Mozart: the toothache of a genius.

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Eramo, Stefano; Gallottini, Livio; Migliau, Guido

2011-01-01

The medical history of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) has been pieced together from his letters and from anecdotes, but his dental health is one aspect which has been somewhat overlooked. It is known that, from an early age, he suffered from toothache and tooth abscesses, problems that may even have had other medical repercussions. In this paper, the authors explore and consider whether these negative experiences might have influenced Mozart's work and his attitude to teeth and dental pathologies. Two pieces of evidence from the life and work of this great composer provide clues: the aria entitled "A tooth decayed and sensitive to cold" (KV 209 a) (1772), containing the lament of a "sick man" suffering from toothache; and the first of the "Zoroastrian Riddles," which Mozart proposed during a masked ball in 1786, and whose solution is "teeth." Close examination of these two creative feats demonstrate that Mozart's attitude toward dental pathologies was calm and rational, so much so that he even managed to use the topic as a source of inspiration for a small jewel of a composition.

Route-Learning and the Mozart Effect

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Jackson, Catherine S.; Tlauka, Michael

2004-01-01

The "Mozart effect" refers to an increase in spatial reasoning performance following exposure to music composed by Mozart. Empirical tests of the effect have resulted in an inconsistent pattern of findings with some studies producing the effect and others failing to do so. The majority of the investigations have relied on paper-and-pencil tests.…

The Mozart Effect: A quantitative EEG study.

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Verrusio, Walter; Ettorre, Evaristo; Vicenzini, Edoardo; Vanacore, Nicola; Cacciafesta, Mauro; Mecarelli, Oriano

2015-09-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Mozart's music on brain activity through spectral analysis of the EEG in young healthy adults (Adults), in healthy elderly (Elderly) and in elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). EEG recording was performed at basal rest conditions and after listening to Mozart's K448 or "Fur Elise" Beethoven's sonatas. After listening to Mozart, an increase of alpha band and median frequency index of background alpha rhythm activity (a pattern of brain wave activity linked to memory, cognition and open mind to problem solving) was observed both in Adults and in Elderly. No changes were observed in MCI. After listening to Beethoven, no changes in EEG activity were detected. This results may be representative of the fact that said Mozart's music is able to "activate" neuronal cortical circuits related to attentive and cognitive functions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Mozart effect may only be demonstrable in nonmusicians.

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Twomey, A; Esgate, A

2002-12-01

The "Mozart effect" is the tendency to score higher on spatiotemporal IQ subscales following exposure to complex music such as Mozart's Sonata K.448. This phenomenon was investigated in 20 musicians and 20 nonmusicians. The trion model predicts increased synchrony between musical and spatiotemporal centres in the right cerebral hemisphere. Since increased left-hemispheric involvement in music processing occurs as a result of music training, predictions deriving from the possibility of increased synchrony with left-hemispheric areas in musicians were tested. These included improved performance on language as well as spatiotemporal tasks. Spatiotemporal, synonym generation, and rhyming word generation tasks were employed as was the Mozart Sonata K.448. A Mozart effect was demonstrated on the spatiotemporal task, and the facilitatory effect of exposure to Mozart was greater for the nonmusician group. This finding adds to the robustness of the Mozart effect since novel tasks were used. No Mozart effect was found for either group on the verbal tasks, although the musicians scored higher on rhyming word generation. This new finding adds to the number of nonmusical tasks apparently showing long-term benefits from music training. However, no systematic link was found between performance on any task and number of years spent in music training. The failure to induce a Mozart effect in the musician group on verbal tasks, as well as that group's limited facilitation on spatiotemporal tasks, may be associated with either a ceiling effect due to the long-term effects of music training or from methodological factors. Both possibilities are discussed.

Mozart ear: diagnosis, treatment, and literature review.

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Yamashita, Ken; Yotsuyanagi, Takatoshi; Saito, Tamotsu; Isogai, Noritaka; Mori, Hiromasa; Itani, Yoshihito

2011-11-01

Mozart ear is a congenital auricular deformity, which is mainly characterized by a bulging appearance of the anterosuperior portion of the auricle, a convexly protruded cavum conchae, and a slit-like narrowing of the orifice of the external auditory meatus. It is said to be uncommon, and because no one has yet fully described neither the disease nor the treatment, the concept of Mozart ear has not been unified. This report describes a case of a 13-year-old girl presented with an unusual congenital deformity which showed the features of Mozart ear. It is an extremely rare deformity that only about 4 clinical cases have been reported in medical literature thereby a treatment method has not been fully discussed. For surgical correction of our cases, we excised deformed conchal cartilage, turned it over, regrafted, and maintained a cosmetically positive result. We also reviewed and described the origin, current concept, and treatment method of Mozart ear.

Could a neurological disease be a part of Mozart's pathography?

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Ivkić, Goran; Erdeljić, Viktorija

2011-01-01

As expected, since we recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, there has been again a renewal of interest in his short but intensive life, as well as in the true reason of his untimely dead. Mozart lived and died in time when the medical knowledge was based mostly on subjective observations, without the established basics of standardized medical terminology and methodology. This leaves a great space for hypothesizing about his health problems, as well as about the cause of his death. The medical academic community attributed to Mozart approximately 150 different medical diagnoses. There is much speculation on the possible causes of Mozart's death: uremia, infection, rheumatic fever, trichinellosis, etc. Recently some authors have raised the question about a possible concomitant neurological disease. According to available records, Mozart has shown some elements of cyclotimic disorder, epilepsy and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Furthermore, the finding of a temporal fracture on (allegedly) Mozart's skull, gives a way to speculations about the possibility of a chronic subdural hematoma and its compressive effect on the temporal lobe. Despite numerous theories on Mozart's pathography that also include a concomitant neurological disorder, the medical and history records about Mozart's health status indicate that he probably had suffered from an infective illness, followed most likely by the reactivation of rheumatic fever, which was followed by strong immunologic reaction in the last days of his life. Taking all the above into consideration, it is reasonably to conclude that Mozart's neurological disturbances were caused by the intensity of the infective disease, and not primarily by a neurological disease.

Neurosurgery and Music; Effect of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

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Gasenzer, Elena Romana; Kanat, Ayhan; Neugebauer, Edmund

2017-06-01

The nervous system works like a great orchestra. Specifically, the music of Mozart with its "Mozart effect" is appropriate to use in neurosurgery. We investigated the relationship between Mozart's music and neurosurgery. We used digital catalogs like "PubMed" and the libraries of universities. Key words were "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" and "neurosurgery and music." In the first half of the 20th century, performing neurosurgery on some musicians, such as Maurice Ravel, Josef Hassid, and George Gershwin, resulted in a fatal outcome. The cause of this is probably that neurosurgery had not been developed yet in the first half of the 20th century. In the past 3 decades, the neurosurgical operations of musicians show that musicians have rich associations among auditory, somatic, and sensorial systems. It is clear that we have much to learn from studies about music and brain function that derive from our surgical experiences with patients. The neuronal plasticity of musicians' brains may be different from that of nonmusicians' brains. Musicians with enhanced motor skills have greater capacity for plasticity because of enriched interhemispheric connections. Listening to music and the effect of Mozart in neurosurgical practice, intensive care, or rehabilitation were documented in many studies. As authors, we mean something different: Its effectiveness should be studied. We concluded that in current neurosurgical practice, Mozart has an effect. More research and clinical studies are needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved automated perimetry performance following exposure to Mozart.

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Fiorelli, V Macedo Batista; Kasahara, N; Cohen, R; França, A Santucci; Della Paolera, M; Mandia, C; de Almeida, G Vicente

2006-05-01

To evaluate the performance on automated perimetry (AP) after listening to a Mozart sonata in normal subjects naive to AP. 60 naive normal subjects underwent AP (SITA 24-2). The study group (30 subjects) underwent AP after listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major and the control group (30 subjects) underwent AP without previous exposure to the music. The study group had significantly less fixation loss, false positive, and false negative rates compared to controls (p Mozart seems to improve AP performance in normal naive subjects.

Mozart Effect-Shmozart Effect: A Meta-Analysis

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Pietschnig, Jakob; Voracek, Martin; Formann, Anton K.

2010-01-01

The transient enhancement of performance on spatial tasks in standardized tests after exposure to the first movement "allegro con spirito" of the Mozart sonata for two pianos in D major (KV 448) is referred to as the Mozart effect since its first observation by Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1993). These findings turned out to be amazingly hard to…

Mozart effect – reality or science fiction?

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Katarina Habe

2003-12-01

Full Text Available This article provides an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and some empirical findings regarding the Mozart effect. The "Mozart effect" refers to an enhancement of performance or change in neurophysiological activity associated with listening to Mozart's music. It was first reported in 1993 by researchers at the University of California, Irvine. They decided to choose Mozart since he started composing at the age of four. Thus they suggested that he was exploiting the inherent repertoire of spatial-temporal firing patterns in the cortex. Causal basis for relations between music ability and spatial reasoning ability is provided by the trion model of cortex. In this research context music is used as a window into higher brain functions. The Mozart effect can be referred to two different phenomena. The first is short-term increase in spatial abilities, the other is the possibility of formal training in music to bring benefits to other areas of human's knowledge. The effect can be found in the subsequently improved performance on spatial test results, increased EEG coherence, increased correlations of neurophysiological activity on the temporal and left frontal areas, increased spatial-temporal reasoning after piano lessons in preschool children, an enhanced learning of a maze by rats, changes in amplitude of alpha rhythm and increased interhemispheric coherence, in changes in EEG power and coherence, especially on the right temporal area, significant decreases in epileptiform activity, and enhanced short-term spatial-temporal reasoning in Alzheimer patients.

Mozart var en musikalsk festtaler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jette Barnholdt

2013-01-01

Artiklen præsenterer en epideiktisk læsning af Mozarts opera "La clemenza di Tito" (1791). Den fokuserer på at vise, hvordan værket er med til at re-brande monarkiet i Prag ved at hylde en mild kejser, der repræsenterer den oplyste enevældes værdier......Artiklen præsenterer en epideiktisk læsning af Mozarts opera "La clemenza di Tito" (1791). Den fokuserer på at vise, hvordan værket er med til at re-brande monarkiet i Prag ved at hylde en mild kejser, der repræsenterer den oplyste enevældes værdier...

Parasympathetic activation is involved in reducing epileptiform discharges when listening to Mozart music.

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Lin, Lung-Chang; Chiang, Ching-Tai; Lee, Mei-Wen; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Tsai, Chin-Lin; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2013-08-01

Listening to Mozart K.448 has been demonstrated to improve spatial task scores, leading to what is known as the Mozart effect. Our previous work revealed the positive effects of Mozart K.448 in reducing epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy. However, the mechanism remains unclear. parasympathetic activation has been shown to help seizure control in many studies. In this study, we investigated the effect of Mozart music on epileptiform discharges and autonomic activity. Sixty-four epileptic children with epileptiform discharges were included. They all received electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram examinations simultaneously before, during, and after listening to Mozart K.448 or K.545. The total number of epileptiform discharges during each session (before, during, and after music) were divided by the duration (in minutes) of the session and then compared. Heart rate variability including time and frequency domain analysis was used to represent the autonomic function. The results showed that epileptiform discharges were significantly reduced during and right after listening to Mozart music (33.3 ± 31.1% reduction, pMozart K.448 and 38.6 ± 43.3% reduction, pMozart K.545) (28.1 ± 43.2% reduction, pMozart K.448 and 46.0 ± 40.5% reduction, pMozart K.545). No significant difference was noticed between the two pieces of music. The reduction was greatest in patients with generalized seizures and discharges. Significant increases in high-frequency (HF), the square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (RMSSD), the standard deviation of differences between adjacent RR intervals (SDSD), and a decrease in mean beats per minute (bpm) were found during listening to Mozart music. Most of the patients with reduced epileptiform discharges also showed a decreased LF/HF ratio, low-frequency normalized units (LF nu), mean bpm, and an increased high-frequency normalized units (HF nu). Listening to Mozart music decreased epileptiform

The Mozart effect in patients suffering from tinnitus.

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Attanasio, Giuseppe; Cartocci, Giulia; Covelli, Edoardo; Ambrosetti, Elena; Martinelli, Valentina; Zaccone, Mariagrazia; Ponzanetti, Alessandra; Gueli, Nicolò; Filipo, Roberto; Cacciafesta, Mauro

2012-11-01

The study suggests that Mozart therapy could be a valid alternative to the common sound therapy methods in tinnitus patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of the Mozart effect as indexed by a variation in tinnitus intensity and tolerability. Sixty-two individuals aged between 22 and 78 years, reporting tinnitus for at least 1 year, were enrolled for the study. All patients attended a 1 h cognitive behavioral counseling session and listened to Mozart's sonata k448 for 1 h per day for a month. Afterwards patients listened to Beethoven's Für Elise sonata for 1 h per day for a month. To evaluate the general stress level, the impact of tinnitus on patients' quality of life, and the intensity of tinnitus, patients were invited to participate in three tests: the Measure du Stress Psychologique (MSP) questionnaire, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), and a 0 to 10 visual analog scale (VAS). For all the parameters investigated, MSP, THI, and intensity, there was a general significant improvement between the pre- and post-listening evaluation. A significant improvement, as regards THI and intensity, could already be appreciated after a single exposure to Mozart's sonata.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Mozart Effect on Childhood Epilepsy--A Systematic Review

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Brackney, Dana E.; Brooks, Jessica L.

2018-01-01

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of Mozart's music in decreasing seizures in children with epilepsy (Mozart Effect) using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice rating scale©. A search for articles with "Mozart Effect," "child*," and "epilepsy" was conducted in CINAHL Complete, Science…

The Mozart Effect: Music Listening Is Not Music Instruction

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Rauscher, Frances H.; Hinton, Sean C.

2006-01-01

"The Mozart effect" originally referred to the phenomenon of a brief enhancement of spatial-temporal abilities in college students after listening to a Mozart piano sonata (K. 448). Over time, this term was conflated with an independent series of studies on the effects of music instruction. This occurrence has caused confusion that has been…

The Mozart Effect: Musical Phenomenon or Musical Preference? A More Ecologically Valid Reconsideration

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Cassity, Hope Daniels; Henley, Tracy B.; Markley, Robert P.

2007-01-01

The "Mozart effect" is the reported phenomenon of increased spatial abilities after listening to that composer's music. However, subsequent research suggests that the Mozart effect may be an artifactual consequence of heightened arousal and mood rather than the music of Mozart per se (e.g., Thompson, Schellenberg, & Husain, 2001). The present…

[Health and death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart].

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Zegers, R H C

2002-12-21

Not much is known about the medical history and cause of death of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Contrary to popular opinion, Mozart was not an exceptionally ill child and as an adult he generally enjoyed good health. At the age of 9 years he experienced a life-threatening illness, which was probably typhoid fever. On the left-hand side he had what has since become known as 'Mozart's ear', a pinna with under-development of the anthelical fold. His psychological condition gives rise to the notion that he was not exceptional, but that he responded to the events in his life in a normal manner. His terminal illness was characterised by edema of hands and feet, without any associated dyspnoea being described. The medical treatment was aggressive: enema, bloodletting on several occasions and treatment with a laxative substance. He was burried in an anonymous grave. The skull that was later ascribed to him was not his own, as no element of the denture fits with the tooth abscess he was known to have experienced. An overdose of mercury during the treatment of syphilis seems to be unlikely, as equally Henoch-Schönlein-purpura and the consequences of acute rheumatism. Trichinosis is a recent hypothesis which fits the terminal symptoms and the fact that Mozart was fond of pork. The diagnosis of his physician Closset was 'hitsiges Frieselfieber', which was possibly caused by one of the many infectious diseases prevalent at that time.

Effect of Mozart Music on Hippocampal Content of BDNF in Postnatal Rats

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Mohsen Marzban

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: It has shown that listening to Mozart music can potentiate spatial tasks in human; and reduce seizure attacks in epileptic patients. A few studies have reported the effects of prenatal plus postpartum exposure of mice to the Mozart music on brain-drived neurotrophic factor (BDNF in the hippocampus. Here we investigated the effect of postpartum exposure to The Mozart music on BDNF concentration in the hippocampus of rat.Methods: Thirty male one day old newborn Wistar rats divided randomly in two equal experimental and control groups. Experimental group exposed to slow rhythm Mozart music (Mozart Sonata for two pianos KV 448, 6 hour per day; sound pressure levels, between 80 and 100 dB for 60 successive days. The control group was kept in separate room with housing conditions like experimental group except music exposure. After 60 days the rats were euthanized and hippocampuses extracted; then the content of BDNF protein was measured using ELISA sandwich method. Results: Data analysis revealed that rats exposed to Mozart Sonata music had significantly increased BDNF content in the hippocampus as compared to control rats (P±0.01. The concentrations of BDNF were 86.30±2.26 and 94.60 ±6.22 ng/g wet weight in control and music exposure groups respectively.Discussion: Exposure to the Mozart music early in life can increase the BDNF concentration in the hippocampus in rats.

