Continued research should consider physiological measurements under varying environments, and at all playing levels of AF, to ascertain full physiological responses during AF matches.

  10. Physiology for the pulmonary functional imager

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levin, David L., E-mail: levin.david@mayo.edu [Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (United States); Schiebler, Mark L. [Department of Radiology, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-3252 (United States); Hopkins, Susan R., E-mail: shopkins@ucsd.edu [Division of Physiology 0623A, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States)

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • An understanding of the relevant pulmonary physiology is crucial to functional lung imaging. • Spatial resolution for pulmonary functional imaging can be substantially less than that used for anatomic/clinical imaging. • Regional deformation of the lung under the influence of gravity significantly affects the measurement of pulmonary perfusion. • Large vessels identified on perfusion imaging do not represent local blood flow. • Pulmonary diseases are typically characterized by a change in the matching of ventilation and perfusion. - Abstract: As pulmonary functional imaging moves beyond the realm of the radiologist and physicist, it is important that imagers have a common language and understanding of the relevant physiology of the lung. This review will focus on key physiological concepts and pitfalls relevant to functional lung imaging.

  11. Physiology for the pulmonary functional imager

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, David L.; Schiebler, Mark L.; Hopkins, Susan R.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • An understanding of the relevant pulmonary physiology is crucial to functional lung imaging. • Spatial resolution for pulmonary functional imaging can be substantially less than that used for anatomic/clinical imaging. • Regional deformation of the lung under the influence of gravity significantly affects the measurement of pulmonary perfusion. • Large vessels identified on perfusion imaging do not represent local blood flow. • Pulmonary diseases are typically characterized by a change in the matching of ventilation and perfusion. - Abstract: As pulmonary functional imaging moves beyond the realm of the radiologist and physicist, it is important that imagers have a common language and understanding of the relevant physiology of the lung. This review will focus on key physiological concepts and pitfalls relevant to functional lung imaging.

  12. An investigation of the possible immunological relationship between allergen extracts from birch pollen, hazelnut, potato and apple

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Løwenstein, H

    1978-01-01

    identity between birch pollen and hazelnut. By the same method no partial immunological identity between birch pollen and extracts and fresh peel from apples and potatoes was found. However, both apples and potatoes gave rise to non-immunological affinity precipitates. On this basis it is discussed...

  13. A New Immunologic Method for Detection of Occult Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-09-01

    in Workshop on Melanoma Monoclonal Antibodies, NIH. 1981 Workshop on ELISA, Cordia Laboratories, Culver City, invited Faculty. 1982 Invited Faculty...for Workshop on Practical Aspects of ELISA, Cordia Laboratories. 1983 Invited Faculty for Workshop on Melanoma Immunology, European Soc for

  14. Platelet Immunology in China: Research and Clinical Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Guoguang; Zhou, Yan; Li, Lilan; Zhong, Zhoulin; Li, Hengchong; Li, Haiyan; Yu, Mei; Shen, Weidong; Ni, Heyu

    2017-04-01

    Immunization against human platelet alloantigens (HPAs) is associated with a number of clinical complications. The detection and identification of clinically relevant platelet antibodies are important for the diagnosis and management of patients affected with immune-mediated thrombocytopenias. Human platelet alloantigen frequencies and the characteristics of antiplatelet antibodies vary widely between ethnic groups. Since 2008, the importance of platelet immunology in the field of transfusion medicine has gained greater recognition by clinical laboratories in China. Laboratories in China have established and improved methods for platelet antibody detection and HPA genotyping techniques, which are used for the diagnosis of alloimmune platelet disorders in clinic and research environments. Research has revealed the frequencies of HPA alleles in different Chinese ethnic groups and compared the differences in HPA gene frequencies between the Chinese Han and other ethnic groups of the world. Production of anti-CD36 isoantibodies is an important risk factor for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in the Chinese population. Advances in research and clinical application of platelet immunology have significantly improved the clinical diagnosis, treatment including transfusion support, and prevention of alloimmune platelet disorders in the Chinese population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  15. The enhancement of immunological activity by mild hypothermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawal, Takeo; Gu, Yeun Hwa; Miyata, Katuyuki

    2004-01-01

    In general, the term hypothermia is applied for the therapeutic method for the treatment of cancer using micro wave, RF wave thermal system or intra-tissue thermal device. It was found to be a tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is one of cytokines secreted by macrophages 'P'j. With remarkable progress in the instruments and technique in recent years, fundamental and clinical research showed extensive development 'Q'j. At present, hypothermia is clinically very important as inter- disciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumor 'R'j. Also, hypothermia is characterized by its selective thermal effect on tumor 'S'j. In this sense, it is called mild hypothermia. There have been not many reports, which described mild hypothermia for the purpose of treating the cases with cancer. This suggests the possibility of immunological response by heating relatively mild temperature (39-42). In this respect, by experiments using mouse as model, we evaluated the effects of hypothermia under temperature of 42.5 and lower and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect can be obtained

  16. Main stages in the development of radiation immunology: from immunochemical analysis of injury to monitored radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yarilin, A.A.; Kashkin, K.P.

    1982-01-01

    The results of research of the radiation action on immunity are presented. The results of immunochemical investigation of radiation tissue injuries are considered. Much attention is given to the problem of radiation injury and repair of the lymphoid system. It is shown that the next stage of development of radiation immunology is immunologic control of radiotherapy of oncologic patients

  17. Is Graves' disease a primary immunodeficiency? New immunological perspectives on an endocrine disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Struja, Tristan; Kutz, Alexander; Fischli, Stefan; Meier, Christian; Mueller, Beat; Recher, Mike; Schuetz, Philipp

    2017-09-25

    Uncertainty about factors influencing the susceptibility and triggers for Graves' disease persists, along with a wide variation in the response to anti-thyroid drugs, currently at approximately 50% of non-responders. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize immunological concepts, with a combined endocrine and immunological perspective, to highlight potential new areas of research. Relevant studies were identified through a systematic literature search using the PubMed and EMBASE databases in March 2016. No cut-offs regarding dates were imposed. We used the terms "Graves' Disease" or "Basedow" or "thyrotoxicosis" together with the terms "etiology", "pathophysiology", "immunodeficiency", "causality", and "autoimmunity". The terms "orbitopathy", "ophthalmopathy", and "amiodarone" were excluded. Articles in English, French, German, Croatian, Spanish, and Italian were eligible for inclusion. While concepts such as the impact of iodine, smoking, human leucocyte antigen, infections, and ethnicity are established, new ideas have emerged. Pertaining evidence suggests the involvement of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency in the pathophysiology of Graves' disease. Recent studies point to specific immunological mechanisms triggering the onset of disease, which may also serve as targets for more specific therapies.

  18. Review on the application of physiological and biomechanical measurement methods in driving fatigue detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadek Heri Sanjaya

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Previous studies have identified driving fatigue as the main cause of road traffic accidents, therefore, the aim of this literature review is to explore the characteristics of driving fatigue both physically and mentally as well as to explore the technology available to measure the process of fatigue physiologically. We performed e-searching in the field of fatigue detection methods through keywords tracking. The instruments studied have their own strength and weakness, and some are intrusive while the others are non-intrusive. The accuracy and stability of measurements are also varied between those instruments. In order to create more reliable fatigue detection methods, it is necessary to involve more instruments with an inter-disciplinary approach. Our intention is to make this study as a stepping stone for a more comprehensive in-vehicle real-time man-machine interaction study. Such study will not only be useful to prevent traffic accidents but also to bridge man and machine communication in the vehicle control along with developing newer technology in the field of vehicle automation.

  19. Long-term enteral immunonutrition containing lactoferrin in tube-fed bedridden patients: immunological and nutritional status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeuchi, Yoshiaki; Yamamura, Takuya; Takahashi, Seiichiro; Katayose, Kozo; Kohga, Shin; Takase, Mitsunori; Imawari, Michio

    2012-06-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of a novel immune-enhancing enteral formula, Prem-8, which contains lactoferrin as an immunonutrient. A multicenter, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 5 hospitals in Japan, and 71 tube-fed bedridden patients with serum albumin concentrations between 2.5 and 3.5 g/dL were allocated to Prem-8 (n = 38) or control formula (n = 33) groups for an observation period of 12 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing immunological (natural killer cell activity, neutrophil-phagocytic activity, neutrophil-sterilizing activity, and C-reactive protein), and nutritional (anthropometric measurements and serum levels of nutritional assessment proteins and total cholesterol) variables. Safety was assessed by comparing the incidence of adverse events. In a secondary analysis, patients were subgrouped according to the amount of protein supplemented (1 g/kg/d) so that immunological and nutritional variables and safety could be further compared. Natural killer activity and neutrophil functions were normal for both groups throughout the study period, without significant between-group differences at any point. Nutritional status was stably maintained in both groups, although the body mass index at 12 weeks was marginally lower in the Prem-8 group than in the control group (p < 0.01). The incidence of adverse events were comparable between both groups, but the incidence of fever in the Prem-8 group (7/14) was significantly lower than in the control group (10/11) in a subgroup of patients whose supplemented protein was less than 1 g/kg/d (p < 0.05). Prem-8 did not demonstrate superiority to the control formula with respect to immunological and nutritional variables, whereas the body mass index of patients in the Prem-8 group marginally decreased. However, Prem-8 had a favorable effect on the incidence of fever in a subgroup of patients with low protein intake.

  20. An electrophoretical and immunological study of Pycnogonida, with phylogenetic considerations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Munilla, Tomás; Haro, de Andrés

    1981-01-01

    An electrophoretical and immunological study is made of nine species of pycnogonids, representing seven families, from the Catalan coast. An electrophoretogram of each species is given and the antigenic properties of its protein bands are determined. Taking as comparative basis the serological

  1. Selenium Pretreatment Alleviated LPS-Induced Immunological Stress Via Upregulation of Several Selenoprotein Encoding Genes in Murine RAW264.7 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Longqiong; Jing, Jinzhong; Yan, Hui; Tang, Jiayong; Jia, Gang; Liu, Guangmang; Chen, Xiaoling; Tian, Gang; Cai, Jingyi; Shang, Haiying; Zhao, Hua

    2018-04-18

    This study was conducted to profile selenoprotein encoding genes in mouse RAW264.7 cells upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge and integrate their roles into immunological regulation in response to selenium (Se) pretreatment. LPS was used to develop immunological stress in macrophages. Cells were pretreated with different levels of Se (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 μmol Se/L) for 2 h, followed by LPS (100 ng/mL) stimulation for another 3 h. The mRNA expression of 24 selenoprotein encoding genes and 9 inflammation-related genes were investigated. The results showed that LPS (100 ng/mL) effectively induced immunological stress in RAW264.7 cells with induced inflammation cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, mRNA expression, and cellular secretion. LPS increased (P immunological stress in RAW264.7 cells accompanied with the global downregulation of selenoprotein encoding genes and Se pretreatment alleviated immunological stress via upregulation of a subset of selenoprotein encoding genes.

  2. The immunological response created by interstitial and non-invasive laser immunotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahavar, Cody F.; Zhou, Feifan; Hasanjee, Aamr M.; West, Connor L.; Nordquist, Robert E.; Hode, Tomas; Liu, Hong; Chen, Wei R.

    2015-03-01

    Laser immunotherapy (LIT) is an innovative cancer modality that uses laser irradiation and immunological stimulation to treat late-stage, metastatic cancers. LIT can be performed through either interstitial or non-invasive laser irradiation. Although LIT is still in development, recent clinical trials have shown that it can be used to successfully treat patients with late-stage breast cancer and melanoma. The development of LIT has been focused on creating an optimal immune response created by irradiating the tumor. One important factor that could enhance the immune response is the duration of laser irradiation. Irradiating the tumor for a shorter or longer amount of time could weaken the immune response created by LIT. Another factor that could weaken this immune response is the proliferation of regulatory T cells (TRegs) in response to the laser irradiation. However, low dose cyclophosphamide (CY) can help suppress the proliferation of TRegs and help create a more optimal immune response. An additional factor that could weaken the effectiveness of LIT is the selectivity of the laser. If LIT is performed non-invasively, then deeply embedded tumors and highly pigmented skin could cause an uneven temperature distribution inside the tumor. To solve this problem, an immunologically modified carbon nanotube system was created by using an immunoadjuvant known as glycated chitosan (GC) as a surfactant for single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to immunologically modify SWNTs. SWNT-GC retains the optical properties of SWNTs and the immunological functions of GC to help increase the selectivity of the laser and create a more optimal immune response. In this preliminary study, tumor-bearing rats were treated with LIT either interstitially by an 805-nm laser with GC and low-dose CY, or non-invasively by a 980-nm laser with SWNT-GC. The goal was to observe the effects of CY on the immune response induced by LIT and to also determine the effect of irradiation duration for

  3. KEYBOARD MONITORING BASED UPON THE IMMUNOLOGIC CLONING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu. A. Bryukhomitsky

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The Biometric Keyboard Monitoring System is represented. It’s intended for permanent textindependent control and analysis of automated information data systems users’ keyboard script. It’s suggested a keyboard monitoring method, which is combined the idea and advantages of threaded method of keyboard parameters representation and immunological approach to its realization, based upon the detectors cloning model. Suggested method potentially possesses a pinpoint accuracy, higher convergence rate of classification problems solving, ability to learn on only “own” class exemplars.