Effect of Mozart Music on Hippocampal Content of BDNF in Postnatal Rats

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Mohsen Marzban

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: It has shown that listening to Mozart music can potentiate spatial tasks in human and reduce seizure attacks in epileptic patients. A few studies have reported the effects of prenatal plus postpartum exposure of mice to the Mozart music on brain-drived neurotrophic factor (BDNF in the hippocampus. Here we investigated the effect of postpartum exposure to The Mozart music on BDNF concentration in the hippocampus of rat.Methods: Thirty male one day old newborn Wistar rats divided randomly in two equal experimental and control groups. Experimental group exposed to slow rhythm Mozart music (Mozart Sonata for two pianos KV 448, 6 hour per day sound pressure levels, between 80 and 100 dB for 60 successive days. The control group was kept in separate room with housing conditions like experimental group except music exposure. After 60 days the rats were euthanized and hippocampuses extracted then the content of BDNF protein was measured using ELISA sandwich method. Results: Data analysis revealed that rats exposed to Mozart Sonata music had significantly increased BDNF content in the hippocampus as compared to control rats (P±0.01. The concentrations of BDNF were 86.30±2.26 and 94.60 ±6.22 ng/g wet weight in control and music exposure groups respectively.Discussion: Exposure to the Mozart music early in life can increase the BDNF concentration in the hippocampus in rats.

Hans Urs von Balthasar y la música de Mozart

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Jaime Donoso

2009-01-01

Full Text Available El autor, a partir de su experiencia como intérprete musical, intenta demostrar que la explicación de la esencia de la música, y la de Mozart en particular, no se agota en un análisis puramente musicológico. Para ello se apoya en ideas de von Balthasar y en palabras del Papa Benedicto XVI, ambos profundamente amantes de Mozart. Sus juicios dicen relación con la idea de una teología de la belleza.The author uses his experience as a musical interpreter as a starting point, and attempts to demonstrate that the explanation of the essence of music, and Mozart´s music in particular, is not exhausted by purely musicological analysis. For this purpose the author bases himself on the ideas of von Balthasar as well as the words of Pope Benedict XVI, both deeply fond of Mozart. Their conclusions relate to the idea of a theology of beauty.

The Other Mozart Effect: An Open Letter to Music Educators.

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Duke, Robert A.

2000-01-01

Reports on five observations of children and adults involved in music activities and discusses three issues related to experimental research. Argues against the Mozart Effect, stating that the effects of music instruction seen within the classroom everyday are more significant. Discusses the results of Mozart Effect studies and educational…

Mozart Türgis / Igor Garshnek

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Garšnek, Igor, 1958-

2007-01-01

3. veebr. sarjas "Diplomaatilised noodid - Türgi" Tallinna Kinomajas linastunud Elijah Moshinsky ooperifilmist "Mozart Türgis", mis põhineb W. A. Mozarti ooperil "Röövimine serailist" ("Haaremirööv" "Die Entführung aus dem Serail")

The death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: an epidemiologic perspective.

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Zegers, Richard H C; Weigl, Andreas; Steptoe, Andrew

2009-08-18

The early death of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 5 December 1791 has fascinated the world for more than 2 centuries. It has been suggested that his final illness was caused by poisoning, renal failure, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, trichinosis, and many other conditions. The official daily register of deaths in Mozart's Vienna was evaluated to provide an epidemiologic framework into which the observations of contemporary witnesses of his death can be integrated. All recorded deaths in Vienna during November and December 1791 and January 1792 were analyzed, together with the corresponding periods in 1790 to 1791 and 1792 to 1793. The deaths of 5011 adults (3442 men, 1569 women) were recorded over these periods. The mean ages of death were 45.5 years (SD, 18.5) for men and 54.5 years (SD, 19.9) for women. Tuberculosis and related conditions accounted for the highest number of deaths; cachexia and malnutrition ranked second, and edema was the third most common cause. According to eyewitness accounts, the hallmark of Mozart's final disease was severe edema. Deaths from edema were markedly increased among younger men in the weeks surrounding Mozart's death compared with the previous and following years. This minor epidemic may have originated in the military hospital. Our analysis is consistent with Mozart's last illness and death being due to a streptococcal infection leading to an acute nephritic syndrome caused by poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. Scarlet fever, which represents the same underlying disease from an etiologic perspective, is a less likely possibility.

Mozart K.448 acts as a potential add-on therapy in children with refractory epilepsy.

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Lin, Lung-Chang; Lee, Wei-Te; Wang, Chien-Hua; Chen, Hsiu-Lin; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Tsai, Chin-Lin; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Weng, Chia-Fen; Lee, Mei-Wen; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2011-03-01

Mozart's Sonata for two pianos in D major, K.448 (Mozart K.448), has been shown to improve mental function, leading to what is known as the Mozart effect. Our previous work revealed that epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy decreased during and immediately after listening to Mozart K.448. In this study, we evaluated the long-term effects of Mozart K.448 on children with refractory epilepsy. Eleven children with refractory epilepsy were enrolled. All of the patients were diagnosed as having had refractory epilepsy for more than 1 year (range =1 year to 6 years 4 months, mean =3 years 11 months) and had been receiving at least two antiepileptic drugs (AED). During the study period, they listened to Mozart K.448 once a day before bedtime for 6 months. Seizure frequencies were recorded 6 months before they started listening to this music and monthly during the study period. All of the patients remained on the same AEDs during the 6-month study period. Frequencies of seizures were compared before and after listening to Mozart K.448. Eight of eleven patients were seizure free (N=2) or had very good responses (N=6) after 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448. The remaining three (27.3%) showed minimal or no effect (effectiveness Mozart K.448 should be further studied as a potential add-on therapy in the treatment of children with refractory epilepsy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Mozart Effect on Childhood Epilepsy-A Systematic Review.

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Brackney, Dana E; Brooks, Jessica L

2018-02-01

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of Mozart's music in decreasing seizures in children with epilepsy (Mozart Effect) using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice rating scale © . A search for articles with "Mozart Effect," "child*," and "epilepsy" was conducted in CINAHL Complete, Science Direct, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. Eight studies were selected based on the exclusion and inclusion criteria after removal of duplicates ( n = 17) and others ( n = 46). Studies included were English language, peer reviewed, published between April 2010 and February 2017, and available in full text with an abstract. Quasi-experimental studies demonstrate that the Mozart Effect May reduce epileptiform discharges or seizures in children and has potential as an adjunct to medical management of seizure activity or alone when medication or surgery is not accepted. A causal relationship between the music of Mozart and decreased seizure activity has yet to be demonstrated.

THE IGA SYSTEM

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South, Mary Ann; Cooper, Max D.; Wollheim, Frank A.; Hong, Richard; Good, Robert A.

1966-01-01

1. Five patients with congenital or acquired agammaglobulinemia, lacking detectable IgA in serum or saliva, were transfused with 1 to 2 liters of normal plasma. In 2 of these patients IgA was demonstrated in parotid saliva collected after transfusion, but in none of the 5 was salivary IgG or IgM found. This observation indicates the selective transport of IgA into saliva. 2. The observation by others of an immunochemical difference between serum and sahvary IgA globulin was confirmed. In contrast to serum IgA, salivary IgA is attached to a protein having antigenicity which migrates as a gamma1 globulin. We have termed this protein component "transport piece". 3. The transport piece has been found in an unbound form in the saliva of persons completely lacking IgA: agammaglobulinemic patients, ataxia-telangiectasia patients, a healthy person lacking IgA, and a newborn infant. Free transport piece still occurs in the normal child's saliva after IgA production begins. By adulthood there is usually no free transport piece in the saliva. 4. Heat-aggregated salivary IgA, like heat-aggregated serum IgA, does not fix complement. 5. Our findings offer support for the view that there is a distinct local antibody system for the protection of the mucous surfaces. PMID:4160397

An investigation into the temporal dimension of the Mozart effect: evidence from the attentional blink task.

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Ho, Cristy; Mason, Oliver; Spence, Charles

2007-05-01

In the present study, we examined whether the 'Mozart effect' would influence participants' temporal attention using a visual attentional blink (AB) task that provides a reliable measure of the temporal dynamics of visual attention. The 'Mozart effect' refers to the specific claim that listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K.448 can improve the performance in spatio-temporal tasks. Participants had to try and identify two target digits (in their correct order of presentation) presented amongst a stream of distractor letters in three different conditions (presented in separate blocks of trials): while listening to the Mozart sonata played normally, while listening to the same Mozart sonata played in reverse, and while in silence. The results showed that the participants were able to detect the second target (T2) significantly more accurately (given the correct detection of the first target, T1) in the AB stream when the Mozart sonata was played normally than in either of the other two conditions. Possible explanations for the differential effects of Mozart's music being played normally and in reverse and potential confounds in previous studies reporting a facilitatory 'Mozart effect' are discussed. Our results therefore provide the first empirical demonstration supporting the existence of a purely temporal component to the 'Mozart effect' using a non-spatial visual AB task.

Bach music in preterm infants: no 'Mozart effect' on resting energy expenditure.

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Keidar, H Rosenfeld; Mandel, D; Mimouni, F B; Lubetzky, R

2014-02-01

To study whether Johan Sebastian Bach music has a lowering effect on resting energy expenditure (REE) similar to that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart music. Prospective, randomized clinical trial with cross-over in 12 healthy, appropriate weights for gestational age (GA), gavage fed, metabolically stable, preterm infants. Infants were randomized to a 30-min period of either Mozart or Bach music or no music over 3 consecutive days. REE was measured every minute by indirect calorimetry. Three REE measurements were performed in each of 12 infants at age 20±15.8 days. Mean GA was 30.17±2.44 weeks and mean birthweight was 1246±239 g. REE was similar during the first 10-min of all three randomization periods. During the next 10-min period, infants exposed to music by Mozart had a trend toward lower REE than when not exposed to music. This trend became significant during the third 10-min period. In contrast, music by Bach or no music did not affect significantly REE during the whole study. On average, the effect size of Mozart music upon REE was a reduction of 7.7% from baseline. Mozart music significantly lowers REE in preterm infants, whereas Bach music has no similar effect. We speculate that 'Mozart effect' must be taken into account when incorporating music in the therapy of preterm infants, as not all types of music may have similar effects upon REE and growth.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--controversies regarding his illnesses and death: a bibliographic review.

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Dawson, William J

2010-06-01

More has been written about Mozart's illnesses and death than for any other composer. An exploration of PAMA's Bibliography of Performing Arts Medicine provides the data for this review. The bibliography contained 136 entries that pertained to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Of these, 81 were available to the author, either in printed or electronic copy. In order to provide a clearer historical perspective on this topic, this review assembles information pertaining to illnesses and other medical problems that occurred during Mozart's life as well as those purportedly contributing to his death.

Mozart in the neurological department - who has the tic?

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Kammer, Thomas

2007-01-01

In Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's medical history quite an impressive list of possible diseases has been collected. In the 1980s the diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome was added to the list. Evidence of vocal tics was derived from the scatological expressions found in the letters of Mozart. In addition there are a few contemporary reports on striking motor behavior suggesting the existence of motor tics. However, in a critical light the arguments for the diagnosis are quite weak. Most problematic is the concept that involuntary vocal utterances are transferred to the written form. One would expect to find similar written manifestations of vocal tics in the work of authors suffering from Tourette's syndrome. This is neither the case in the work of Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) nor in that of André Malraux (1901-1976). In conclusion, Tourette's syndrome is an inventive but implausible diagnosis in the medical history of Mozart.

Infective endocarditis and phlebotomies may have killed mozart.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Simon Jong-Koo

2010-12-01

Thirty-five year-old Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna after an acute illness that lasted only 15 days but no consensus has been reached on the cause of his death. From many letters written by his farther it is almost certain that he experienced at least three episodes of acute rheumatic fever attack in his childhood, and a relapse of rheumatic fever was suggested to have killed Mozart, although death from acute rheumatic fever is very rare in adults. His last illness was characterized by high fever, massive edema, vomiting and skin rash. His last illness can be explained by infectious endocarditis and heart failure. During his last hours, he was given phlebotomy, possibly for the third time in two weeks, and soon after he became unconscious and died. As such, phlebotomy performed on a man dehydrated by high fever and vomiting may have caused systemic shock. In summary, Mozart probably died from chronic rheumatic heart disease complicated by infective endocarditis and heart failure, and repeated phlebotomy-induced hypovolemic shock.

Ah lo previdi - Arien von Mozart, Cocchi, Colla und Paisiello

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jonášová, Milada

-, - (2008), s. 75-86. ISBN 9783761821107. ISSN 1861-9053. [Der junge Mozart 1756-1780. Philologie – Analyse – Rezeption. Salzburg, 01.12.2005-4.12.2005] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1QS900580552 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z90580513 Keywords : Ah lo previdi * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart * G. Cocchi * G. Colla * G. Paisiello Subject RIV: AL - Art, Architecture, Cultural Heritage

[The influence of Mozart's and Beethoven's music on reverse mnemonic recall tasks].

Science.gov (United States)

Giannouli, V; Tsolaki, M; Kargopoulos, P

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate one of the most well-known phenomena in the field of music psychology: the influence of Mozart's music (Mozart effect). Today the Mozart effect is generally related to every kind of short-term or long-term positive influence of music on men and animals. Here it is examined in relation to cognitive tasks and par ticularly in relation to reverse mnemonic recall tasks. Twenty-four volunteers, aged 50-55 participated in all 3 ten-minute conditions of the experiment which were Mozart's Allegro con spirito K.448, Beethoven's Rondo-Allegro opus 61 and ten minutes of silence without any recorded acoustic stimulus. The individuals were randomly separated in six groups. The examination material were three improvised groups of series consisted of one-digit numbers from 2 to 9 digits, which were read in a rate of one digit per second. Results indicated that the majority of the participants did not show any increase in the number of digits that they could recall due to the listening of Mozart's piece. Also, no statistically significant difference was found between the three conditions associated with listening to a morphologically similar excerpt by Beethoven. What was however found was that individuals who strongly preferred the Mozart condition scored better than the others (p=0,005). Finally, it seems that participants who had attended even basic music studies remembered more digits in all three conditions of the experiment than the others who had never studied music before (p=0,000).

The Mozart effect on task performance in a laparoscopic surgical simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiseman, Michael C

2013-10-01

The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon whereby certain pieces of music induce temporary enhancement in "spatial temporal reasoning." To determine whether the Mozart Effect can improve surgical performance, 55 male volunteers (mean age = 20.6 years, range = 16-27), novice to surgery, were timed as they completed an activity course on a laparoscopic simulator. Subjects were then randomized for exposure to 1 of 2 musical pieces by Mozart (n = 21) and Dream Theater (n = 19), after which they repeated the course. Following a 15-minute exposure to a nonmusical piece, subjects were exposed to one of the pieces and performed the activity course a third time. An additional group (n = 15) that was not corandomized performed the tasks without any exposure to music. The percent improvements in completion time between 3 successive trials were calculated for each subject and group means compared. In 2 of the tasks, subjects exposed to the Dream Theater piece achieved approximately 30% more improvement (26.7 ± 8.3%) than those exposed to the Mozart piece (20.2 ± 7.8%, P = .021) or to no music (20.4 ± 9.1%, P = .049). Distinct patterns of covariance between baseline performance and subsequent improvement were observed for the different musical conditions and tasks. The data confirm the existence of a Mozart Effect and demonstrate for the first time its practical applicability. Prior exposure to certain pieces may enhance performance in practical skills requiring spatial temporal reasoning.

Improved automated perimetry performance in elderly subjects after listening to Mozart.

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Marques, Junia Cabral; Vanessa, Adriana Chaves Oliveira; Fiorelli, Macedo Batista; Kasahara, Niro

2009-01-01

To evaluate the performance of automated perimetry of elderly subjects naïve to AP after listening to a Mozart sonata. Automated perimetry (AP) is a psychophysical test used to assess visual fields in patients with neurological disorders and glaucoma. In a previous study, Fiorelli et al. showed that young subjects who listened to a Mozart sonata prior to undergoing AP performed better in terms of reliability than those who did not listen to the sonata. Fifty-two AP-naïve, normal subjects underwent Automated perimetry (SITA 24-2). The study group (25 subjects) underwent AP after listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, and the control group (27 subjects) underwent Automated perimetry without prior exposure to the music. The study group had significantly lower false negative rates and a lower visual field reliability score than the controls (P=0.04 and P=0.04, respectively). The test time was shorter for the study group (P=0.03). This study shows that elderly subjects, when exposed to the Mozart sonata immediately before AP testing, have lower false negative rates and lower visual field reliability scores when compared with an age- and gender-matched control group. Our results differ from those of Fiorelli et al. who found lower false positive rates and less fixation loss in addition to lower false negative rates. Listening to a Mozart sonata seems to improve automated perimetry reliability in elderly subjects.