  4. Recreational music-making modulates immunological responses and mood states in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koyama, Masahiro; Wachi, Masatada; Utsuyama, Masanori; Bittman, Barry; Hirokawa, Katsuiku; Kitagawa, Masanobu

    2009-06-01

    Given that previous studies have shown that recreational music-making has benefits for younger individuals, we explored two questions. (1) Could a recreational music-making protocol improve mood and modulate immunological responses in a direction opposite to that associated with chronic stress in older adults? (2) Would the protocol affect older and younger participants differently? Two groups of volunteers demarcated at age 65 years underwent identical one-hour recreational music-making interventions. Pre-and post-intervention data were collected using blood samples and mood state questionnaires. Data from 27 older and 27 younger volunteers were analyzed for cytokine production levels, natural killer cell activity, plasma catecholamines, and numbers of T cells, T cell subsets, B cells, and natural killer cells. Exercise expenditure was also recorded. In the older group, we found significant increases in the number of lymphocytes, T cells, CD4+ T cells, memory T cells, and production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-6. In the younger group, modulation was non-significant. Worthy of note was the specific immunological changes in the direction opposite to that expected with chronic stress in the older group. The increase in Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma and unchanged Th2 cytokine IL-4 and IL-10 levels in the older group suggests a shift to a Th1-dominant status, a shift opposite to that expected with stress. However, the immunological changes were not statistically different between the two groups. Mood states improved in both groups, but were also not statistically different between groups. Although no statistically significant difference was found between the two age groups, the improvement in immunological profile and mood states in the older group and the low level of energy required for participation suggest this music-making protocol has potential as a health improvement strategy for older individuals.

  5. Histologic, immunologic and endocrine biomarkers indicate contaminant effects in fishes of the Ashtabula River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwanowicz, Luke R; Blazer, Vicki S; Hitt, Nathaniel P; McCormick, Stephen D; DeVault, David S; Ottinger, Christopher A

    2012-01-01

    The use of fish as sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health is a biologically relevant approach to environmental monitoring and assessment. We examined the health of the Ashtabula River using histologic, immunologic, and endocrine biomarkers in brown bullhead (BB; Ameiurus nebulosus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and compared fish collected from a reference site (Conneaut Creek). Seasonal analysis was necessary to distinguish differences in fish between the two rivers. Overall BB from the Ashtabula River had a lower condition factor and significantly more macrophage aggregates than those from the reference site. Reduced bactericidal and cytotoxic-cell activity was observed in anterior kidney leukocytes from both BB and largemouth bass from the Ashtabula River. Lower plasma thyroxine and triiodo-L-thyronine in both species in the Ashtabula River indicated disruption of the thyroid axis. Differences in physiological biomarker responses were supported by body burden chemical concentrations when data were analyzed on a seasonal basis. The use of two fish species added a level of rigor that demonstrated biological effects were not exclusive to a single species. The results provide strong evidence that contaminants have affected fish in the Ashtabula River, a Great Lakes Area of Concern, and provide a baseline by which to evaluate remediation activities.

  6. Rice Physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    P.A. Counce; Davidi R. Gealy; Shi-Jean Susana Sung

    2002-01-01

    Physiology occurs tn physical space through chemical reactions constrained by anatomy and morphology, yet guided by genetics. Physiology has been called the logic of life. Genes encode structural and fimcdonal proteins. These proteins are subsequently processed to produce enzymes that direct and govern the biomechanical processes involved in the physiology of the...

  7. A review of immunological and infectious disease studies at ABCC-RERF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finch, S.C.

    1980-11-01

    This report reviews the results of 20 years of ABCC-RERF studies for evidence of abnormalities in the exposed atomic bomb survivors relating to infectious, inflammatory, or immunologic disorders. Relatively few definitive immunologic investigations have been conducted. The findings, however, suggest possible radiationrelated impairment of the antibody response to certain type A influenza viruses in the in utero exposed children and an increased prevalence rate of hepatitis associated antigen in the serums of heavily exposed persons in comparison to their controls. Preliminary studies indicate that the T to B lymphocyte ratio and the phytohemagglutinin responsiveness of the T lymphocytes of the heavily exposed persons, especially those of older age, are moderately depressed. Observation in the Adult Health Study population have shown little evidence of increased infectious or inflammatory disease in the exposed survivors. (author)

  8. Normal function of immunologic stem cells from aged mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrison, D.E.; Doubleday, J.W.

    1975-01-01

    Marrow or spleen grafts from aged donor mice produced antibody-forming cells as effectively as did grafts from younger controls in recipients tested 3 to 10 months after the transplantation. All recipients were lethally irradiated, and the T6 chromosome marker was used to demonstrate that they were populated by donor cell lines. Recipients of aged or younger control grafts gave similar responses when stimulated with varying doses of antigen and when tested at different times after the transplantation except in two cases. Recipients of aged spleen grafts gave significantly lower responses than younger controls for the first few weeks after the transplantation. If recipients had been thymectomized before lethal irradiation, aged cell lines (pooled marrow and spleen cells) gave only 37 percent of the responses of younger controls. Given sufficient time and intact young recipients, immunologic stem cell lines from old donors populated recipients with cells having normal immune responses. These results suggest that age-related immunologic defects are not intrinsically timed in the precursor cell lines that populate the immune system. (U.S.)

  9. Immunologic Quality Improvement of Racing Pigeon Squabs Through Induction of Cropmilk Using Probiotic Lactobacillus SP.

    OpenAIRE

    Irianto, Agus; Budiyanto, B Heru

    2004-01-01

    Probiotic is live microbial cells supplementation that has beneficial effect to the host. Feeding adult pigeons (Columba livia) with food supplemented with probiotic, Lactobacillus sp., at concentration 106,108, and 1010 cells g-1 respectively have been done in order to improve the immunologic quality of the squabs. Immunologic response namely the number and activity of kidney’s macrophage were examined. Also, the pathologic signs which developed following artificial infection by intramuscula...

  10. Human factors estimation methods using physiological informations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takano, Ken-ichi; Yoshino, Kenji; Nakasa, Hiroyasu

    1984-01-01

    To enhance the operational safety in the nuclear power plant, it is necessary to decrease abnormal phenomena due to human errors. Especially, it is essential to basically understand human behaviors under the work environment for plant maintenance workers, inspectors, and operators. On the above stand point, this paper presents the results of literature survey on the present status of human factors engineering technology applicable to the nuclear power plant and also discussed the following items: (1) Application fields where the ergonomical evaluation is needed for workers safety. (2) Basic methodology for investigating the human performance. (3) Features of the physiological information analysis among various types of ergonomical techniques. (4) Necessary conditions for the application of in-situ physiological measurement to the nuclear power plant. (5) Availability of the physiological information analysis. (6) Effectiveness of the human factors engineering methodology, especially physiological information analysis in the case of application to the nuclear power plant. The above discussions lead to the demonstration of high applicability of the physiological information analysis to nuclear power plant, in order to improve the work performance. (author)

  11. The influence of sublingual immunotherapy on several parameters of immunological response in children suffering from atopic asthma and allergic rhinitis depending on asthma features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciepiela, Olga; Zawadzka-Krajewska, Anna; Kotuła, Iwona; Demkow, Urszula

    2014-01-01

    The clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has already been proven and is known to be high. Its influence on the immunological system of patients suffering from bronchial asthma was also examined. However, it is still unclear how the polysensitisation, coexistence of other atopic disease and asthma treatment step influence the response to treatment with specific immunotherapy. Herein we evaluate the impact of one-year SLIT on selected markers of immunological response depending on different individual and clinical factors of children suffering from atopic asthma and allergic rhinitis. Twenty-five patients aged 8.1 ± 3.1 years (range 5-15 years), 21 boys and 4 girls, suffering from asthma and allergic rhinitis with polysensitisation to seasonal and non-seasonal allergens, shortlisted for SLIT, were included in the study. Th1 cell and Th2 cell percentages, Bcl-2 expression in T cells, and basophil activation after allergen challenge (house dust mite and/or grass pollen antigen in solution used for skin prick tests) in peripheral blood were measured using flow cytometry. The association between clinical features of asthma and the influence of SLIT on immunological parameters was evaluated with exact Fisher test. No association between the influence of one-year sublingual immunotherapy on immunological system and patients' age, polysensitisation, asthma treatment step, or coexistence of any other atopic diseases was observed. However, an increase of the Th1 percentage in children sensitised against more than three allergens was found more often (at the limit of statistical significance) than in the group of children sensitised against three or less allergens. Based on our results, we cannot point to any subgroup isolated in the study, in which the response of the immunological system to sublingual immunotherapy is more satisfactory than any other. Nevertheless, the increase of Th1 cells may be more specific for polysensitised children.

  12. Physiological parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natera, E.S.

    1998-01-01

    The physiological characteristics of man depend on the intake, metabolism and excretion of stable elements from food, water, and air. The physiological behavior of natural radionuclides and radionuclides from nuclear weapons testing and from the utilization of nuclear energy is believed to follow the pattern of stable elements. Hence information on the normal physiological processes occurring in the human body plays an important role in the assessment of the radiation dose received by man. Two important physiological parameters needed for internal dose determination are the pulmonary function and the water balance. In the Coordinated Research Programme on the characterization of Asian population, five participants submitted data on these physiological characteristics - China, India, Japan, Philippines and Viet Nam. During the CRP, data on other pertinent characteristics such as physical and dietary were simultaneously being collected. Hence, the information on the physiological characteristics alone, coming from the five participants were not complete and are probably not sufficient to establish standard values for the Reference Asian Man. Nonetheless, the data collected is a valuable contribution to this research programme

  13. Use of a physiological profile to document motor impairment in ageing and in clinical groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lord, S R; Delbaere, K; Gandevia, S C

    2016-08-15

    Ageing decreases exercise performance and is frequently accompanied by reductions in cognitive performance. Deterioration in the physiological capacity to stand, locomote and exercise can manifest itself as falling over and represents a significant deterioration in sensorimotor control. In the elderly, falling leads to serious morbidity and mortality with major societal costs. Measurement of a suite of physiological capacities that are required for successful motor performance (including vision, muscle strength, proprioception and balance) has been used to produce a physiological profile assessment (PPA) which has been tracked over the age spectrum and in different diseases (e.g. multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease). As well as measures of specific physiological capacities, the PPA generates an overall 'score' which quantitatively measures an individual's cumulative risk of falling. The present review collates data from the PPA (and the physiological capacities it measures) as well as its use in strategies to reduce falls in the elderly and those with different diseases. We emphasise that (i) motor impairment arises via reductions in a wide range of sensorimotor abilities; (ii) the PPA approach not only gives a snapshot of the physiological capacity of an individual, but it also gives insight into the deficits among groups of individuals with particular diseases; and (iii) deficits in seemingly restricted and disparate physiological domains (e.g. vision, strength, cognition) are funnelled into impairments in tasks requiring upright balance. Motor impairments become more prevalent with ageing but careful physiological measurement and appropriate interventions offer a way to maximise health across the lifespan. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

  14. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)-2010 annual meeting. 26 February-2 March 2010, New Orleans, LA, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bielory, Leonard

    2010-05-01

    The 2010 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) meeting, held in New Orleans, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the fields of allergy, asthma and immunological diseases. This conference report highlights selected presentations on potential treatments for food and other allergies, as well as therapies for asthma and other immunological diseases. Investigational drugs discussed include Oralair Mites (Stallergenes SA/Paladin Labs Inc), PF-03654746 (Pfizer Inc) and AMG-853 (Amgen Inc).