Mozart versus new age music: relaxation states, stress, and ABC relaxation theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jonathan C; Joyce, Carol A

2004-01-01

Smith's (2001) Attentional Behavioral Cognitive (ABC) relaxation theory proposes that all approaches to relaxation (including music) have the potential for evoking one or more of 15 factor-analytically derived relaxation states, or "R-States" (Sleepiness, Disengagement, Rested / Refreshed, Energized, Physical Relaxation, At Ease/Peace, Joy, Mental Quiet, Childlike Innocence, Thankfulness and Love, Mystery, Awe and Wonder, Prayerfulness, Timeless/Boundless/Infinite, and Aware). The present study investigated R-States and stress symptom-patterns associated with listening to Mozart versus New Age music. Students (N = 63) were divided into three relaxation groups based on previously determined preferences. Fourteen listened to a 28-minute tape recording of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and 14 listened to a 28-minute tape of Steven Halpern's New Age Serenity Suite. Others (n = 35) did not want music and instead chose a set of popular recreational magazines. Participants engaged in their relaxation activity at home for three consecutive days for 28 minutes a session. Before and after each session, each person completed the Smith Relaxation States Inventory (Smith, 2001), a comprehensive questionnaire tapping 15 R-States as well as the stress states of somatic stress, worry, and negative emotion. Results revealed no differences at Session 1. At Session 2, those who listened to Mozart reported higher levels of At Ease/Peace and lower levels of Negative Emotion. Pronounced differences emerged at Session 3. Mozart listeners uniquely reported substantially higher levels of Mental Quiet, Awe and Wonder, and Mystery. Mozart listeners reported higher levels, and New Age listeners slightly elevated levels, of At Ease/Peace and Rested/Refreshed. Both Mozart and New Age listeners reported higher levels of Thankfulness and Love. In summary, those who listened to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik reported more psychological relaxation and less stress than either those who listened to

Time and Space in W.A. Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus (1791)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Nils Holger

2015-01-01

A discussion and interpretation of Mozart's famous motet contextualised through historical considerations of music, theology and aesthetics inspired by K.E. Løgstrup's notion of the fictive space of a melody.......A discussion and interpretation of Mozart's famous motet contextualised through historical considerations of music, theology and aesthetics inspired by K.E. Løgstrup's notion of the fictive space of a melody....

Pengaruh Musik Mozart dalam Mengurangi Stres pada Mahasiswa yang Sedang Skripsi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Rosanty

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This study aims for determining the effect of Mozart classical music to decrease the stress level among sixteen students who are writing their thesis. The present study used a randomized pretest posttest control group design. The process of Mozart classical music was conducted in four sessions for 1 hour. The score of stress level was analyzed to compare between pretest, posttest and follow up using Friedman test. The result of data analysis showed a significant decreasing of stress level score between pretest, posttest and follow up in the experimental group (Chi-Square = 12,542 p = 0,02 p < 0,05. This result indicated that Mozart classical music was quite effective in decreasing stress among students who is writing their thesis.

Improved automated perimetry performance in elderly subjects after listening to Mozart

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junia Cabral Marques

2009-01-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of automated perimetry of elderly subjects naïve to AP after listening to a Mozart sonata. INTRODUCTION: Automated perimetry (AP is a psychophysical test used to assess visual fields in patients with neurological disorders and glaucoma. In a previous study, Fiorelli et al. showed that young subjects who listened to a Mozart sonata prior to undergoing AP performed better in terms of reliability than those who did not listen to the sonata. METHODS: Fifty-two AP-naïve, normal subjects underwent Automated perimetry (SITA 24-2. The study group (25 subjects underwent AP after listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, and the control group (27 subjects underwent Automated perimetry without prior exposure to the music. RESULTS: The study group had significantly lower false negative rates and a lower visual field reliability score than the controls (P=0.04 and P=0.04, respectively. The test time was shorter for the study group (P=0.03. DISCUSSION: This study shows that elderly subjects, when exposed to the Mozart sonata immediately before AP testing, have lower false negative rates and lower visual field reliability scores when compared with an age- and gender-matched control group. Our results differ from those of Fiorelli et al. who found lower false positive rates and less fixation loss in addition to lower false negative rates. CONCLUSION: Listening to a Mozart sonata seems to improve automated perimetry reliability in elderly subjects.

Preliminary results of geologic and remote sensing studies of Rima Mozart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coombs, C.R.; Hawke, B.R.

1987-01-01

In order to better understand the processes responsible for the formation of lunar sinuous rilles, a study of Rima Mozart was conducted using a variety of geologic, photographic, and remote sensing data. The apparent source of this rille is located in a highlands unit of known composition and it is hypothesized that thermal and mechanical erosion played an important role in the formation of Rima Mozart. Excellent photographic, topographic, multispectral, and radar data exist for this rille. The preliminary results of an analysis of this data are presented. Photographic data indicates the presence of two volcanic source vents for Rima Mozart: Kathleen and Ann. It is suggested that Rima Mozart, like many other lunar sinuous rilles, was most likely formed by a combination of events. Rima Mozart does follow a pre-existing, dominant NW/SE structural trend suggesting the influence of structural features on the rille, however, the tectonic influence is not the sole source for the formation of the rille, as suggested by the presence of the two source vents and the spatter around Ann. It is suggested that the rille formation began with an explosive eruption at Kathleen which later calmed down to a pulsating, high volume, low-viscosity lava flow. The rapid effusion rate of the magma as well as its high temperature and turbid nature helped carve the sinuous rille into the fractured and structurally weak Apennine Bench Formation underneath. Similar eruptions and subsequent flows were also created at Ann and joined to the main channel by a NE-trending secondary rille

Preliminary results of geologic and remote sensing studies of Rima Mozart

Science.gov (United States)

Coombs, C. R.; Hawke, B. R.

1987-01-01

In order to better understand the processes responsible for the formation of lunar sinuous rilles, a study of Rima Mozart was conducted using a variety of geologic, photographic, and remote sensing data. The apparent source of this rille is located in a highlands unit of known composition and it is hypothesized that thermal and mechanical erosion played an important role in the formation of Rima Mozart. Excellent photographic, topographic, multispectral, and radar data exist for this rille. The preliminary results of an analysis of this data are presented. Photographic data indicates the presence of two volcanic source vents for Rima Mozart: Kathleen and Ann. It is suggested that Rima Mozart, like many other lunar sinuous rilles, was most likely formed by a combination of events. Rima Mozart does follow a pre-existing, dominant NW/SE structural trend suggesting the influence of structural features on the rille, however, the tectonic influence is not the sole source for the formation of the rille, as suggested by the presence of the two source vents and the spatter around Ann. It is suggested that the rille formation began with an explosive eruption at Kathleen which later calmed down to a pulsating, high volume, low-viscosity lava flow. The rapid effusion rate of the magma as well as its high temperature and turbid nature helped carve the sinuous rille into the fractured and structurally weak Apennine Bench Formation underneath. Similar eruptions and subsequent flows were also created at Ann and joined to the main channel by a NE-trending secondary rille.

Cleavage of a recombinant human immunoglobulin A2 (IgA2)-IgA1 hybrid antibody by certain bacterial IgA1 proteases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Senior, B; Dunlop, JI; Batten, MR

2000-01-01

, Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. sanguis, Neisseria meningitidis types 1 and 2, N. gonorrhoeae types 1 and 2, and Haemophilus influenzae type 2. Thus, for these enzymes the recognition site for IgA1 cleavage is contained within half of the IgA1 hinge region; additional distal elements, if required, are provided...... by either an IgA1 or an IgA2 framework. In contrast, the IgA2/A1 hybrid appeared to be resistant to cleavage with S. oralis and some H. influenzae type 1 IgA1 proteases, suggesting these enzymes require additional determinants for efficient substrate recognition....

The long-term effect of listening to Mozart K.448 decreases epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy.

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Lin, Lung-Chang; Lee, Wei-Te; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Tsai, Chin-Lin; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Weng, Chia-Fen; Lee, Mei-wen; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2011-08-01

Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K.448 (Mozart K.448), has been shown to improve mental function, leading to what is known as the Mozart Effect. Our previous work revealed that epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy decrease during and right after listening to Mozart K.448. However, the duration of the effect was not studied. In the study described here, we evaluated the long-term effect of Mozart K.448 on epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy. Eighteen children with epilepsy whose seizures were clinically well controlled with antiepileptic drugs were included. For each child, EEGs had revealed persistent epileptiform discharges for at least 6 months. These patients listened to Mozart K.448 for 8 minutes once a day before bedtime for 6 months. Epileptiform discharges were recorded and compared before and after 1, 2, and 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448. All of the children remained on the same antiepileptic drug over the 6 months. Relationships between number of epileptiform discharges and foci of discharges, intelligence, epilepsy etiology, age, and gender were analyzed. Epileptiform discharges significantly decreased by 53.2±47.4, 64.4±47.1, and 71.6±45.8%, respectively, after listening to Mozart K.448 for 1, 2, and 6 months. All patients except those with occipital discharges showed a significant decrease in epileptiform discharges. Patients with normal intelligence and idiopathic epilepsy had greater decreases than those with mental retardation and symptomatic epilepsy. Age and gender did not affect the results. We conclude that long-term listening to Mozart K.448 may be effective in decreasing epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy in a chronologically progressive manner. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The skull of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart predicates of his death.

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Vlcek, E; Druga, R; Smahel, Z; Bigoni, L; Velemínská, J

2006-01-01

W. A. Mozart died due to the consequences of chronic epidural hematoma after sustaining a dull injury to his head, probably at an early age. Exacerbation of the process was repeated over a period of many years and manifested itself as pyrexial disease, meningeal irritation with intense headaches. After the attack subsided, the illness manifested itself again. After the last attack of the likely infected nidus, Mozart died on December 5, 1791. Historic data about the composer's behavior indicate development of a temporal syndrome or temporal epilepsy with typical clinical manifestations.

Mozart at play: the limitations of attributing the etiology of genius to tourette syndrome and mental illness.

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Powell, Henry; Kushner, Howard I

2015-01-01

There has been a persistent attempt to explain Mozart's talent as connected to physical and mental illness. While Mozart's musical compositions and performances were often acclaimed for their "taste," the composer's personal behavior sometimes astonished those who witnessed "blödeln" or wild horseplay, practical joking, and scatological humor. Most recently, Mozart's eccentric behavior has been attributed to Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. This chapter investigates the evidence for these retrospective diagnoses and reassesses this evidence by paying particular attention to the milieu in which Mozart lived. We argue that Mozart's putative pathological behavior was a manifestation of his resilience in face of multiple adversities and was deeply rooted in his sense of play. Our hypothesis is that play, rather than neuropsychiatric disease, was essential to the operation of his genius. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geologic and remote sensing studies of Rima Mozart

Science.gov (United States)

Coombs, Cassandra R.; Hawke, B. Ray; Wilson, Lionel

1988-01-01

Geologic, photographic, and remote sensing data on Rima Mozart are analyzed to study the processes responsible for the formation of lunar sinuous rilles. The results show that it is unlikely that a complete lava tube could have existed along the Rima Mozart rille. A total eruptive volume of 6372 cu km has been determined for an open channel or tube with an eruption rate of about 80,000 cu m/s and a duration of 947 days. Near-infrared spectral reflectance data and 2.8-cm and 70-cm radar observations indicate that volcanic activity was responsible for the formation of the rille and that pyroclastic deposits are present around Kathleen and Ann as well as at the base of the Apennines.

A Limiting Feature of the Mozart Effect: Listening Enhances Mental Rotation Abilities in Non-Musicians but Not Musicians

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Aheadi, Afshin; Dixon, Peter; Glover, Scott

2010-01-01

The "Mozart effect" occurs when performance on spatial cognitive tasks improves following exposure to Mozart. It is hypothesized that the Mozart effect arises because listening to complex music activates similar regions of the right cerebral hemisphere as are involved in spatial cognition. A counter-intuitive prediction of this hypothesis (and one…

Aberrantly Glycosylated IgA1 as a Factor in the Pathogenesis of IgA Nephropathy

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Mototsugu Tanaka

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Predominant or codominant immunoglobulin (Ig A deposition in the glomerular mesangium characterizes IgA nephropathy (IgAN. Accumulated glomerular IgA is limited to the IgA1 subclass and usually galactose-deficient. This underglycosylated IgA may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IgAN. Recently, antibodies against galactose-deficient IgA1 were found to be well associated with the development of IgAN. Several therapeutic strategies based on corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive agents have been shown to at least partially suppress the progression of IgAN. On the other hand, several case reports of kidney transplantation or acquired IgA deficiency uncovered a remarkable ability of human kidney to remove mesangial IgA deposition, resulting in the long-term stabilization of kidney function. Continuous exposure to circulating immune complexes containing aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 and sequential immune response seems to be essential in the disease progression of IgAN. Removal of mesangial IgA deposition may be a challenging, but fundamental approach in the treatment of IgAN.

Effect of music by Mozart on energy expenditure in growing preterm infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubetzky, Ronit; Mimouni, Francis B; Dollberg, Shaul; Reifen, Ram; Ashbel, Gina; Mandel, Dror

2010-01-01

The rate of weight gain in preterm infants who are exposed to music seems to improve. A potential mechanism could be increased metabolic efficiency; therefore, we conducted this study to test the hypothesis that music by Mozart reduces resting energy expenditure (REE) in growing healthy preterm infants. DESIGN. A prospective, randomized clinical trial with crossover was conducted in 20 healthy, appropriate-weight-for-gestational-age, gavage-fed preterm infants. Infants were randomly assigned to be exposed to a 30-minute period of Mozart music or no music on 2 consecutive days. Metabolic measurements were performed by indirect calorimetry. REE was similar during the first 10-minute period of both randomization groups. During the next 10-minute period, infants who were exposed to music had a significantly lower REE than when not exposed to music (P = .028). This was also true during the third 10-minute period (P = .03). Thus, on average, the effect size of music on REE is a reduction of approximately 10% to 13% from baseline, an effect obtained within 10 to 30 minutes. Exposure to Mozart music significantly lowers REE in healthy preterm infants. We speculate that this effect of music on REE might explain, in part, the improved weight gain that results from this "Mozart effect."

Mozart effect on dental anxiety in 6–12 year old children

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Arlette Suzy Setiawan

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Children anxiety in dental treatment often becomes a barrier for dentist to perform optimum dental treatment procedure. Various methods to manage anxiety and fear in children have been applied including listening to classical music during dental treatment. One of the classical music usually used is music by Mozart. Purpose: This study is aimed to discover the role of classical music by Mozart in dental anxiety changes. Method: This study was a quasi experimental study using purposive sampling method. The samples consist of 30 children between 6-12 years old group who were treated at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic, Dental Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry Padjadjaran University. The anxiety data was collected using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS before and after listening on the classical music during treatment. Result: The result of this study showed that there were 23 children (76.67% of subjects who present decreased anxiety, 7 children (23.33% of subjects did not present decreased anxiety and none of of subjects showed increased anxiety. Conclusion: It was concluded that listening to music by Mozart during dental treatment can reduce anxiety in 6-12 year old children.Latar belakang: Kecemasan pada anak saat perawatan gigi seringkali merupakan penghalang bagi dokter gigi untuk melaksanakan prosedurperawatan gigi yang optimal. Berbagai metode untuk mengatasi kecemasan dan rasa takutpada anak telah dilakukan termasuk mendengarkan musik klasik selama perawatan gigi. Salah satu musik klasik yang banyak digunakan adalah music oleh Mozart. Tujuan: Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk menemukan peran music klasik Mozart dalam perubahan kecemasan pada perawatan gigi. Metode: Penelitian ini adalah kuasi eksperimental menggunakan metode pengambilan sampel purposif. Sampel terdiri dari 30 anak antara 6-12 tahun yang dirawat di Klinik Kedokteran Gigi Anak, Rumah Sakit Gigi dan Mulut Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi Universitas Padjadjaran. Data kecemasan diambil

Listening to Mozart K.448 decreases electroencephalography oscillatory power associated with an increase in sympathetic tone in adults: a post-intervention study.

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Lin, Lung-Chang; Ouyang, Chen-Sen; Chiang, Ching-Tai; Wu, Rong-Ching; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2014-10-01

Listening to Mozart K.448 has been demonstrated to improve spatial task scores, leading to what is known as the Mozart Effect. However, most of these reports only describe the phenomena but lack the scientific evidence needed to properly investigate the mechanism of Mozart Effect. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) to evaluate the effects of Mozart K.448 on healthy volunteers to explore Mozart Effect. An EEG-based post-intervention analysis. Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Twenty-nine college students were enrolled. They received EEG and electrocardiogram examinations simultaneously before, during and after listening to the first movement of Mozart K.448. EEG alpha, theta and beta power and HRV were compared in each stage. The results showed a significant decrease in alpha, theta and beta power when they listened to Mozart K.448. In addition, the average root mean square successive difference, the proportion derived by dividing NN50 by the total number of NN intervals, standard deviations of NN intervals and standard deviations of differences between adjacent NN intervals showed a significant decrease, while the high frequency revealed a significant decrease with a significantly elevated low-frequency/high-frequency ratio. Listening to Mozart K.448 significantly decreased EEG alpha, theta and beta power and HRV. This study indicates that there is brain cortical function and sympathetic tone activation in healthy adults when listening to Mozart K.448, which may play an important role in the mechanism of Mozart Effect.

The Mozart Effect[R] for Children: Awakening Your Child's Mind, Health, and Creativity with Music.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Don

The Mozart Effect is defined as the ability of Mozart's music to temporarily heighten listeners' spatial awareness and intelligence, to improve listeners' concentration and speech abilities, and to advance reading and language skills. This book provides information about the ways in which the rhythm and tone components of music can enhance…

Mozart, music and medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Pauwels, Ernest K J; Volterrani, Duccio; Mariani, Giuliano; Kostkiewics, Magdalena

2014-01-01

According to the first publication in 1993 by Rauscher et al. [Nature 1993;365:611], the Mozart effect implies the enhancement of reasoning skills solving spatial problems in normal subjects after listening to Mozart's piano sonata K 448. A further evaluation of this effect has raised the question whether there is a link between music-generated emotions and a higher level of cognitive abilities by mere listening. Positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have revealed that listening to pleasurable music activates cortical and subcortical cerebral areas where emotions are processed. These neurobiological effects of music suggest that auditory stimulation evokes emotions linked to heightened arousal and result in temporarily enhanced performance in many cognitive domains. Music therapy applies this arousal in a clinical setting as it may offer benefits to patients by diverting their attention from unpleasant experiences and future interventions. It has been applied in the context of various important clinical conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, cancer pain, epilepsy, depression and dementia. Furthermore, music may modulate the immune response, among other things, evidenced by increasing the activity of natural killer cells, lymphocytes and interferon-γ, which is an interesting feature as many diseases are related to a misbalanced immune system. Many of these clinical studies, however, suffer from methodological inadequacies. Nevertheless, at present, there is moderate but not altogether convincing evidence that listening to known and liked music helps to decrease the burden of a disease and enhances the immune system by modifying stress. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Does Listening to Mozart Affect Listening Ability?

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, Becki J.; Punyanunt-Carter, Narissra; Cheah, Tsui Yi; Watson, W. Joe; Rubin, Rebecca B.

2007-01-01

Considerable research has been conducted testing Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky's (1993) Mozart Effect (ME). This study attempts to replicate, in part, research that tested the ME on listening comprehension abilities. Also included in this study is an examination of control group issues in current day research. We hypothesized that students who listen to…

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOZART EFFECT AND THE MISSIONARIES AND CANNIBALS PROBLEM SOLVING TASK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JULIANA ROJAS CORREDOR

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Relation between Mozart effect and problem solving test Missionaries and Cannibals was explored in female studentswith ages between 17 and 20 years old. This relation was measured with the interactive task Missionaries and Cannibalsand the Mozart’s Sonata para dos pianos K448. Statistical analysis with 0.05 significance level showed differences betweencontrol and experimental group; also when significance level was increased to 0.01 (confidence of 99% the testcontinue showing an association between test solution Missionaries and Cannibals and Mozart effect.

The "Mozart Effect" and the Mathematical Connection

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Judy M.; Rowe, Beverly J.

2012-01-01

Educators are always looking for ways to enhance the performance of students on outcome assessments. There is a growing body of research showing the benefits of music on educational performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if a "Mozart Effect" improves student performance on outcome assessments in mathematics. In this study, during…

Mozart Effect: Sound Beginnings? Infants and Toddlers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caulfield, Rick

1999-01-01

Notes that outcomes of the "Mozart Effect" on early brain development are not thoroughly proven and presents challenges for future research. Points out that it is still unknown at what age exposure to musical concepts should begin, and that parents should allow children to pursue musical interests at their own pace to avoid burnout at a…

The MOZART experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briec, M.; Abassin, J.J.; Masson, M.; Johnson, C.E.; Roux, N.

1989-01-01

The MOZART experiment was carried out within the framework of the BEATRIX program, as part of the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique contribution to this international collaboration program. This experiment was run during 45 days in the MELUSIN reactor at Grenoble. Tested ceramics were Li 2 O and LiAlO 2 from Japan, Li 2 ZrO 3 from USA, LiAlO 2 from CEA. Influence of parameters such as temperature, sweep gas composition was investigated. Tritium residence times as a function of temperature were calculated. The comparison of the tritium release performance of the three ceramic breeders was made. This investigation has first evidenced the very good tritium release characteristics of Li 2 ZrO 3 especially at low temperatures. (author). 7 refs.; 5 figs.; 3 tabs

The MOZART Project - MOZAmbique Rift Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, J. F.; Chamussa, J. R.; Domingues, A.; Helffrich, G. R.; Fishwick, S.; Ferreira, A. M.; Custodio, S.; Brisbourne, A. M.; Grobbelaar, M.

2012-12-01

Project MOZART (MOZAmbique Rift Tomography) is an ongoing joint effort of Portuguese, Mozambican and British research groups to investigate the geological structure and current tectonic activity of the southernmost tip of the East African Rift System (EARS) through the deployment of a network of 30 broad band seismic stations in Central and Southern Mozambique. In contrast with other stretches of the EARS to the North and with the Kapvaal craton to the West and South, the lithosphere of Mozambique was not previously studied with a dense seismographic deployment on account of past political instability, and many questions remain unanswered with respect to the location and characteristics of the EARS to the south of Tanzania. In recent years, space geodesy revealed the existence of three microplates in and off Mozambique - Victoria, Rovuma, Lwandle - whose borders provide a connection of the EARS to the South West Indian Ridge as required by plate tectonics. However, the picture is still coarse concerning the location of the rift structures. The 2006 M7 Machaze earthquake in Central Mozambique highlighted the current tectonic activity of the region and added a further clue to the location of the continental rift, prompting the MOZART deployment. Besides helping unravel the current tectonics, the project is expected to shed light on the poorly known Mesoproterozoic structure described by Arthur Holmes in 1951 as the Mozambique Belt, and on the mechanisms of transition from stable craton to rifted continental crust, through the development of a tomographic model for the lithosphere. The MOZART network is distributed South of the Zambezi river at average inter-station spaces of the order of 100 km and includes four stations across the border in South Africa. Data exchange was agreed with AfricaArray. The deployment proceeded in two phases in March 2011, and November and December 2011. Decommissioning is foreseen for August 2013. We report preliminary results for this

Selective excretion of IgA in rat bronchial secretions: lack of significant contribution from plasma IgA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemaitre-Coelho, I.; Yamakido, M.; Montgomery, P.C.; Langendries, A.E.; Vaerman, J.P.

1982-01-01

Concentrated rat bronchial washings (BW) were analyzed by gel-filtration and immunochemical methods. BW contained mainly albumin, transferrin and IgG. Free secretory component and secretory IgA were identified in BW; the BW-IgA had the same three sedimentation coefficients, i.e. +/- 11 S, 13 S, 15 S by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, as rat milk and rat bile IgA; the three peaks were secretory IgA. Compared to serum, and relatively to albumin, BW were significantly enriched in IgA, although much less than rat bile. Purified polyclonal rat polymeric 125 I-IgA was injected intravenously into normal rats, and into rats with bile duct ligation or partial hepatectomy, which decrease the liver plasma-to-bile transfer of IgA. BW were then collected, one or four hours later, to assess the recovery of the 125 I-IgA in BW and to estimate the contribution of serum IgA to BW-IgA. Very little 125 I-IgA (less than 0.2%) was recovered in all BW. The specific activity, measured only in the rat with the highest recovery in BW, was 20 times lower in BW than in serum. The data demonstrate that rat serum IgA does not contribute significantly to IgA in BW

Mozart and medicine in the eighteenth century.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, J S

1995-01-01

Over the years the medical history and death of Mozart have been the subject of many studies, but in spite of all this attention much remains controversial. In an attempt to resolve some of the difficulty it is useful to see his life, and that of his family as recorded in their letters, in the context of medicine in eighteenth-century Europe. PMID:7562811

The MOZART in-pile tritium extraction experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briec, M.

1990-01-01

In-pile tritium extraction behavior of various ceramics was compared in the MOZART experiment. The influence of temperature and purge gas composition was studied. The experimental results are analyzed by taking into account the processes of diffusion in the grain and desorption at grain surface. This analysis confirms that a better knowledge of the desorption process is necessary for a satisfactory explanation of the experimental data

Kongress „Der junge Mozart 1756-1780. Philologie – Analyse – Rezeption“, Salzburg 1.-4. 12. 2005

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jonášová, Milada

2006-01-01

Roč. 43, č. 2 (2006), s. 213-215 ISSN 0018-7003. [Der junge Mozart 1756-1780. Philologie – Analyse – Rezeption. Salzburg, 01.12.2005-4.12.2005] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z90580513 Keywords : young Mozart * congress * Salzburg * 1756-1780 Subject RIV: AL - Art, Architecture, Cultural Heritage

IgA Nephropathy and Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura Nephritis: Aberrant Glycosylation of IgA1, Formation of IgA1-Containing Immune Complexes, and Activation of Mesangial Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Novak, J.; Moldoveanu, Z.; Renfrow, M.B.

2007-01-01

IgA1 in the circulation and glomerular deposits of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is aberrantly glycosylated; the hinge-region O-linked glycans are galactose-deficient. The circulating IgA1 of patients with Henoch-Schoenlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) has a similar defect. This aberrancy...

[Musical perception and cognitive functions. Is there such a thing as the Mozart effect?].

Science.gov (United States)

Talero-Gutiérrez, C; Zarruk-Serrano, J G; Espinosa-Bode, A

Throughout the second half of the 20th century important advances were made in the study of neurobiology related to the processing of music, the differences and similarities between the neural pathways involved in language and in music, the role played by each hemisphere in recognising these stimuli, and the effects that exposure to certain specific pieces of music could have on the cognitive functions. The objective of this study is to review the literature concerning music and the central nervous system, bearing in mind the above-mentioned aspects. Likewise, we also wanted to analyse the reports referring to the Mozart effect and Tomatis, in addition to those dealing with formal musical education and its effects. The increased capacity to respond in visuospatial-type tasks after exposure to music by Mozart has triggered a commercial boom which makes use of isolated data, while the real extent of the effect remains unknown. After reviewing the scientific literature on this subject, it was found that the effects of exposure to music by Mozart (the 'Mozart effect') when they actually occurred, were limited to a specific skill that did not last for more than a few minutes. Formal musical education, on the other hand, shows more permanent positive effects but which can be attributed to the individual attention the pupil receives and to the stimulation in basic skills for general learning.

IgA nephropathy enigma

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Městecký, Jiří; Novák, J.; Moldoveanu, Z.; Raška, M.

2016-01-01

Roč. 172, NOV 2016 SI (2016), s. 72-77 ISSN 1521-6616 R&D Projects: GA MZd(CZ) NV15-33686A Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : IgA nephropathy * IgA subclasses * Autoimmunity Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 3.990, year: 2016

Description and evaluation of the Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. K. Emmons

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4 is an offline global chemical transport model particularly suited for studies of the troposphere. The updates of the model from its previous version MOZART-2 are described, including an expansion of the chemical mechanism to include more detailed hydrocarbon chemistry and bulk aerosols. Online calculations of a number of processes, such as dry deposition, emissions of isoprene and monoterpenes and photolysis frequencies, are now included. Results from an eight-year simulation (2000–2007 are presented and evaluated. The MOZART-4 source code and standard input files are available for download from the NCAR Community Data Portal (http://cdp.ucar.edu.

The Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: An Epidemiologic Perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zegers, Richard H. C.; Weigl, Andreas; Steptoe, Andrew

2009-01-01

The early death of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 5 December 1791 has fascinated the world for more than 2 centuries. It has been suggested that his final illness was caused by poisoning, renal failure, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, trichinosis, and many other conditions. The official daily

Exposure to Mozart music reduces cognitive impairment in pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Yingshou; Qin, Yi; Jing, Wei; Zhang, Yunxiang; Wang, Yanran; Guo, Daqing; Xia, Yang; Yao, Dezhong

2016-02-01

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often display cognitive deficits. However, current epilepsy therapeutic interventions mainly aim at how to reduce the frequency and degree of epileptic seizures. Recovery of cognitive impairment is not attended enough, resulting in the lack of effective approaches in this respect. In the pilocarpine-induced temporal lobe epilepsy rat model, memory impairment has been classically reported. Here we evaluated spatial cognition changes at different epileptogenesis stages in rats of this model and explored the effects of long-term Mozart music exposure on the recovery of cognitive ability. Our results showed that pilocarpine rats suffered persisting cognitive impairment during epileptogenesis. Interestingly, we found that Mozart music exposure can significantly enhance cognitive ability in epileptic rats, and music intervention may be more effective for improving cognitive function during the early stages after Status epilepticus. These findings strongly suggest that Mozart music may help to promote the recovery of cognitive damage due to seizure activities, which provides a novel intervention strategy to diminish cognitive deficits in TLE patients.

Enhancement of Spatial Learning-Memory in Developing Rats via Mozart Music

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jian-Gao Yao; Yang Xia; Sheng-Jun Dai; Guang-Zhan Fang; Hua Guo; De-Zhong Yao

2009-01-01

This paper studies the effect of musical stimulations on the capability of the spatial learning-memory in developing rats by behavioral and electro-physiological techniques.Rats,which are exposed to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major,complete learning tasks of the Moriss water maze with significantly shorter latencies,and the power spectrum of alpha band of electrohippocampogram (EHG) significantly increase,compared with the control rats and rats exposed to the horror music.The results indicate that if given the stimulation of Mozart music in the developmental period of the auditory cortex,the capability of the spatial learning-memory can be significantly changed.The enhancement of alpha band of EHG may be related to the change of this function mainly.

Identification of distinct glycoforms of IgA1 in plasma from patients with IgA nephropathy and healthy individuals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehoux, Sylvain; Mi, Rongjuan; Aryal, Rajindra P

2014-01-01

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of glomerulonephritis worldwide and is histologically characterized by the deposition of IgA1 and consequent inflammation in the glomerular mesangium. Prior studies suggested that serum IgA1 from IgAN patients contains aberrant, undergal......Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of glomerulonephritis worldwide and is histologically characterized by the deposition of IgA1 and consequent inflammation in the glomerular mesangium. Prior studies suggested that serum IgA1 from IgAN patients contains aberrant...... there are different glycoforms of IgA1 in plasma from patients with IgAN and healthy individuals. While total plasma IgA in IgAN patients was elevated ~1.6-fold compared to that in healthy donors, IgA1 in all samples was unexpectedly separable into two distinct glycoforms: one with core 1 based O......-glycans, and the other exclusively containing Tn/STn structures. Importantly, Tn antigen present on IgA1 from IgAN patients and controls was convertible into the core 1 structure in vitro by recombinant T-synthase. Our results demonstrate that undergalactosylation of O-glycans in IgA1 is not restricted to Ig...

A Study of Music Students' Tempo Changes of a Soloist's Performance of Mozart's 1st Horn Concerto

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher M.; Madsen, Clifford K.; Geringer, John M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present investigation was to investigate music students' tempo changes of a soloist's performance in an excerpt from Mozart's "Concerto No. 1 in D Major for Horn and Orchestra." We then compared the composite rubato pattern to tendencies found in a previous investigation using Mozart's "Concerto No. 2 in E[flat] Major for Horn…

Did Mozart suffer from Asperger syndrome?

Science.gov (United States)

Raja, Michele

2015-05-01

The most reliable biographies of Mozart highlight elements that are compatible with current diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome including qualitative impairment in social interaction and stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms. Furthermore, numerous features are documented including difficulty in communicating his emotional state and in inferring the mental state of his interlocutors, motor clumsiness, specific skills and genius, left-handedness, special sense of humour, physical developmental abnormalities, bizarre thinking, overvalued ideas and delusions. © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Mozart, but not the Beatles, reduces systolic blood pressure in patients with myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruhlke, Luiza Carolina; Patrício, Marcelo Coelho; Moreira, Daniel Medeiros

2015-12-01

Music reduces systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) in various clinical situations, but it is unclear whether these changes occur in post-infarction patients. The aim is to evaluate the effects of music on patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). We evaluated patients with MI and we measured SBP, DBP, HR and double product (DP) two times before the intervention and one time every fifteen minutes with an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. We divided the patients into 3 groups: a group listening to music by Mozart; another listening to a Beatles collection and a third one listening to the radio news. Outcomes were the change in mean SBP, DBP, HR and DP with intervention. We enrolled 60 patients (20 in each group). SBP was significantly reduced in the Mozart group (variation of –7.2 ± 8.5 mmHg) compared to the Beatles group (–1.3 ± 6.2 mmHg) (P = 0.021) and the radio news group (0.6 ± 8.7 mmHg) (P = 0.003). DP was significantly reduced in the Mozart group compared with the News group (–668.5 ± 773.2 vs 31.6 ± 722.1 mmHg) (P = 0.006). There were no differences in DBP and HR. Patients with MI who listened Mozart had a reduction in SBP and DP compared to those who listened to the Beatles or the news.

Selective neuronal lapses precede human cognitive lapses following sleep deprivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nir, Yuval; Andrillon, Thomas; Marmelshtein, Amit; Suthana, Nanthia; Cirelli, Chiara; Tononi, Giulio; Fried, Itzhak

2017-12-01

Sleep deprivation is a major source of morbidity with widespread health effects, including increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, sleep deprivation brings about vehicle accidents and medical errors and is therefore an urgent topic of investigation. During sleep deprivation, homeostatic and circadian processes interact to build up sleep pressure, which results in slow behavioral performance (cognitive lapses) typically attributed to attentional thalamic and frontoparietal circuits, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Recently, through study of electroencephalograms (EEGs) in humans and local field potentials (LFPs) in nonhuman primates and rodents it was found that, during sleep deprivation, regional 'sleep-like' slow and theta (slow/theta) waves co-occur with impaired behavioral performance during wakefulness. Here we used intracranial electrodes to record single-neuron activities and LFPs in human neurosurgical patients performing a face/nonface categorization psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) over multiple experimental sessions, including a session after full-night sleep deprivation. We find that, just before cognitive lapses, the selective spiking responses of individual neurons in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) are attenuated, delayed, and lengthened. These 'neuronal lapses' are evident on a trial-by-trial basis when comparing the slowest behavioral PVT reaction times to the fastest. Furthermore, during cognitive lapses, LFPs exhibit a relative local increase in slow/theta activity that is correlated with degraded single-neuron responses and with baseline theta activity. Our results show that cognitive lapses involve local state-dependent changes in neuronal activity already present in the MTL.