  15. Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis: Microbial and Immunologic Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-10-01

    Fusobacterium nucleatum and Bacteroides strains isolated from ANUG patients, chronic periodontitis patients, non-oral abscesses and healthy gingival sulci...34 Odd ii 4n....00p IdaOdifir 0’ block flumber) Periodontal Disease Spirochetes Microbiology Fusobacteria immunology Bacteroides 20. AN3T7RAC~r C4.tft...and serological etudies with ’We 7. nucleatum isolates from patients with ANUG, chronic periodontitis , Juvenile periodontitis , and adults and children

  16. Liver Immunology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanos, Dimitrios P.; Gao, Bin; Gershwin, M. Eric

    2014-01-01

    The liver is the largest organ in the body and is generally regarded by non-immunologists as not having lymphoid function. However, such is far from accurate. This review highlights the importance of the liver as a lymphoid organ. Firstly, we discuss experimental data surrounding the role of liver as a lymphoid organ. The liver facilitates a tolerance rather than immunoreactivity, which protects the host from antigenic overload of dietary components and drugs derived from the gut and is also instrumental to fetal immune tolerance. Loss of liver tolerance leads to autoaggressive phenomena which if are not controlled by regulatory lymphoid populations may lead to the induction of autoimmune liver diseases. Liver-related lymphoid subpopulations also act as critical antigen-presenting cells. The study of the immunological properties of liver and delineation of the microenvironment of the intrahepatic milieu in normal and diseased livers provides a platform to understand the hierarchy of a series of detrimental events which lead to immune-mediated destruction of the liver and the rejection of liver allografts. The majority of emphasis within this review will be on the normal mononuclear cell composition of the liver. However, within this context, we will discus select, but not all, immune mediated liver disease and attempt to place these data in the context of human autoimmunity. PMID:23720323

  17. Lack of correlation between immunologic markers and cell surface ultrastructure in the leukemic phase of lymphoproliferative diseases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golomb, Harvey M.; Simon, Deberah

    1977-01-01

    In a prospective study of malignant cells from 13 patients with the leukemic phase of lymphoproliferative diseases, we wished to determine whether any correlation between the immunologic markers and the cell surface ultrastructure. Five patients had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, four had malignant lymphomas, poorly differentiated lymphocytic type, two had the Sezary syndrome, and one each had acute prolymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia. Cell separation and isolation was done at room temperature for all specimens. Immunologic markers tested for were surface immunoglobins, a B-cell property, and E-rosettes, a T-cell property. Three patients had T-cell diseases, 6 had B-cell diseases, and 4 were classified as ''null.'' All but one patient had moderate to large numbers of microvilli on their malignant cells. The single exception had a typical B-cell form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. There appears to be no correlation between immunologic markers and cell surface ultrastructure; therefore, SEM appears not to be valuable in the diagnosis or classification of immunologic sub-types of certain lymphoproliferative diseases.

  18. Immunological Adaptations to Pregnancy in Women with Type 1 Diabetes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groen, Bart; van der Wijk, Anne-Eva; van den Berg, Paul P.; Lefrandt, Joop D.; van den Berg, Gerrit; Sollie, Krystina M.; de Vos, Paul; Links, Thera P.; Faas, Marijke M.

    2015-01-01

    Despite adequate glycemic control, pregnancy outcome of women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is still unfavorable as compared to healthy women. In a rat-model of T1D under normoglycemic conditions, adverse pregnancy outcome was also observed, which was associated with aberrant immunological adaptations

  19. Effect of ellagic acid on some haematological, immunological and antioxidant parameters of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mişe Yonar, S; Yonar, M E; Yöntürk, Y; Pala, A

    2014-10-01

    In this study, effect of ellagic acid on some haematological, immunological and antioxidant parameters in the blood and various tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were examined. Four groups of rainbow trout were fed experimental diets containing either no ellagic acid (control) or supplemented with ellagic acid at 50 mg/kg diet (EA-50), 100 mg/kg diet (EA-100) or 150 mg/kg diet (EA-150) for 21 days. Samples of the blood and tissue (liver, kidney and spleen) were collected at the end of the experiment and analysed for their haematological profile (the red blood cell count, the haemoglobin concentration and the haematocrit level), immune response (the white blood cell count, the oxidative radical production (NBT activity), the total plasma protein and total immunoglobulin level) and oxidant/antioxidant status (the malondialdehyde level, the superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity as well as the reduced glutathione concentration). The findings of this study demonstrated that ellagic acid had a positive effect on the haematological parameters, the immune response and the antioxidant enzyme activities of the fish. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  20. Immunological Links to Nonspecific Effects of DTwP and BCG Vaccines on Infant Mortality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Claesson, Mogens Helweg

    2011-01-01

    females and males may have their lives saved each year by the nonspecific immunological benefits of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination. From an immunological point of view, we hypothesise that the adverse effects of DTwP vaccine may occur because of the Th2-polarising effect of the aluminium...... phosphate adjuvant in the vaccine and because intramuscular administration of the vaccine may cause chronic inflammation at the site of injection. However, the Th1-polarising effect of BCG is likely to be beneficial. Sexual dimorphism affecting immune functions and vitamin A supplementation may influence...

  1. [Inflammasome and its role in immunological and inflammatory response at early stage of burns].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fang; Li, Jiahui; Xia, Zhaofan

    2014-06-01

    Inflammasomes are large multi-protein complexes that serve as a platform for caspase-1 activation, and this process induces subsequent maturation and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, as well as pyroptosis. As an important component of the innate immune system, early activation of inflammasomes in a variety of immune cell subsets can mediate inflammatory response and immunological conditions after burn injury. Here, we review the current knowledge of inflammasomes and its role in immunological and inflammatory response at the early stage of burn injury.