Nefropatia por IgA nas espondiloartrites IgA nephropathy in spondyloarthritis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Castelo Azevedo

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Pacientes com espondiloartrites poderiam ser mais acometidos pela nefropatia por IgA do que a população geral, havendo, possivelmente, um mecanismo etiopatogênico comum. O seguinte artigo relaciona quatro casos que exemplificam essa possível associaçãoSpondyloarthritis patients can be more frequently affected by IgA nephropathy than the general population, and a common etiopathogenic mechanism can be involved. We report four cases that may exemplify that association

The "Mozart Effect II" and Other Communication/Learning Links

Science.gov (United States)

Selman, Victor; Selman, Ruth Corey; Selman, Jerry; Selman, Elsie

2007-01-01

While exploring the development of Communication and Learning Aids in all venues, particularly the effect of music on learning, several different tracks were followed. The therapeutic use of music is for relaxation and stress reduction, which apparently helps the body to access and discharge deeply locked-in material. The Mozart Effect track which…

Does Listening to Mozart benefit Children with Severe Epilepsy?

Science.gov (United States)

Millichap, J Gordon

2015-08-01

Investigators from the Universities of Salerno and Perugio, Italy, studied the effect of listening to a set of Mozart's compositions on sleep quality, behavior, and seizure recurrence in 11 outpatients (7 males and 4 females), between 1.5 and 21 years of age (mean age, 11.9 years), with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Analysis of the MOZART experiments with JENDL-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seki, Yuji; Hojuyama, Takeshi

1979-01-01

Analyses of the MOZART experiments have been made on reaction rate distributions, sodium void reactivity map and control rod worths to confirm the applicability of JENDL-1 to fast reactor core design. Some anomalous C/E-values have been observed in these core parameters at the outer core and the blanket. Further study is needed in both nuclear data evaluation and data processing method. (author)

Mozart's music in children with drug-refractory epileptic encephalopathies.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppola, Giangennaro; Toro, Annacarmela; Operto, Francesca Felicia; Ferrarioli, Giuseppe; Pisano, Simone; Viggiano, Andrea; Verrotti, Alberto

2015-09-01

Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major, K448, has been shown to decrease interictal EEG discharges and recurrence of clinical seizures in both adults and young patients. In this prospective, open-label study, we evaluated the effect of listening to a set of Mozart's compositions, according to the Tomatis method, on sleep quality and behavioral disorders, including auto-/hetero-aggression, irritability, and hyperactivity, in a group of children and adolescents with drug-resistant epilepsy. The study group was composed of 11 outpatients (7 males and 4 females), between 1.5years and 21years of age (mean age: 11.9years), all suffering from drug-resistant epileptic encephalopathy (n=11). All of them had a severe/profound intellectual disability associated with cerebral palsy. During the study period, each patient had to listen to a set of Mozart's compositions 2h per day for fifteen days for a total of 30h, which could be distributed over the day depending on the habits and compliance of each patient. The music was filtered by a device preferably delivering higher sound frequencies (>3000Hz) according to the Tomatis principles. The antiepileptic drug therapy remained unchanged throughout the study period. During the 15-day music therapy, 2 out of 11 patients had a reduction of 50-75% in seizure recurrence, and 3 out of 12 patients had a reduction of 75-89%. Overall, 5 (45.4%) out of 11 patients had a ≥50% reduction in the total number of seizures, while the percentage decrease of the total seizure number (11/11) compared with baseline was -51.5% during the 15-day music therapy and -20.7% in the two weeks after the end of treatment. All responders also had an improvement in nighttime sleep and daytime behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Did Mozart Suffer from Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome?

Science.gov (United States)

Palacios-Sánchez, Leonardo; Botero-Meneses, Juan Sebastián; Vergara-Méndez, Laura Daniela; Pachón, Natalia; Martínez, Arianna; Ramírez, Santiago

The personal and private lives of great men and women in history, like writers, painters and musicians, have been the subject of great interest for many years. A clear example of this is the vast scrutiny is cast over the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. What may have started as curiosity, rapidly evolved into extensive research, as the answers about the musician's legendary talent may lie in the details of his life (his childhood, his relationships, his quirks and his mannerisms). It is usually up to historians, anthropologists or philosophers to delve into the pages of old books, trying to grasp answers and clues. However, for some time, Physicians have sought their own part in solving the puzzle. The long told hypothesis regarding Mozart's diagnosis of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome will be examined. Could all of the peculiarities and oddities of the genius be caused by a neurological disorder? Or was this musical genius just an eccentric brilliant man?. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of STAT3 Signaling Reduces IgA1 Autoantigen Production in IgA Nephropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koshi Yamada

2017-11-01

Discussion: Our results revealed that IL-6−induced aberrant activation of STAT3-mediated overproduction of galactose-deficient IgA1. STAT3 signaling pathway may thus represent a new target for disease-specific therapy of IgA nephropathy.

Facing the Risks of the "Mozart Effect." Grand Masters Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Reimer, Bennett

1999-01-01

Explores the argument introduced by the "Mozart Effect" research: that music's positive influence on spatial-temporal reasoning should be the purpose for music education. Considers the implications by reshaping the National Standards for Music Education to fulfill the spatial-temporal rationale. Suggests how to reconcile musical and…

Mozart, Rock e a Ativação da Criatividade

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Guilherme Macedo de Souza Tieppo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Creativity and divergent thinking are cognitive processes involved in generation of new ideas and solutions that can contribute to innovation in organizations. Studies about creativity’s antecedent have mostly focused on individual’ characteristics, teams and organizational setting conditions; less attention has been given to cognitive stimulation. Along these lines, the present study investigates the effect of cognitive stimulation through music on divergent thinking. It is based on studies related to the Mozart effect that led to the proposition that exposure to music can lead to better performance in the short term, in specific cognitive abilities. An experiment with 133 students from business schools and international relations, divided into different groups was held: two were exposed to musical stimulation with different styles (rock and Mozart and another had not cognitive stimulation before performing creative tasks. Divergent thinking was assessed by a subjective approach (top two scoring method. It was observed, using the variance analysis is (ANOVA, the groups exposed to music had higher level

Amino acid sequence requirements in the hinge of human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) for cleavage by streptococcal IgA1 proteases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batten, MR; Senior, BW; Kilian, Mogens

2003-01-01

The amino acid sequence requirements in the hinge of human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) for cleavage by IgA1 proteases of different species of Streptococcus were investigated. Recombinant IgA1 antibodies were generated with point mutations at proline 227 and threonine 228, the residues lying on either...... side of the peptide bond at which all streptococcal IgA1 proteases cleave wild-type human IgA1. The amino acid substitutions produced no major effect upon the structure of the mutant IgA1 antibodies or their functional ability to bind to Fcalpha receptors. However, the substitutions had a substantial...... effect upon sensitivity to cleavage with some streptococcal IgA1 proteases, with, in some cases, a single point mutation rendering the antibody resistant to a particular IgA1 protease. This effect was least marked with the IgA1 protease from Streptococcus pneumoniae, which showed no absolute requirement...

Evaluating the Effect of Mozart Music and White Noise on Electroencephalography Pattern toward Visual Memory

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Syarifah Noor Syakiylla Sayed Daud

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Listening to auditory stimuli during study can give positive and negative influence on human cognitive processing. Thus, it has attracted researchers to conduct studies using various types of auditory stimuli. Some researchers believe that Mozart music and white noise are able to give positive influence on cognitive performance. However, most of the past studies gave more attention towards spatial task. Very little studies have been made on the effect of Mozart music and white noise towards memorizing task. Besides, the effect of these auditory stimuli on task difficulty has also not been studied deeply. Hence, the aims of this study were to investigate the effect of Mozart music and white noise on memory performance with different task difficulty levels; and to propose an effective background stimuli condition for memorization. Experiments have been conducted involving 60 healthy adults that required them to memorize the visual memory task with two difficulty levels; i.e. easy and difficult. Brain signal was recorded during memorization duration using 10-20 electrode placement system of electroencephalography (EEG machine. EEG is a neurological test for measuring and recording the electrical activity of the brain. The effect of sound stimuli on memory performance was evaluated based on memorization test score and brain activity. The wavelet approach was used in processing the EEG data. Based on the memorizing test score result, the subjects are able to memorize better when listening to white noise compared to Mozart music at different difficulty levels. Listening to auditory stimuli can influence the electroencephalography pattern and brain activity. The level of sensory processing and attention increases when listening to white noise which cause the increase of relative gamma (easy level: p-value = 0.005; difficult level: p-value = 0.007 and beta power (easy level: p-value = 0.001; difficult level: p-value = 0.003. Thus, in this study, it is

The effect of the Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major on the spatial-temporal reasoning

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Katarina Habe

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The influence of music on cognitive functioning was investigated with the Mozart effect, i. e. the increase in spatial-temporal reasoning performance immediately after exposure to the Mozart piano sonata K.448. The experiment was performed on the sample of 315 students. Based on the results of the main experiment, two groups were formed: the enhancement group (N = 30 and the stagnation group (N = 30. Differences between these extreme groups in intellectual, personal, emotional characteristics, and in the learning styles were examined. The Mozart effect on the spatial-temporal reasoning performance was confirmed. The effect was not influenced by gender, musical knowledge, or the study area. It was also not affected by personality and emotional characteristics. On the other hand, there was an influence of the general intelligence factor (the effect was more pronounced in the individuals with lower IQ in comparison with those with higher IQ and in the learning styles (the enhancement group processed information more on auditory and holistic level, while the stagnation group was more visual and analytical. Our study confirmed that Mozart's music has a positive influence on cognitive functioning, but this influence depends on intellectual capacities, perceptual style, and information processing style.

Amino acid sequence requirements in the human IgA1 hinge for cleavage by streptococcal IgA1 proteases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Senior, BW; Batten, MR; Kilian, Mogens

2002-01-01

All the IgA1 proteases of the different pathogenic species of Streptococcus cleave the hinge of the alpha chain of human IgA1 only at one proline-threonine peptide bond. In order to study the importance of these amino acids for cleavage, several hinge mutant recombinant IgA1 antibodies were const...... constructed. The mutations were found to be without major effect upon the structure or functional abilities of the antibodies. However, they had a major effect upon their sensitivity to cleavage by some of the IgA1 proteases....

The kinetics of glomerular deposition of nephritogenic IgA.

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Kenji Yamaji

Full Text Available Whether IgA nephropathy is attributable to mesangial IgA is unclear as there is no correlation between intensity of deposits and extent of glomerular injury and no clear mechanism explaining how these mesangial deposits induce hematuria and subsequent proteinuria. This hinders the development of a specific therapy. Thus, precise events during deposition still remain clinical challenge to clarify. Since no study assessed induction of IgA nephropathy by nephritogenic IgA, we analyzed sequential events involving nephritogenic IgA from IgA nephropathy-prone mice by real-time imaging systems. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy showed that serum IgA from susceptible mice had strong affinity to mesangial, subepithelial, and subendothelial lesions, with effacement/actin aggregation in podocytes and arcade formation in endothelial cells. The deposits disappeared 24-h after single IgA injection. The data were supported by a fluorescence molecular tomography system and real-time and 3D in vivo imaging. In vivo imaging showed that IgA from the susceptible mice began depositing along the glomerular capillary from 1 min and accumulated until 2-h on the first stick in a focal and segmental manner. The findings indicate that glomerular IgA depositions in IgAN may be expressed under the balance between deposition and clearance. Since nephritogenic IgA showed mesangial as well as focal and segmental deposition along the capillary with acute cellular activation, all glomerular cellular elements are a plausible target for injury such as hematuria.

Human antibodies to immunoglobulin A (IgA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munster, P.J.J. van; Nadorp, J.H.S.M.; Shuurman, H.J.

1978-01-01

In the sera of 12 out of 27 individuals with IgA deficiency (serum level below 0.02 mg IgA/m) class-specific anti-IgA antibodies were demonstrated by haemagglutination. These sera showed false-positive results in a solid-phase inhibition radioimmunoassay (RIST) (apparent IgA concentration between 0.6 and 13.7 μg IgA/ml) indicating that the RIST is not an appropriate test for the analysis of serum of IgA seficient individuals. A modification of the RIST is proposed (titration RIA) that permits differentiation between low levels of IgA and class-specific anti-IgA antibodies. With this test IgA deficient individuals could be classified as those with low but detectable levels of IgA and those with class-specific anti-IgA antibodies. A computer procedure was developed to calculate both the amount and the avidity (K) of the anti-IgA antibodies and to simulate the assay system. The K value calculated from experimental points proved to be an overestimation of the K value which fitted most adequately in the simulation. The comparison of the results with clinical findings indicated a possible correlation between the amount and the avidity of the anti-IgA antibodies and the appearence of anaphylactic reactions after transfusion of IgA. (Auth.)

Analysis of O-glycan heterogeneity in IgA1 myeloma proteins by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry: implications for IgA nephropathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Renfrow, MB; Mackay, CL; Chalmers, MJ

2007-01-01

deficiency in IgA1 proteins occurs randomly or preferentially at specific sites. We have previously demonstrated the first direct localization of multiple O-glycosylation sites on a single IgA1 myeloma protein by use of activated ion-electron capture dissociation (AI-ECD) Fourier transform ion cyclotron...... resonance (FT-ICR) tandem mass spectrometry. Here, we report the analysis of IgA1 O-glycan heterogeneity by use of FT-ICR MS and liquid chromatography FT-ICR MS to obtain unbiased accurate mass profiles of IgA1 HR glycopeptides from three different IgA1 myeloma proteins. Additionally, we report the first AI......-ECD fragmentation on an individual IgA1 O-glycopeptide from an IgA1 HR preparation that is reproducible for each IgA1 myeloma protein. These results suggest that future analysis of IgA1 HR from IgAN patients and normal healthy controls should be feasible....

Dewey Meets the "Mozart of Psychology" in Moscow: The Untold Story.

Science.gov (United States)

Prawat, Richard S.

2000-01-01

Discusses the possibility that L. Vygotsky, described as the "Mozart of Psychology," met and exchanged views with John Dewey in 1928 and describes the meeting of the minds evidenced in Dewey's writings after 1925 and Vygotsky's writings toward the end of his life. (SLD)

Inadequate Evidence for Multiple Intelligences, Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence Theories

Science.gov (United States)

Waterhouse, Lynn

2006-01-01

I (Waterhouse, 2006) argued that, because multiple intelligences, the Mozart effect, and emotional intelligence theories have inadequate empirical support and are not consistent with cognitive neuroscience findings, these theories should not be applied in education. Proponents countered that their theories had sufficient empirical support, were…

Chlamydial serum IgG, IgA and local IgA antibodies in patients with genital-tract infections measured by solid-phase radioimmunoassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terho, P.; Meurman, O.

1981-01-01

A solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) for IgG and IgA class antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis was developed with C. trachomatis serotype L2 as antigen. The assay was sensitive, reproducible and correlated well with an immunofluorescence test (r = 0.85). Serum IgG antibodies were detected in 79% of Chlamydia isolation-positive versus 43% of isolation-negative male patients with urethritis and serum IgA antibodies in 53% and 21%, respectively. Urethral IgA antibodies, measured from specimens taken for chlamydial isolation, could be detected in 94% and 38%, respectively. From 737 male urethral and 909 female cervical secretions screened for the presence of IgA antibodies, about half were isolation and IgA negative. Only 4% (6/151) of male and 5.4% (2/37) of female isolation-positive specimens were IgA negative. The determination of local IgA antibodies may be used as a screening test in chlamydial genital infections. (author)

Mozart K.448 and epileptiform discharges: effect of ratio of lower to higher harmonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lung-Chang; Lee, Wei-Te; Wu, Hui-Chuan; Tsai, Chin-Lin; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Jong, Yuh-Jyh; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2010-05-01

Certain music has been shown to improve mental function, leading to what is known as the Mozart effect. This study measured the impact of Mozart's Sonata for two pianos in D major, K.448, on different epileptic foci of epileptiform discharge in Taiwanese children (n=58) with seizure disorders and investigated the characteristics of the musical stimulus presented that resulted in epileptiform discharge reduction. We examined the relationship between the number of discharges with the foci of epileptiform discharge (n=6), sleep state, gender, and mentality. A continuous electroencephalogram was recorded before, during and after exposure to Mozart's Sonata for two pianos in D major, K.448 (piano K.448), and the frequencies of discharges were compared. The study was repeated a week later using digitally computerized string version of the same musical stimulus (string K.448), in patients who responded to piano K.448 with the largest reduction in interictal discharges (n=11). Interictal discharges were reduced in most (81.0%) patients and varied greatly (33.10+/-28.33%) as they listened to the piano K.448 (more fundamental tones and lower harmonics). Patients with generalized or central discharge showed the most improvement. In most patients (76.1%), the decrease in epileptiform discharges continued after the music ended. The state of wakefulness, gender and mentality did not affect the results. Although the string K.448 had a larger number of higher harmonics in the spectrogram analysis, the discharges were not reduced at all when listening to this music. These results suggest that listening to Mozart K.448 for two pianos reduced epileptiform discharges in children with epilepsy. This study suggests that it is possible to reduce the number of epileptiform discharges in some patients by optimizing the fundamental tones and minimizing the higher frequency harmonics. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The "Mozart effect": an electroencephalographic analysis employing the methods of induced event-related desynchronization/synchronization and event-related coherence.

Science.gov (United States)

Jausovec, Norbert; Habe, Katarina

2003-01-01

The event-related responses of 18 individuals were recorded while they were listening to 3 music clips of 6 s duration which were repeated 30 times each. The music clips differed in the level of their complex structure, induced mood, musical tempo and prominent frequency. They were taken from Mozart's sonata (K. 448), and Brahms' Hungarian dance (no. 5). The third clip was a simplified version of the theme taken from Haydn's symphony (no. 94) played by a computer synthesizer. Significant differences in induced event-related desynchronization between the 3 music clips were only observed in the lower-1 alpha band which is related to attentional processes. A similar pattern was observed for the coherence measures. While respondents listened to the Mozart clip, coherence in the lower alpha bands increased more, whereas in the gamma band a less pronounced increase was observed as compared with the Brahms and Haydn clips. The clustering of the three clips based on EEG measures distinguished between the Mozart clip on the one hand, and the Haydn and Brahms clips on the other, even though the Haydn and Brahms clips were at the opposite extremes with regard to the mood they induced in listeners, musical tempo, and complexity of structure. This would suggest that Mozart's music--with no regard to the level of induced mood, musical tempo and complexity--influences the level of arousal. It seems that modulations in the frequency domain of Mozart's sonata have the greatest influence on the reported neurophysiological activity.

Mozart's African jacket: Die Zauberflöte and its localisation in The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

, the change in time, space, context and symbolism in a localised or indigenised South African version of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, K. 620. It addresses the lacunae between desiderata expressed in the White Paper on Arts, Culture and ...

Multiple Intelligences, the Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Review

Science.gov (United States)

Waterhouse, Lynn

2006-01-01

This article reviews evidence for multiple intelligences theory, the Mozart effect theory, and emotional intelligence theory and argues that despite their wide currency in education these theories lack adequate empirical support and should not be the basis for educational practice. Each theory is compared to theory counterparts in cognitive…

Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgA in Lyme Disease

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Christina D'Arco

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease is currently dependent on the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of the disease. The significance of serum IgA against B. burgdorferi remains unclear. The production of intrathecal IgA has been noted in patients with the late Lyme disease manifestation, neuroborreliosis, but production of antigen-specific IgA during early disease has not been evaluated. In the current study, we assessed serum IgA binding to the B. burgdorferi peptide antigens, C6, the target of the FDA-cleared C6 EIA, and FlaB(211-223-modVlsE(275-291, a peptide containing a Borrelia flagellin epitope linked to a modified VlsE sequence, in patients with early and late Lyme disease. Specific IgA was detected in 59 of 152 serum samples (38.8% from early Lyme disease patients. Approximately 50% of early Lyme disease patients who were seropositive for peptide-specific IgM and/or IgG were also seropositive for peptide-specific IgA. In a subpopulation of patients, high peptide-specific IgA could be correlated with disseminated disease, defined as multiple erythema migrans lesions, and neurological disease complications. These results suggest that there may be an association between elevated levels of antigen-specific IgA and particular disease manifestations in some patients with early Lyme disease.

Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgA in Lyme Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Arco, Christina; Dattwyler, Raymond J; Arnaboldi, Paul M

2017-05-01

The laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease is currently dependent on the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of the disease. The significance of serum IgA against B. burgdorferi remains unclear. The production of intrathecal IgA has been noted in patients with the late Lyme disease manifestation, neuroborreliosis, but production of antigen-specific IgA during early disease has not been evaluated. In the current study, we assessed serum IgA binding to the B. burgdorferi peptide antigens, C6, the target of the FDA-cleared C6 EIA, and FlaB(211-223)-modVlsE(275-291), a peptide containing a Borrelia flagellin epitope linked to a modified VlsE sequence, in patients with early and late Lyme disease. Specific IgA was detected in 59 of 152 serum samples (38.8%) from early Lyme disease patients. Approximately 50% of early Lyme disease patients who were seropositive for peptide-specific IgM and/or IgG were also seropositive for peptide-specific IgA. In a subpopulation of patients, high peptide-specific IgA could be correlated with disseminated disease, defined as multiple erythema migrans lesions, and neurological disease complications. These results suggest that there may be an association between elevated levels of antigen-specific IgA and particular disease manifestations in some patients with early Lyme disease. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Uncoupling of glomerular IgA deposition and disease progression in alymphoplasia mice with IgA nephropathy.

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Masashi Aizawa

Full Text Available Previous clinical and experimental studies have indicated that cells responsible for IgA nephropathy (IgAN, at least in part, are localized in bone marrow (BM. Indeed, we have demonstrated that murine IgAN can be experimentally reconstituted by bone marrow transplantation (BMT from IgAN prone mice in not only normal mice, but also in alymphoplasia mice (aly/aly independent of IgA+ cells homing to mucosa or secondary lymphoid tissues. The objective of the present study was to further assess whether secondary lymph nodes (LN contribute to the progression of this disease. BM cells from the several lines of IgAN prone mice were transplanted into aly/aly and wild-type mice (B6. Although the transplanted aly/aly showed the same degree of mesangial IgA and IgG deposition and the same serum elevation levels of IgA and IgA-IgG immune-complexes (IC as B6, even in extent, the progression of glomerular injury was observed only in B6. This uncoupling in aly/aly was associated with a lack of CD4+ T cells and macrophage infiltration, although phlogogenic capacity to nephritogenic IC of renal resident cells was identical between both recipients. It is suggested that secondary LN may be required for the full progression of IgAN after nephritogenic IgA and IgA/IgG IC deposition.

Cellular Signaling and Production of Galactose-Deficient IgA1 in IgA Nephropathy, an Autoimmune Disease

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Colin Reily

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Immunoglobulin A (IgA nephropathy (IgAN, the leading cause of primary glomerulonephritis, is characterized by IgA1-containing immunodeposits in the glomeruli. IgAN is a chronic disease, with up to 40% of patients progressing to end-stage renal disease, with no disease-specific treatment. Multiple studies of the origin of the glomerular immunodeposits have linked elevated circulating levels of aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 (galactose-deficient in some O-glycans; Gd-IgA1 with formation of nephritogenic Gd-IgA1-containing immune complexes. Gd-IgA1 is recognized as an autoantigen in susceptible individuals by anti-glycan autoantibodies, resulting in immune complexes that may ultimately deposit in the kidney and induce glomerular injury. Genetic studies have revealed that an elevated level of Gd-IgA1 in the circulation of IgAN patients is a hereditable trait. Moreover, recent genome-wide association studies have identified several immunity-related loci that associated with IgAN. Production of Gd-IgA1 by IgA1-secreting cells of IgAN patients has been attributed to abnormal expression and activity of several key glycosyltransferases. Substantial evidence is emerging that abnormal signaling in IgA1-producing cells is related to the production of Gd-IgA1. As Gd-IgA1 is the key autoantigen in IgAN, understanding the genetic, biochemical, and environmental aspects of the abnormal signaling in IgA1-producing cells will provide insight into possible targets for future disease-specific therapy.

[A case of IgA2-lambda type M-protein that IgA concentration differs from the values of M-protein by serum protein electrophoresis].

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, M; Sugano, M; Ichikawa, T; Honda, T; Totsuka, M; Katsuyama, T; Fujita, K

2001-07-01

We report an IgA-lambda type M-protein in which the IgA concentration differed from the values of M-protein by serum protein electrophoresis found in a 53-year-old man with multiple myeloma. The M-protein value as determined by serum protein electrophoresis was 6,170 mg/dl. However, the serum IgA concentration was 3,052 mg/dl by turbidimetric immunoassay. Immuno-fixation electrophoresis using IgA subclass antisera revealed that this M-protein was the IgA2-lambda type. Western blotting analysis showed that the IgA2 molecules were composed of two approximately 68 kDa alpha 2 chains and two 28 kDa lambda chains. In addition the free lambda chain band was detected at the position of 28 kDa without 2-mercaptoethanol(2-ME) even though the patient IgA was purified. Since it is known that IgA2m(1) allotype easily release light chains from the IgA molecules in SDS-PAGE without 2-ME, we speculated that in this patient the IgA was the IgA2m(1) allotype. After peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(PBSCT), immunofixation electrophoresis of the patient serum revealed not only the bands of IgA2-lambda type M-protein, but also three bands of IgG1-kappa type M-protein in the gamma region.

Lapse varajastest sotsialiseerumisvõimalustest / Inna Järva

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Järva, Inna

1998-01-01

Suhtlemine oma ema või täiskasvanutega on lapse üldise psüühilise arengu tähtsaim faktor. Ema ja lapse suhted sotsiaalsete teooriate valguses, lapse varajased sotsialiseerumise võimalused väikelaste mängukoolide kaudu (Ave Kumpase väikelapse mängukool)

TimeLapseAnalyzer: Multi-target analysis for live-cell imaging and time-lapse microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huth, Johannes; Buchholz, Malte; Kraus, Johann M.

2011-01-01

The direct observation of cells over time using time-lapse microscopy can provide deep insights into many important biological processes. Reliable analyses of motility, proliferation, invasive potential or mortality of cells are essential to many studies involving live cell imaging and can aid in...... counting and tube formation analysis in high throughput screening of live-cell experiments. TimeLapseAnalyzer is freely available (MATLAB, Open Source) at http://www.informatik.uniulm. de/ni/mitarbeiter/HKestler/tla......., we developed TimeLapseAnalyzer. Apart from general purpose image enhancements and segmentation procedures, this extensible, self-contained, modular cross-platform package provides dedicated modalities for fast and reliable analysis of multi-target cell tracking, scratch wound healing analysis, cell...

Perbandingan Efek Musik Klasik Mozart dan Musik Tradisional Gamelan Jawa terhadap Pengurangan Nyeri Persalinan Kala I Fase Aktif pada Nulipara

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Nike Sari Oktavia

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Labor pain that may sometimes extreme in some pregnant women arises because of the physical reflection and psychological response of the mother. Music is proven to increase concentration, create comfort, and distract the feeling of pain in patients. The aim of this study was to explore wether Mozart classical music and Javanese gamelan music can decrease the level of pain in the process of labor and whether Mozart is better than gamelan in reducing pain in nulipara during stage 1 active phase of labor. This study was conducted by using quasy experiment method with a total of 30 nullipara patients in stage 1 active phase in RSIA Arvita Bunda, Sleman Yogyakarta during the period of December 2010 to March 2011. The subjects were divided into three groups: Mozart (n=10, Javanese gamelan (n=10, and control (n=10. Pain assesment were conducted twice for each group using the numerical rating scale (NRS, which was performed during the beginning of stage I active phase of labor and the end of stage 1 active phase of labor. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks (Z and Mann Whitney statistical tests. The results of this study showed a change in the median value from 7.5 with a range of 7–10 to median 6 (5–9 in Mozar group, from the median value of 7 (5–9 to 7.5 (5–10 in gamelan group and from median 7 (4–9 to 9.5 (6–10 in control group. There was a significant difference between Mozart and control groups (p=0.001, and between Javanese gamelan group and control group (p=0.022, and the comparison between Mozart classical music and Javanese gamelan music (p=0.124. It is concluded that Mozart classical music and Javanese gamelan relief pain in stage 1 active phase of nullipara and no differences are found between the two

Mozart K.448 listening decreased seizure recurrence and epileptiform discharges in children with first unprovoked seizures: a randomized controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lung-Chang; Lee, Mei-Wen; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2014-01-13

Increasing numbers of reports show the beneficial effects of listening to Mozart music in decreasing epileptiform discharges as well as seizure frequency in epileptic children. There has been no effective method to reduce seizure recurrence after the first unprovoked seizure until now. In this study, we investigated the effect of listening to Mozart K.448 in reducing the seizure recurrence rate in children with first unprovoked seizures. Forty-eight children who experienced their first unprovoked seizure with epileptiform discharges were included in the study. They were randomly placed into treatment (n = 24) and control (n = 24) groups. Children in the treatment group listened to Mozart K.448 daily before bedtime for at least six months. Two patients in the treatment group were excluded from analysis due to discontinuation intervention. Finally, forty-six patients were analyzed. Most of these patients (89.1%) were idiopathic in etiology. Seizure recurrence rates and reduction of epileptiform discharges were compared. The average follow-up durations in the treatment and control groups were 18.6 ± 6.6 and 20.1 ± 5.1 months, respectively. The seizure recurrence rate was estimated to be significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group over 24 months (37.2% vs. 76.8%, p = 0.0109). Significant decreases in epileptiform discharges were also observed after 1, 2, and 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448 when compared with EEGs before listening to music. There were no significant differences in gender, mentality, seizure type, and etiology between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups. Although the case number was limited and control music was not performed in this study, the study revealed that listening to Mozart K.448 reduced the seizure recurrence rate and epileptiform discharges in children with first unprovoked seizures, especially of idiopathic etiology. We believe that Mozart K.448 could be a promising alternative treatment in patients with

Recombinant human immunoglobulin (Ig)A1 and IgA2 anti-D used for detection of IgA deficiency and anti-IgA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Leif K; Dziegiel, Morten Hanefeld

2008-01-01

To avoid anaphylactic reactions, immunoglobulin (Ig)A-deficient patients with anti-IgA should be transfused with IgA-deficient blood components. There is a need for fast and robust assays for demonstration of IgA deficiency and for detection of anti-IgA.......To avoid anaphylactic reactions, immunoglobulin (Ig)A-deficient patients with anti-IgA should be transfused with IgA-deficient blood components. There is a need for fast and robust assays for demonstration of IgA deficiency and for detection of anti-IgA....

Anti-actin IgA antibodies in severe coeliac disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Granito, A; Muratori, P; Cassani, F; Pappas, G; Muratori, L; Agostinelli, D; Veronesi, L; Bortolotti, R; Petrolini, N; Bianchi, F B; Volta, U

2004-08-01

Anti-actin IgA antibodies have been found in sera of coeliacs. Our aim was to define the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-actin IgA in coeliacs before and after gluten withdrawal. One hundred and two biopsy-proven coeliacs, 95 disease controls and 50 blood donors were studied. Anti-actin IgA were evaluated by different methods: (a) antimicrofilament positivity on HEp-2 cells and on cultured fibroblasts by immunofluorescence; (b) anti-actin positivity by enzyme-linked immuosorbent assay (ELISA); and (c) presence of the tubular/glomerular pattern of anti-smooth muscle antibodies on rat kidney sections by immunofluorescence. Antimicrofilament IgA were present in 27% of coeliacs and in none of the controls. Antimicrofilament antibodies were found in 25 of 54 (46%) coeliacs with severe villous atrophy and in three of 48 (6%) with mild damage (P < 0.0001). In the 20 patients tested, antimicrofilaments IgA disappeared after gluten withdrawal in accordance with histological recovery. Our study shows a significant correlation between antimicrofilament IgA and the severity of intestinal damage in untreated coeliacs. The disappearance of antimicrofilament IgA after gluten withdrawal predicts the normalization of intestinal mucosa and could be considered a useful tool in the follow-up of severe coeliac disease.

Working mechanism of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) protease: cleavage of IgA1 antibody to Neisseria meningitidis PorA requires de novo synthesis of IgA1 Protease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vidarsson, G; Overbeeke, N; Stemerding, AM

2005-01-01

Neisseria meningitidis secretes a protease that specifically cleaves the hinge region of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), releasing the effector (Fc) domain of IgA1 from the antigen binding (Fab) determinants. Theoretically, the remaining Fab fragments can block pathogen receptors or toxins and still...

Working mechanism of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) protease: cleavage of IgA1 antibody to Neisseria meningitidis PorA requires de novo synthesis of IgA1 Protease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vidarsson, Gestur; Overbeeke, Natasja; Stemerding, Annette M.; van den Dobbelsteen, Germie; van Ulsen, Peter; van der Ley, Peter; Kilian, Mogens; van de Winkel, Jan G. J.

2005-01-01

Neisseria meningitidis secretes a protease that specifically cleaves the hinge region of immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), releasing the effector (Fc) domain of IgA1 from the antigen binding (Fab) determinants. Theoretically, the remaining Fab fragments can block pathogen receptors or toxins and still

DNA methylation in Cosmc promoter region and aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 associated with pediatric IgA nephropathy.