  2. Advances in mechanisms of asthma, allergy, and immunology in 2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broide, David H; Finkelman, Fred; Bochner, Bruce S; Rothenberg, Marc E

    2011-03-01

    2010 was marked by rapid progress in our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation and asthma. Studies published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology described advances in our knowledge of cells associated with allergic inflammation (mast cells, eosinophils, dendritic cells, and T cells), as well as IgE, cytokines, receptors, signaling molecules, and pathways. Studies used animal models, as well as human cells and tissues, to advance our understanding of mechanisms of asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, food allergy, anaphylaxis and immediate hypersensitivity, mast cells and their disorders, atopic dermatitis, nasal polyposis, and hypereosinophilic syndromes. Additional studies provided novel information about the induction and regulation of allergic inflammation and the genetic contribution to allergic inflammation. Critical features of these studies and their potential effects on human atopic disorders are summarized here. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Immunological response in egg-sensitive adults challenged with cheese containing or not containing lysozyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Filippo; Iaconelli, Amerigo; Fiorentini, Lucia; Zito, Francesco; Donati, Maria Benedett; De Cristofaro, Maria Laura; Piva, Gianfranco; Mingrone, Geltrude

    2012-12-01

    Lysozyme is an enzyme that hydrolyzes bacterial peptidoglicans. For this reason, it is used in cheese manufacturing in order to prevent a defect of long-ripened hard cheese called "late blowing" due to the outgrowth of spores of Clostridium tyrobutyricum and Clostridium butyricum. Moreover, germination of Listeria monocytogenes spores into vegetative cells is also sensitive to lysozyme. The enzyme can be an allergenic molecule, and for this reason there are concerns about its use in food industry. The immunological and clinical response of consumption of lysozyme-containing cheese has been evaluated in 25 egg-sensitive subjects with or without lysozyme sensitization. A total of 25 egg-sensitive subjects were enrolled in this study. All the subjects were already treated for egg-sensitization and presented a positive skin prick test. All the subjects had a body mass index ≤ 25 kg/m(2) and were in the age range of 20-50 years. Each subject was studied twice and received randomly 30 g of Grana Padano (containing lysozyme) or TrentinGrana cheese (lysozyme-free) of two different aging periods: 16 or 24 months. A washout period of 1 week between each cheese intake was adopted. Blood samples were taken in fasting conditions and 1 hour after cheese intake and IgA, total IgE, and lysozyme-, ovomucoid-, and ovalbumin-specific IgE were measured. No adverse reactions were observed in both groups of patients after cheese samples were given. Lysozyme did not determine any variation of specific IgE compared with basal level. In lysozyme-sensitive patients a significant relationship between IgA and lysozyme-specific IgE was observed when lysozyme-containing cheese was given, confirming that lysozyme can pass the gut barrier. Neither adverse events nor immunological responses were observed after ingestion of cheese containing lysozyme. However, the immunological properties of peptides deriving from cheese protein hydrolysis need to be clarified, as does the effect of lysozyme on

  4. Strategy for selecting nanotechnology carriers to overcome immunological and hematological toxicities challenging clinical translation of nucleic acid-based therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobrovolskaia, Marina A; McNeil, Scott E

    2015-07-01

    Clinical translation of nucleic acid-based therapeutics (NATs) is hampered by assorted challenges in immunotoxicity, hematotoxicity, pharmacokinetics, toxicology and formulation. Nanotechnology-based platforms are being considered to help address some of these challenges due to the nanoparticles' ability to change drug biodistribution, stability, circulation half-life, route of administration and dosage. Addressing toxicology and pharmacology concerns by various means including NATs reformulation using nanotechnology-based carriers has been reviewed before. However, little attention was given to the immunological and hematological issues associated with nanotechnology reformulation. This review focuses on application of nanotechnology carriers for delivery of various types of NATs, and how reformulation using nanoparticles affects immunological and hematological toxicities of this promising class of therapeutic agents. NATs share several immunological and hematological toxicities with common nanotechnology carriers. In order to avoid synergy or exaggeration of undesirable immunological and hematological effects of NATs by a nanocarrier, it is critical to consider the immunological compatibility of the nanotechnology platform and its components. Since receptors sensing nucleic acids are located essentially in all cellular compartments, a strategy for developing a nanoformulation with reduced immunotoxicity should first focus on precise delivery to the target site/cells and then on optimizing intracellular distribution.

  5. [Critical analysis of the immunological self/non-self model and of its implicit metaphysical foundations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradeu, Thomas; Carosella, Edgardo D

    2004-05-01

    An examination of the concepts used in immunology prompts us to wonder about the origins and the legitimacy of the notions of self and non-self, which constitute the core of the dominant theoretical model in this science. All theoretical reflection concerning immunology must aim at determining a criterion of immunogenicity, that is, an operational definition of the conditions in which an immune reaction occurs or does not occur. By criticizing both conceptually and experimentally the self/non-self vocabulary, we can demonstrate the inaccuracy and even the inadequacy of the dichotomy of self/non-self. Accordingly, the self/non-self model must be reexamined, or even rejected. On the basis of this critique, we can suggest an alternative theoretical hypothesis for immunology, based on the notion of continuity. The 'continuity hypothesis' developed here attempts to give a criterion of immunogenicity that avoids the reproaches leveled at the self model.

  6. Investigation of Evolved Paraoxonase-1 Variants for Prevention of Organophosphorous Pesticide Compound Intoxication

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-04

    intoxication David G. Mata, Peter E. Rezk, Praveena Sabnekar, Douglas M. Cerasoli and Nageswararao Chilukuri Physiology & Immunology Branch...phone number Nageswararao Chilukuri Physiology & Immunology Branch, Research Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, 3100...are a benefit to society through increasing food production, preserving produce, and combating insect infestations. However, due to their inherent

  7. Bringing Physiology into PET of the Liver

    OpenAIRE

    Keiding, Susanne

    2012-01-01

    Several physiologic features make interpretation of PET studies of liver physiology an exciting challenge. As with other organs, hepatic tracer kinetics using PET is quantified by dynamic recording of the liver after the administration of a radioactive tracer, with measurements of time–activity curves in the blood supply. However, the liver receives blood from both the portal vein and the hepatic artery, with the peak of the portal vein time–activity curve being delayed and dispersed compared...

  8. Combining and comparing EEG, peripheral physiology and eye-related measures for the assessment of mental workload

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maarten Andreas Hogervorst

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available While studies exist that compare different physiological variables with respect to their association with mental workload, it is still largely unclear which variables supply the best information about momentary workload of an individual and what is the benefit of combining them. We investigated workload using the n-back task, controlling for body movements and visual input. We recorded EEG, skin conductance, respiration, ECG, pupil size and eye blinks of 14 subjects. Various variables were extracted from these recordings and used as features in individually tuned classification models. Online classification was simulated by using the first part of the data as training set and the last part of the data for testing the models. The results indicate that EEG performs best, followed by eye related measures and peripheral physiology. Combining variables from different sensors did not significantly improve workload assessment over the best performing sensor alone. Best classification accuracy, a little over 90% (SD 4%, was reached for distinguishing between high and low workload on the basis of 2 minute segments of EEG and eye related variables. A similar and not significantly different performance of 86% (SD 5% was reached using only EEG from single electrode location Pz.