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Qiang Sun

Full Text Available IgA nephropathy (IgAN is one of the most common glomerular diseases leading to end-stage renal failure. Elevation of aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 is a key feature of it. The expression of the specific molecular chaperone of core1ß1, 3galactosyl transferase (Cosmc is known to be reduced in IgAN. We aimed to investigate whether the methylation of CpG islands of Cosmc gene promoter region could act as a possible mechanism responsible for down-regulation of Cosmc and related higher secretion of aberrantly glycosylated IgA1in lymphocytes from children with IgA nephropathy. Three groups were included: IgAN children (n = 26, other renal diseases (n = 11 and healthy children (n = 13. B-lymphocytes were isolated and cultured, treated or not with IL-4 or 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA. The levels of DNA methylation of Cosmc promotor region were not significantly different between the lymphocytes of the three children populations (P = 0.113, but there were significant differences between IgAN lymphocytes and lymphocytes of the other two children populations after IL-4 (P<0.0001 or AZA (P<0.0001. Cosmc mRNA expression was low in IgAN lymphocytes compared to the other two groups (P<0.0001. The level of aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 was markedly higher in IgAN group compared to the other groups (P<0.0001. After treatment with IL-4, the levels of Cosmc DNA methylation and aberrantly glycosylated IgA1 in IgAN lymphocytes were remarkably higher than the other two groups (P<0.0001 with more markedly decreased Cosmc mRNA content (P<0.0001. After treatment with AZA, the levels in IgAN lymphocytes were decreased, but was still remarkably higher than the other two groups (P<0.0001, while Cosmc mRNA content in IgAN lymphocytes were more markedly increased than the other two groups (P<0.0001. The alteration of DNA methylation by IL-4 or AZA specifically correlates in IgAN lymphocytes with alterations in Cosmc mRNA expression and with the level of aberrantly glycosylated

Predictors of smoking lapse in a human laboratory paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Roche, Daniel J O; Bujarski, Spencer; Moallem, Nathasha R; Guzman, Iris; Shapiro, Jenessa R; Ray, Lara A

2014-07-01

During a smoking quit attempt, a single smoking lapse is highly predictive of future relapse. While several risk factors for a smoking lapse have been identified during clinical trials, a laboratory model of lapse was until recently unavailable and, therefore, it is unclear whether these characteristics also convey risk for lapse in a laboratory environment. The primary study goal was to examine whether real-world risk factors of lapse are also predictive of smoking behavior in a laboratory model of smoking lapse. After overnight abstinence, 77 smokers completed the McKee smoking lapse task, in which they were presented with the choice of smoking or delaying in exchange for monetary reinforcement. Primary outcome measures were the latency to initiate smoking behavior and the number of cigarettes smoked during the lapse. Several baseline measures of smoking behavior, mood, and individual traits were examined as predictive factors. Craving to relieve the discomfort of withdrawal, withdrawal severity, and tension level were negatively predictive of latency to smoke. In contrast, average number of cigarettes smoked per day, withdrawal severity, level of nicotine dependence, craving for the positive effects of smoking, and craving to relieve the discomfort of withdrawal were positively predictive of number of cigarettes smoked. The results suggest that real-world risk factors for smoking lapse are also predictive of smoking behavior in a laboratory model of lapse. Future studies using the McKee lapse task should account for between subject differences in the unique factors that independently predict each outcome measure.

Lugu sellest, kuidas Mozart Türgis haaremiröövil käis

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2007-01-01

3. veebr. Tallinna Kinomajas Elijah Moshinsky ooperifilm "Mozart Türgis", mis põhineb W. A. Mozarti ooperil "Röövimine serailist" ("Haaremirööv"). Õhtu on Tallinna Filharmoonia ja Türgi saatkonna koostöös sündinud sarjast "Diplomaatilised noodid"

The Effect of Mozart's Music on Child Development in a Jordanian Kindergarten

Science.gov (United States)

Mattar, Jehan

2013-01-01

Young children who listen to music regularly demonstrate better development than those who do not. As children grow, their social, cognitive and physical skills can be enhanced by their relationship with music. The music of Mozart was introduced into the children's environment as a sensory background for the standard curriculum. The purpose of…

Human Cell Line-Derived Monoclonal IgA Antibodies for Cancer Immunotherapy

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Felix Hart

2017-05-01

Full Text Available IgA antibodies have great potential to improve the functional diversity of current IgG antibody-based cancer immunotherapy options. However, IgA production and purification is not well established, which can at least in part be attributed to the more complex glycosylation as compared to IgG antibodies. IgA antibodies possess up to five N-glycosylation sites within their constant region of the heavy chain as compared to one site for IgG antibodies. The human GlycoExpress expression system was developed to produce biotherapeutics with optimized glycosylation and used here to generate a panel of IgA isotype antibodies directed against targets for solid (TA-mucin 1, Her2, EGFR, Thomsen–Friedenreich and hematological (CD20 cancer indications. The feasibility of good manufacturing practice was shown by the production of 11 g IgA within 35 days in a one liter perfusion bioreactor, and IgA antibodies in high purity were obtained after purification. The monoclonal IgA antibodies possessed a high sialylation degree, and no non-human glycan structures were detected. Kinetic analysis revealed increased avidity antigen binding for IgA dimers as compared to monomeric antibodies. The IgA antibodies exhibited potent Fab- and Fc-mediated functionalities against cancer cell lines, whereby especially granulocytes are recruited. Therefore, for patients who do not sufficiently benefit from therapeutic IgG antibodies, IgA antibodies may complement current regiment options and represent a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. In conclusion, a panel of novel biofunctional IgA antibodies with human glycosylation was successfully generated.

Mozart Effect in Musical Fit? A Commentary on Yeoh & North

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Emery Schubert

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Musical fit, the congruence between music and product leading to improved response, is presented as an explanation of differences in recall of food items from two cultures. Musical fit predicts that, in this case, more Indian food items would be recalled when Indian music was playing, and more Malay food items would be recalled when Malay music was played. The underlining premise of this prediction is priming (the music primes memories of associated food items, facilitating recall. The testing was performed using three ethnic groups of participants, Indian, Malay, and Chinese. The priming effects were only identified among the Chinese group. A reanalysis of the data presented here indicates that the overall recall of food items is best facilitated by Indian music, regardless of whether the food item is Indian or Malay, and further, each ethnicity reported more items in the Indian music condition. The Mozart effect was also based on the premise of priming activation and was later debunked in favor of an arousal-mood hypothesis. This commentary discusses whether arousal-mood, a more generalized activation leading to improved performance than priming, might better explain the results. While priming and congruence more plausibly explains musical fit than the Mozart effect, the possibility of testing other hypotheses are considered worthwhile.

PetIGA: A framework for high-performance isogeometric analysis

KAUST Repository

Dalcin, Lisandro; Collier, N.; Vignal, Philippe; Cortes, Adriano Mauricio; Calo, Victor M.

2016-01-01

We present PetIGA, a code framework to approximate the solution of partial differential equations using isogeometric analysis. PetIGA can be used to assemble matrices and vectors which come from a Galerkin weak form, discretized with Non-Uniform Rational B-spline basis functions. We base our framework on PETSc, a high-performance library for the scalable solution of partial differential equations, which simplifies the development of large-scale scientific codes, provides a rich environment for prototyping, and separates parallelism from algorithm choice. We describe the implementation of PetIGA, and exemplify its use by solving a model nonlinear problem. To illustrate the robustness and flexibility of PetIGA, we solve some challenging nonlinear partial differential equations that include problems in both solid and fluid mechanics. We show strong scaling results on up to 40964096 cores, which confirm the suitability of PetIGA for large scale simulations.

PetIGA: A framework for high-performance isogeometric analysis

KAUST Repository

Dalcin, L.

2016-05-25

We present PetIGA, a code framework to approximate the solution of partial differential equations using isogeometric analysis. PetIGA can be used to assemble matrices and vectors which come from a Galerkin weak form, discretized with Non-Uniform Rational B-spline basis functions. We base our framework on PETSc, a high-performance library for the scalable solution of partial differential equations, which simplifies the development of large-scale scientific codes, provides a rich environment for prototyping, and separates parallelism from algorithm choice. We describe the implementation of PetIGA, and exemplify its use by solving a model nonlinear problem. To illustrate the robustness and flexibility of PetIGA, we solve some challenging nonlinear partial differential equations that include problems in both solid and fluid mechanics. We show strong scaling results on up to 40964096 cores, which confirm the suitability of PetIGA for large scale simulations.

Artista Artesão ou Artista Igual Pedreiro: de Mozart a Macaco Bong, uma história de lutas por autonomia * Artist Craftsman or Artist Equal Mason: from Mozart to "Macaco Bong", a history of struggles for autonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RAFAEL LAGE

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Resumo: No livro "Mozart – Sociologia de um gênio", Norbert Elias descreve embates em torno de artistas artesãos (presos ao gosto musical da corte aristocrata e artistas autônomos (com certa autonomia musical, só que menos estruturados socialmente, apresentando Mozart como um agente de transição. Já em pleno século XXI, surge com a banda brasileira Macaco Bong o conceito de artista igual pedreiro, a ideia de envolvimento do músico nos processos produtivos, não apenas na hora de subir ao palco, apontando novas tecnologias digitais como democratizadoras. Neste artigo, discutirei reapropriações de antigas estratégias da indústria fonográfica, e de que forma elas retornam reconfiguradas com esses jovens oriundos da indústria musical do século XXI.Palavras-chave: Autonomia – Reconfigurações – Indústria fonográfica. Abstract: In the book "Mozart – Sociology of a Genius", Norbert Elias describes clashes around craftsmen artists (attached to the musical tastes of the court aristocracy and independent artists (with more freedom and musical autonomy, only less socially structured, presenting Mozart as an agent of transition. On the other hand, in the XXI century, comes up with the Brazilian band "Macaco Bong" the concept artist like mason, i. e., the idea of Musician’s involvement in the production process, not just in time to take the stage, pointing out the new digital technologies as a way for democratizing music. In this article, I will discuss reappropriations of ancient strategies of the music industry, and how they return reconfigured with these young people from the new music industry of the XXI century.Keywords: Autonomy – Reconfigurations – Music industry.

Listening to Music Enhances Spatial-Temporal Reasoning: Evidence for the "Mozart Effect."

Science.gov (United States)

Hetland, Lois

2000-01-01

Presents the results from two meta-analyses of the Mozart Effect studies. Explains that in Christopher Chabris' meta-analyses, 16 studies with subjects (n=714) and 12 studies with subjects (n=522) were analyzed; while in the author's meta-analysis 36 studies with subjects (n=2,465) and 31 studies with subjects (n=2,089) were analyzed. (CMK)

Characterization of IgA response among women with incident HPV 16 infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onda, Takashi; Carter, Joseph J.; Koutsky, Laura A.; Hughes, James P.; Lee, Shu-Kuang; Kuypers, Jane; Kiviat, Nancy; Galloway, Denise A.

2003-01-01

Previous studies have characterized the prevalence and duration of serum IgG antibodies to human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) in a well-studied cohort of college women, using viruslike particle- (VLP) based ELISAs. In this study IgA antibodies in cervical secretions and sera were examined using a newly developed capsomer-based ELISA and the patterns observed for serum IgG, serum IgA, and cervical IgA antibodies were compared. The median time to antibody detection from the first detection of HPV 16 DNA was 10.5 months for IgA in cervical secretions and 19.1 months for serum IgA. Serum IgA antibody conversion was observed less frequently and occurred later than IgA conversion in cervical secretions (P = 0.011) or serum IgG conversion (P 0.051). The median time to antibody reversion, following seroconversion, was 12.0 months for IgA in cervical secretions and 13.6 months for serum IgA, whereas approximately 20% of women with serum IgG antibodies reverted within 36 months. Thus, the duration of IgA in cervical secretions and sera was shorter than the duration of serum IgG (P = 0.007 and 0.001)

Anton Grams dem Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Großmann: Mozart schreibe eine neue Oper

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jonášová, Milada

2016-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 1 (2016), s. 29-53 ISSN 0018-7003 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP409/12/2563 Institutional support: RVO:68378076 Keywords : Mozart * 1786 * letter * Anton Grams * Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Großmann Subject RIV: AL - Art, Architecture, Cultural Heritage

Predicting the Initial Lapse Using a Mobile Health Application after Alcohol Detoxification

Science.gov (United States)

Chih, Ming-Yuan

2013-01-01

The prediction and prevention of the initial lapse--which is defined as the first lapse after a period of abstinence--is important because the initial lapse often leads to subsequent lapses (within the same lapse episode) or relapse. The prediction of the initial lapse may allow preemptive intervention to be possible. This dissertation reports on…

A mutation in synaptojanin 2 causes progressive hearing loss in the ENU-mutagenised mouse strain Mozart.

Science.gov (United States)

Manji, Shehnaaz S M; Williams, Louise H; Miller, Kerry A; Ooms, Lisa M; Bahlo, Melanie; Mitchell, Christina A; Dahl, Hans-Henrik M

2011-03-15

Hearing impairment is the most common sensory impairment in humans, affecting 1:1,000 births. We have identified an ENU generated mouse mutant, Mozart, with recessively inherited, non-syndromic progressive hearing loss caused by a mutation in the synaptojanin 2 (Synj2), a central regulatory enzyme in the phosphoinositide-signaling cascade. The hearing loss in Mozart is caused by a p.Asn538Lys mutation in the catalytic domain of the inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase synaptojanin 2. Within the cochlea, Synj2 mRNA expression was detected in the inner and outer hair cells but not in the spiral ganglion. Synj2(N538K) mutant protein showed loss of lipid phosphatase activity, and was unable to degrade phosphoinositide signaling molecules. Mutant Mozart mice (Synj2(N538K/N538K)) exhibited progressive hearing loss and showed signs of hair cell degeneration as early as two weeks of age, with fusion of stereocilia followed by complete loss of hair bundles and ultimately loss of hair cells. No changes in vestibular or neurological function, or other clinical or behavioral manifestations were apparent. Phosphoinositides are membrane associated signaling molecules that regulate many cellular processes including cell death, proliferation, actin polymerization and ion channel activity. These results reveal Synj2 as a critical regulator of hair cell survival that is essential for hair cell maintenance and hearing function.

Near-surface air temperature lapse rates in Xinjiang, northwestern China

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Mingxia; Zhang, Mingjun; Wang, Shengjie; Zhu, Xiaofan; Che, Yanjun

2018-02-01

Lapse rates of near-surface (2 m) air temperature are important parameters in hydrologic and climate simulations, especially for the mountainous areas without enough in-situ observations. In Xinjiang, northwestern China, the elevations range from higher than 7000 m to lower than sea level, but the existing long-term meteorological measurements are limited and distributed unevenly. To calculate lapse rates in Xinjiang, the daily data of near-surface air temperature ( T min, T ave, and T max) were measured by automatic weather stations from 2012 to 2014. All the in situ observation stations were gridded into a network of 1.5° (latitude) by 1.5° (longitude), and the spatial distribution and the daily, monthly, seasonal variations of lapse rates for T min, T ave, and T max in Xinjiang are analyzed. The Urumqi River Basin has been considered as a case to study the influence of elevation, aspect, and the wet and dry air conditions to the T min, T ave, and T max lapse rates. Results show that (1) the lapse rates for T min, T ave, and T max vary spatially during the observation period. The spatial diversity of T min lapse rates is larger than that of T ave, and that of T max is the smallest. For each season, T max lapse rates have more negative values than T ave lapse rates which are steeper than T min lapse rates. The weakest spatial diversity usually appears in July throughout a year. (2) The comparison for the three subregions (North, Middle, and South region) exhibits that lapse rates have similar day-to-day and month-to-month characteristics which present shallower values in winter months and steeper values in summer months. The T ave lapse rates in North region are shallower than those in Middle and South region, and the steepest T ave lapse rates of the three regions all appear in April. T min lapse rates are shallower than T max lapse rates. The maximum medians of T min and T max lapse rates for each grid in the three regions all appear in January, whereas the

Susceptibility of memory consolidation during lapses in recall

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, Vincenzo; O’Shea, Michael; Benjamin, Paul R.; Kemenes, Ildikó

2013-01-01

Memories that can be recalled several hours after learning may paradoxically become inaccessible for brief periods after their formation. This raises major questions about the function of these early memory lapses in the structure of memory consolidation. These questions are difficult to investigate because of the lack of information on the precise timing of lapses. However, the use of a single-trial conditioning paradigm in Lymnaea solves this problem. Here we use electrophysiological and behavioural experiments to reveal lapses in memory recall at 30 min and 2 h post conditioning. We show that only during these lapses is consolidation of long-term memory susceptible to interruption by external disturbance. These shared time points of memory lapse and susceptibility correspond to transitions between different phases of memory that have different molecular requirements. We propose that during periods of molecular transition memory recall is weakened, allowing novel sensory cues to block the consolidation of long-term memory. PMID:23481386

Susceptibility of memory consolidation during lapses in recall.

Science.gov (United States)

Marra, Vincenzo; O'Shea, Michael; Benjamin, Paul R; Kemenes, Ildikó

2013-01-01

Memories that can be recalled several hours after learning may paradoxically become inaccessible for brief periods after their formation. This raises major questions about the function of these early memory lapses in the structure of memory consolidation. These questions are difficult to investigate because of the lack of information on the precise timing of lapses. However, the use of a single-trial conditioning paradigm in Lymnaea solves this problem. Here we use electrophysiological and behavioural experiments to reveal lapses in memory recall at 30 min and 2 h post conditioning. We show that only during these lapses is consolidation of long-term memory susceptible to interruption by external disturbance. These shared time points of memory lapse and susceptibility correspond to transitions between different phases of memory that have different molecular requirements. We propose that during periods of molecular transition memory recall is weakened, allowing novel sensory cues to block the consolidation of long-term memory.