  9. Nutritional, immunological and microbiological profiles of burn patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ASAA Barbosa

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A burn is a lesion on an organic tissue resultant from direct or indirect action of heat on the organism. The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional, immunological and microbiological status of burn patients at the Bauru State Hospital, São Paulo state, Brazil, in 2007. Eight patients, aged more than 18 years and injured up to 24 hours, were evaluated at the moment of hospitalization and seven days later. All victims were males with a mean age of 38 years. On average, 17.5% of their body surfaces were burned and 50% of the patients were eutrophic. There were significant alterations in levels of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, total protein and albumin due to increased endothelial permeability, direct destruction of proteins in the heat-affected area and blood loss from lesions or debridement. At a second moment, cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α had augmented significantly, with IL-6 presenting elevated levels in relation to controls at the first moment. Microbiological analysis showed that 100% of the samples collected at hospital admission were negative and after one week Staphylococcus aureus was found in all cultures. Therefore, a burn patient may be considered immunosuppressed and these results indicate significant nutritional, immunological and microbiological alterations that can interfere in his recovery.

  10. The enhancement of immunological activity by mild hypothermia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasegawal, Takeo; Gu, Yeun Hwa; Miyata, Katuyuki [Graduate School of Suzuka Univ. of Med Sci. Master, Suzuka (Japan)] (and others)

    2004-11-15

    In general, the term hypothermia is applied for the therapeutic method for the treatment of cancer using micro wave, RF wave thermal system or intra-tissue thermal device. It was found to be a tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is one of cytokines secreted by macrophages 'P'j. With remarkable progress in the instruments and technique in recent years, fundamental and clinical research showed extensive development 'Q'j. At present, hypothermia is clinically very important as inter- disciplinary therapeutic method, and studies are being performed on combined effects with surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy for the treatment of malignant tumor 'R'j. Also, hypothermia is characterized by its selective thermal effect on tumor 'S'j. In this sense, it is called mild hypothermia. There have been not many reports, which described mild hypothermia for the purpose of treating the cases with cancer. This suggests the possibility of immunological response by heating relatively mild temperature (39-42). In this respect, by experiments using mouse as model, we evaluated the effects of hypothermia under temperature of 42.5 and lower and demonstrated that the activation of immunological response is increased and anti-tumor effect can be obtained.

  11. Evaluation of soluble CD30 as an immunologic marker in heart transplant recipients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiridon, C; Hunt, J; Mack, M; Rosenthal, J; Anderson, A; Eichhorn, E; Magee, M; Dewey, T; Currier, M; Nikaein, A

    2006-12-01

    CD30 is an immunologic molecule that belongs to the TNF-R superfamily. CD30 serves as a T-cell signal transducing molecule that is expressed by a subset of activated T lymphocytes, CD45RO+ memory T cells. Augmentation of soluble CD30 during kidney transplant rejection has been reported. Our study sought to determine whether the level of sCD30 prior to heart transplant could categorize patients into high versus low immunologic risk for a poor outcome. A significant correlation was observed between high levels of soluble CD30 and a reduced incidence of infection. None of the 35 patients with high pretransplant levels of sCD30 level (>90 U/mL) developed infections posttransplantation. However, 9 of 65 patients who had low levels of sCD30 (sCD30 prior to heart transplant may be associated with greater immunologic ability and therefore produce a protective effect on the development of infection post heart transplant. We have also shown that the HDB assay is superior to the visual cytotoxicity method to detect HLA antibodies, especially those to class II HLA antigens.

  12. The host immunological response to cancer therapy: An emerging concept in tumor biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voloshin, Tali; Voest, Emile E; Shaked, Yuval

    2013-07-01

    Almost any type of anti-cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted drugs can induce host molecular and cellular immunological effects which, in turn, can lead to tumor outgrowth and relapse despite an initial successful therapy outcome. Tumor relapse due to host immunological effects is attributed to angiogenesis, tumor cell dissemination from the primary tumors and seeding at metastatic sites. This short review will describe the types of host cells that participate in this process, the types of factors secreted from the host following therapy that can promote tumor re-growth, and the possible implications of this unique and yet only partially-known process. It is postulated that blocking these specific immunological effects in the reactive host in response to cancer therapy may aid in identifying new host-dependent targets for cancer, which in combination with conventional treatments can prolong therapy efficacy and extend survival. Additional studies investigating this specific research direction-both in preclinical models and in the clinical setting are essential in order to advance our understanding of how tumors relapse and evade therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Research on human physiological parameters intelligent clothing based on distributed Fiber Bragg Grating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Changyun; Shi, Boya; Li, Hongqiang

    2008-12-01

    A human physiological parameters intelligent clothing is researched with FBG sensor technology. In this paper, the principles and methods of measuring human physiological parameters including body temperature and heart rate in intelligent clothing with distributed FBG are studied, the mathematical models of human physiological parameters measurement are built; the processing method of body temperature and heart rate detection signals is presented; human physiological parameters detection module is designed, the interference signals are filtered out, and the measurement accuracy is improved; the integration of the intelligent clothing is given. The intelligent clothing can implement real-time measurement, processing, storage and output of body temperature and heart rate. It has accurate measurement, portability, low cost, real-time monitoring, and other advantages. The intelligent clothing can realize the non-contact monitoring between doctors and patients, timely find the diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases, and make patients get timely treatment. It has great significance and value for ensuring the health of the elders and the children with language dysfunction.

  14. Genetic approaches in comparative and evolutionary physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridgham, Jamie T.; Kelly, Scott A.; Garland, Theodore

    2015-01-01

    Whole animal physiological performance is highly polygenic and highly plastic, and the same is generally true for the many subordinate traits that underlie performance capacities. Quantitative genetics, therefore, provides an appropriate framework for the analysis of physiological phenotypes and can be used to infer the microevolutionary processes that have shaped patterns of trait variation within and among species. In cases where specific genes are known to contribute to variation in physiological traits, analyses of intraspecific polymorphism and interspecific divergence can reveal molecular mechanisms of functional evolution and can provide insights into the possible adaptive significance of observed sequence changes. In this review, we explain how the tools and theory of quantitative genetics, population genetics, and molecular evolution can inform our understanding of mechanism and process in physiological evolution. For example, lab-based studies of polygenic inheritance can be integrated with field-based studies of trait variation and survivorship to measure selection in the wild, thereby providing direct insights into the adaptive significance of physiological variation. Analyses of quantitative genetic variation in selection experiments can be used to probe interrelationships among traits and the genetic basis of physiological trade-offs and constraints. We review approaches for characterizing the genetic architecture of physiological traits, including linkage mapping and association mapping, and systems approaches for dissecting intermediary steps in the chain of causation between genotype and phenotype. We also discuss the promise and limitations of population genomic approaches for inferring adaptation at specific loci. We end by highlighting the role of organismal physiology in the functional synthesis of evolutionary biology. PMID:26041111

  15. Immunological compatibility status of placenta-derived stem cells is mediated by scaffold 3D structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizian, Sara; Khatami, Fatemeh; Modaresifar, Khashayar; Mosaffa, Nariman; Peirovi, Habibollah; Tayebi, Lobat; Bahrami, Soheyl; Redl, Heinz; Niknejad, Hassan

    2018-02-23

    Placenta-derived amniotic epithelial cells (AECs), a great cell source for tissue engineering and stem cell therapy, are immunologically inert in their native state; however, immunological changes in these cells after culture and differentiation have challenged their applications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 2D and 3D scaffolds on human lymphocyte antigens (HLA) expression by AECs. The effect of different preparation parameters including pre-freezing time and temperature was evaluated on 3D chitosan-gelatine scaffolds properties. Evaluation of MHC class I, HLA-DR and HLA-G expression in AECs after 7 d culture on 2D bed and 3D scaffold of chitosan-gelatine showed that culture of AECs on the 2D substrate up-regulated MHC class I and HLA-DR protein markers on AECs surface and down-regulated HLA-G protein. In contrast, 3D scaffold did not increase protein expression of MHC class I and HLA-DR. Moreover, HLA-G protein expression remained unchanged in 3D culture. These results confirm that 3D scaffold can remain AECs in their native immunological state and modification of physical properties of the scaffold is a key regulator of immunological markers at the gene and protein expression levels; a strategy which circumvents rejection challenge of amniotic stem cells to be translated into the clinic.

  16. Peptide modification in T cell immunology - from molecule to animal

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haan, Ellen Christine de

    2003-01-01

    Chemical knowledge can be applied in the field of immunology. It provides a better understanding of how a peptide interacts with proteins and cells of the immune system. However, it is not possible to predict the outcome of peptide administration in an animal. Peptides are used in experimental

  17. Immunological factors correlated in radiation effect in cancer patients treated by radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy with combined chemotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Shuji

    1981-01-01

    Local immunological factors are thought to be parenchymal reaction of normal and tumor tissues. Those were studied by morphological changes of angiographic findings and histological methods which included photomicroscopic, electromicroscopic and enzymic-histochemical studies. It was demonstrated that the effect of radiotherapy depended on not only local blood supply but also parenchymal reaction of the host. Especially, the parenchymal reaction at 2000 or 3000 rad irradiation was regarded as nonspecific tissue repair as well as immunological protective reactions brought about by enhancement of the tumor antigenicity. It was proved that T-cell system played a main role in this parenchymal reaction. Changes of systemic immunological factors were studied in 17 laryngeal cancer and 80 lung cancer patients treated by radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy with combined chemotherapy. Due to the fact that damages of the host before treatment were not so serious and integral dose given to the patients was a little in cases of laryngeal cancer immunological parameters such as absolute lymphocyte counts, PHA and PPD skin test activities, lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA, PWM and Con A, did not show significant change. However, as for lung cancer treated by large integral dose irradiation combined with chemotherapy, immunological parameters were depressed in inverse proportion to the dose of irradiation and chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover T-cell subsets (early E-rosette forming cells, IgG Fc-receptor positive cells), lymphocyte sub-populations, ADCC activity, serum immunoglobulins, and serum protein were also investigated in cases of lung cancer. We have evaluated the immunological parameters in relation to the therapeutic effect. As a result, it was suggested that several parameters should be needed to forecast the prognosis. (author)

  18. [Infectious mononucleosis: etiology, immunological variants, methods of correction].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordeets, A V; Savina, O G; Beniova, S N; Chernikova, A A

    2011-01-01

    Clinical options of infectious mononucleosis course depending on infecting agent etiology are presented for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), mono and mixed forms of the disease. Examined cytokine profiles demonstrate analogous changes of serum cytokines in the acute stage of the disease irrespective of etiological factors. Data show that it is important and useful clinically and immunologically to include immunomodulators--in particular, cycloferon--info a complex therapy of different types of mononucleosis.

  19. Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    This preliminary investigation compares peripheral blood cell counts including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), CD4+, CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, hematocrit, humoral parameters including serum interferon-γ and interleukin-6, salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). Psychological measures including the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) between recipients (n = 11) of carrier oil massage and aromatherapy massage, which includes sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cypress oil and sweet marjoram oil. Though both STAI and SDS showed a significant reduction (P aromatherapy and carrier massage, no difference between the aromatherapy and control massage was observed for STAI and SDS. Aromatherapy, in contrast to control massage, did not significantly reduce RBC count or hematocrit. However, aromatherapy massage showed a significant (P > 0.05) increase in PBLs, possibly due to an increase in CD8+ and CD16+ lymphocytes, which had significantly increased post-treatment (P aromatherapy massage could be beneficial in disease states that require augmentation of CD8+ lymphocytes. While this study identifies the immunological benefits of aromatherapy massage, there is a need to validate the findings prospectively in a larger cohort of patients. PMID:15937558

  20. Essential Neuroscience in Immunology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavan, Sangeeta S; Tracey, Kevin J

    2017-05-01

    The field of immunology is principally focused on the molecular mechanisms by which hematopoietic cells initiate and maintain innate and adaptive immunity. That cornerstone of attention has been expanded by recent discoveries that neuronal signals occupy a critical regulatory niche in immunity. The discovery is that neuronal circuits operating reflexively regulate innate and adaptive immunity. One particularly well-characterized circuit regulating innate immunity, the inflammatory reflex, is dependent upon action potentials transmitted to the reticuloendothelial system via the vagus and splenic nerves. This field has grown significantly with the identification of several other reflexes regulating discrete immune functions. As outlined in this review, the delineation of these mechanisms revealed a new understanding of immunity, enabled a first-in-class clinical trial using bioelectronic devices to inhibit cytokines and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and provided a mosaic view of immunity as the integration of hematopoietic and neural responses to infection and injury. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.