Early pre-eclampsia unmasks underlying IgA nephropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mona Singh

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Mona Singh, Akhenaton Pappoe, Burl R DonDivision of Nephrology, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USAAbstract: Pre-eclampsia is the most ominous complication of pregnancy, and primary glomerular diseases can mimic pre-eclampsia in presentation. A patient presented at 21 weeks gestation with signs and symptoms of both pre-eclampsia and primary glomerular nephropathy. A critical clinical decision whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy was dependent on results of a renal biopsy. The biopsy noted the presence of both pre-eclampsia and immunoglobulin A (IgA nephropathy. Thus, the onset of pre-eclampsia unmasked the presence of unrecognized IgA nephropathy, and the IgA nephropathy was a risk factor for this patient developing pre-eclampsia. The results of a renal biopsy are key in distinguishing pre-eclampsia from other kidney diseases and instituting appropriate clinical management.Keywords: proteinuria, IgA nephropathy, renal biopsy, pre-eclampsia

A sparse version of IGA solvers

KAUST Repository

Beck, Joakim; Sangalli, Giancarlo; Tamellini, Lorenzo

2017-01-01

Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) typically adopts tensor-product splines and NURBS as a basis for the approximation of the solution of PDEs. In this work, we investigate to which extent IGA solvers can benefit from the so-called sparse-grids construction in its combination technique form, which was first introduced in the early 90s in the context of the approximation of high-dimensional PDEs. The tests that we report show that, in accordance to the literature, a sparse grids construction can indeed be useful if the solution of the PDE at hand is sufficiently smooth. Sparse grids can also be useful in the case of non-smooth solutions when some a-priori knowledge on the location of the singularities of the solution can be exploited to devise suitable non-equispaced meshes. Finally, we remark that sparse grids can be seen as a simple way to parallelize pre-existing serial IGA solvers in a straightforward fashion, which can be beneficial in many practical situations.

A sparse version of IGA solvers

KAUST Repository

Beck, Joakim

2017-07-30

Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) typically adopts tensor-product splines and NURBS as a basis for the approximation of the solution of PDEs. In this work, we investigate to which extent IGA solvers can benefit from the so-called sparse-grids construction in its combination technique form, which was first introduced in the early 90s in the context of the approximation of high-dimensional PDEs. The tests that we report show that, in accordance to the literature, a sparse grids construction can indeed be useful if the solution of the PDE at hand is sufficiently smooth. Sparse grids can also be useful in the case of non-smooth solutions when some a-priori knowledge on the location of the singularities of the solution can be exploited to devise suitable non-equispaced meshes. Finally, we remark that sparse grids can be seen as a simple way to parallelize pre-existing serial IGA solvers in a straightforward fashion, which can be beneficial in many practical situations.

Immunoglobulins in nasal secretions of healthy humans: structural integrity of secretory immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) and occurrence of neutralizing antibodies to IgA1 proteases of nasal bacteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkeby, L; Rasmussen, TT; Reinholdt, Jesper

2000-01-01

Certain bacteria, including overt pathogens as well as commensals, produce immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) proteases. By cleaving IgA1, including secretory IgA1, in the hinge region, these enzymes may interfere with the barrier functions of mucosal IgA antibodies, as indicated by experiments in vitro....... Previous studies have suggested that cleavage of IgA1 in nasal secretions may be associated with the development and perpetuation of atopic disease. To clarify the potential effect of IgA1 protease-producing bacteria in the nasal cavity, we have analyzed immunoglobulin isotypes in nasal secretions of 11...... healthy humans, with a focus on IgA, and at the same time have characterized and quantified IgA1 protease-producing bacteria in the nasal flora of the subjects. Samples in the form of nasal wash were collected by using a washing liquid that contained lithium as an internal reference. Dilution factors and...

EFEKTIVITAS PEMBERIAN TERAPI MUSIK (MOZART DAN BACK EXERCISE TERHADAP PENURUNAN NYERI DYSMENORRHEA PRIMER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

reni heryani

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Dysmenorrhea / nyeri haid adalah nyeri menjelang atau selama haid, yang kadang menyebabkan gangguan aktivitas dan memerlukan istirahat. Nyeri menstruasi atau dysmenorrhea adalah kekakuan atau kejang di bagian bawah perut akibat menstruasi dan produksi zat prostaglandin yang terjadi pada waktu menjelang atau selama menstruasi Dismenorea primer didefinisikan sebagai nyeri haid yang tidak berhubungan dengan kondisi patologis pelvis. Nyeri yang biasanya dirasakan adalah kram yang timbul-hilang atau nyeri yang terus menerus biasanya pada perut bagian bawah yang menjalar sampai ke punggung bagian bawah. Salah satu exercise yang dapat diberikan untuk nyeri dysmenorrhea  ini adalah dengan pemberian terapi musik dan back exercise.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui efektivitas pemberian terapi musik dan back exercise terhadap penurunan nyeri dysmenorrhea. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian Quasi experimental pre and post test with control group design. Populasi pada penelitian ini adalah remaja putri yang sedang mengalami  menstruasi dengan  nyeri dysmenorrhea dengan jumlah responden sebanyak 50 orang yang dibagi menjadi 2 kelompok. Kelompok 1 sebagai kelompok eksperimen, diberikan perlakukan terapi musik (mozart dan back exercise  dan kelompok 2 sebagai kelompok kontrol yang tidak diberikan terapi musik (mozart dan back exercise. Pada penelitian ini menggunakan uji hipotesis Paired Sample T- test untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian terapi musik dan back exercice terhadap dysmenorrhea primer. Kemudian untuk uji beda pengaruh antara kelompok kontrol dan kelompok perlakuan digunakan uji Independent Sample T-test.Tingkat nyeri dismenorhoea sebelum diberikan perlakuan adalah nyeri tingkat sedang (rata-rata : 2,08 dan setelah diberikan perlakuan adalah adalah nyeri tingkat ringan (rata rata = 0,88. Uji efektifitas menggunakan Paired Sample T-Test pada kelompok eksperimen menunjukkan hasil p= 0,00 dan pada kelompok kontrol p= 0,00. Dengan

CESM/CAM5 improvement and application: comparison and evaluation of updated CB05_GE and MOZART-4 gas-phase mechanisms and associated impacts on global air quality and climate

Science.gov (United States)

He, J.; Zhang, Y.; Tilmes, S.; Emmons, L.; Lamarque, J.-F.; Glotfelty, T.; Hodzic, A.; Vitt, F.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric chemistry plays a key role in determining the amounts and distributions of oxidants and gaseous precursors that control the formation of secondary gaseous and aerosol pollutants; all of those species can interact with the climate system. To understand the impacts of different gas-phase mechanisms on global air quality and climate predictions, in this work, a comprehensive comparative evaluation is performed using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) Version 5 with comprehensive tropospheric and stratospheric chemistry (CAM5-chem) within the Community Earth System Model (CESM) with the two most commonly used gas-phase chemical mechanisms: the 2005 Carbon Bond mechanism with Global Extension (CB05_GE) and the Model of OZone and Related chemical Tracers version 4 (MOZART-4) mechanism with additional updates (MOZART-4x). MOZART-4x and CB05_GE use different approaches to represent volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and different surrogates for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursors. MOZART-4x includes a more detailed representation of isoprene chemistry compared to CB05_GE. CB05_GE includes additional oxidation of SO2 by O3 over the surface of dust particles, which is not included in MOZART-4x. The results show that the two CAM5-chem simulations with CB05_GE and MOZART-4x predict similar chemical profiles for major gases (e.g., O3, CO, and NOx) compared to the aircraft measurements, with generally better agreement for NOy profiles by CB05_GE than MOZART-4x. The concentrations of SOA at four sites in the continental US (CONUS) and organic carbon (OC) over the IMPROVE sites are well predicted by MOZART-4x (with normalized mean biases (NMBs) of -1.9 and 2.1 %, respectively) but moderately underpredicted by CB05_GE (with NMBs of -23.1 and -20.7 %, respectively). This is mainly due to the higher biogenic emissions and OH levels simulated with MOZART-4x than with CB05_GE. The concentrations of OC over Europe are largely underpredicted by both MOZART-4x and CB05

Gluten sensitivity in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Smerud, Hilde Kloster; Fellström, Bengt; Hällgren, Roger; Osagie, Sonia; Venge, Per; Kristjánsson, Gudjón

2009-08-01

Coeliac disease is more frequent in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients compared to the healthy population. Several hypotheses postulate that food antigens like gluten may be involved in the onset of IgAN. In this study, we used a recently developed mucosal patch technique to evaluate the rectal mucosal inflammatory reaction to gluten in patients with IgAN (n = 27) compared to healthy subjects (n = 18). The rectal mucosal production of nitric oxide (NO) and release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were measured. Serum samples were analysed for IgA and IgG antigliadin antibodies (AGA), IgA antibodies against tissue transglutaminase and IgA endomysium antibodies. Gluten reactivity, defined as increase in MPO and/or NO after gluten exposure, was observed in 8 of 27 IgAN patients. The prevalence of HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 was not increased among gluten-sensitive patients, and the total prevalence among IgAN patients was the same as for the normal population. An elevated serum IgA AGA response was seen in 9 of 27 IgAN patients. The increase in IgA AGA did not correlate with the gluten sensitivity as measured by NO and/or MPO. A specific serum IgG AGA response was seen in one patient only. Antibodies against tissue transglutaminase and endomysium were not observed. It is concluded that approximately one-third of our IgAN patients have a rectal mucosal sensitivity to gluten, but without signs of coeliac disease, and we hypothesize that such sub-clinical inflammation to gluten might be involved in the pathogenesis of IgAN in a subgroup of patients.

Power-law-lapse time gauges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jantzen, R.T.

1988-01-01

The choice of time function for cosmological solutions of gravitational field equations is related to the action of the group of independent scale transformations of the unit of length along orthogonal spatial directions. This is accomplished by the introduction of lapse functions which depend explicitly on the spatial metric in an appropriately defined power-law fashion. The resulting power-law-lapse time gauges are the key to producing nearly all exact solutions of the class of models for which the field equations reduce to ordinary differential equations

La historia clínica de Wolfang Amadeus Mozart

OpenAIRE

Mejía, Orlando

2013-01-01

Resumen Las hipótesis en torno a las patologías que tuvo Wolfang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) en su vida, la enfermedad final y la causa de su muerte han generado alrededor de 160 diagnósticos diferentes. En este trabajo se analizan las causas más pertinentes desde el punto de vista de la medicina interna y se plantea que es improbable que fuese un enfermo crónico, o un paciente psiquiátrico, o tuviese un síndrome genético, o hubiese sido envenenado. Se concluye que en los dos últimos meses de ...

Lapse rate modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Giovanni, Domenico

2010-01-01

prepayment models for mortgage backed securities, this paper builds a Rational Expectation (RE) model describing the policyholders' behavior in lapsing the contract. A market model with stochastic interest rates is considered, and the pricing is carried out through numerical approximation...

Lapse Rate Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Giovanni, Domenico

prepayment models for mortgage backed securities, this paper builds a Rational Expectation (RE) model describing the policyholders' behavior in lapsing the contract. A market model with stochastic interest rates is considered, and the pricing is carried out through numerical approximation...

IgA attenuates anaphylaxis and subsequent immune responses in mice: possible application of IgA to vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaki, Kouya; Nakashima, Takayuki; Miyatake, Kenji; Ishibashi, Yuki; Ito, Ayaka; Kuranishi, Ayu; Taguchi, Akihito; Morioka, Ayumi; Yamamoto, Midori; Yoshino, Shin

2014-01-01

Administration of the influenza vaccination to patients with an egg allergy is major health concern. Contaminating egg antigens occasionally induce severe anaphylactic shock in these patients following administration of the vaccination; therefore, the development of a safer vaccination is needed. In the present study, we investigated whether a mixture of four newly and previously generated anti-ovalbumin (OVA) IgA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) could inhibit both anaphylactic shock upon a subcutaneous OVA challenge and subsequent further sensitization against OVA in passively anti-OVA IgE-sensitized mice and actively sensitized mice with an injection of OVA. The prevention of anaphylaxis by anti-OVA IgA mAbs was suggested to be mediated through the inhibition of OVA binding to allergenic antibodies such as anti-OVA IgE on mast cells and deceleration of the rate of OVA penetration from the injected site into the systemic circulation. Anti-OVA IgA mAbs inhibited further sensitization against OVA in mice actively sensitized with OVA, but did not affect sensitization against the unrelated antigen, phosphorylcholine-keyhole limpet hemocyanin co-injected with OVA. Our findings indicate that adding the anti-egg antigen IgA to the influenza vaccine should reduce not only the risk of inducing anaphylactic shock, but also undesired further sensitization against egg antigens following the vaccination without affecting the intended beneficial effect of the vaccine, namely the upregulation of immune responses to influenza viruses.

Lapse ülalpidamise hind / Ene-Margit Tiit

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tiit, Ene-Margit, 1934-

2005-01-01

Tutvustav artikkel sotsiaalministeeriumi tellimusel läbiviidud uuringust, mille eesmärgiks oli välja töötada lapse kõikidest vajadustest lähtuv ühtne metoodika lapse ülalpidamiskulude arvutamiseks ühes kuus. Tabelid. Diagrammid. Vt. ka lk. 15-16: Kaplan, Signe. Metoodika kasutamisvõimalusi

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis in a neonate.

Science.gov (United States)

Hruza, L L; Mallory, S B; Fitzgibbons, J; Mallory, G B

1993-06-01

A newborn black boy had two facial blisters at birth that progressed to bullous lesions over the trunk, genitals, extremities, and oral and tracheal mucosa. A biopsy specimen demonstrated a subepidermal bulla with mixed eosinophilic and neutrophilic, inflammatory infiltrate. Direct immunofluorescence showed linear IgA, IgG, and C3 depositions along the basement membrane zone, consistent with a diagnosis of childhood linear IgA bullous dermatosis (chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood). The skin disease was controlled with combined prednisone and dapsone. This is the youngest reported patient with the disease. Linear IgA bullous dermatosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of blistering diseases of the newborn, and immunofluorescence should be performed on a skin biopsy specimen.

Lapse in Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Continuing Reviews.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Fu Tsan

Full Text Available The United States federal animal welfare regulations and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals require that institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs conduct continuing reviews of all animal research activities. However, little is known about the lapse rate of IACUC continuing reviews, and how frequently investigators continue research activities during the lapse. It is also not clear what factors may contribute to an institution's lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. As part of the quality assurance program, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA has collected performance metric data for animal care and use programs since 2011. We analyzed IACUC continuing review performance data at 74-75 VA research facilities from 2011 through 2015. The IACUC continuing review lapse rates improved from 5.6% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2015. The rate of investigators continuing research activities during the lapse also decreased from 47.2% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2015. The type of IACUCs used and the size of animal research programs appeared to have no effect in facility's rates of lapse in IACUC continuing reviews. While approximately 80% of facilities reported no lapse in IACUC continuing reviews, approximately 14% of facilities had lapse rates of >10% each year. Some facilities appeared to be repeat offenders. Four facilities had IACUC lapse rates of >10% in at least 3 out of 5 years, suggesting a system problem in these facilities requiring remedial actions to improve their IACUC continuing review processes.

Beyond the Glockenspiel: Teaching Race and Gender in Mozart's "Zauberflöte"

Science.gov (United States)

Howards, Alyssa

2014-01-01

"Die Zauberflöte" is simultaneously one of Mozart's most accessible and most complex operas. Yet while this duality makes it a potentially valuable cultural artifact for the language classroom, students' unfamiliarity with both its operatic genre and Enlightenment context can pose a challenge to teachers. This article functions…

Evolution of IgA nephropathy into anaphylactoid purpura in six cases--further evidence that IgA nephropathy and Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis share common pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamei, Koichi; Ogura, Masao; Sato, Mai; Ito, Shuichi; Ishikura, Kenji

2016-05-01

As the morphological and immunohistochemical manifestations of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy and Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) are very similar, they are considered to share a common pathogenesis. Although HSPN usually develops after the appearance of anaphylactoid purpura, we have encountered patients whose renal symptoms preceded purpura. We reviewed the clinical courses of patients who were first diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, but developed purpura later, at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo, Japan. Of the 53 patients who were diagnosed with primary IgA nephropathy at our institute during the study period (March 2002 to July 2015), six (11 %) developed anaphylactoid purpura after the diagnosis of primary IgA nephropathy and therefore met the inclusion criteria. Duration between the onset of nephritis and subsequent appearance of purpura ranged from 5 months to 14 years. One patient reached end-stage renal failure due to IgA nephropathy and developed purpura after renal transplantation. All renal biopsies performed before the appearance of purpura showed mesangial proliferation with predominant IgA deposits. Urinary findings deteriorated in three patients after the appearance of purpura, including one patient who developed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Renal biopsy findings worsened in two patients. At the last observation, two patients showed mild renal insufficiency. Our clinical experience and previous reports support the argument that IgA nephropathy and HSPN are different manifestations of a single disease. Hence, it is acceptable to consider that they are variants of a single disease.

Artist Craftsman or Artist Equal Mason: from Mozart to "Macaco Bong", a history of struggles for autonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RAFAEL LAGE

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the book "Mozart – Sociology of a Genius", Norbert Elias describes clashes around craftsmen artists (attached to the musical tastes of the court aristocracy and independent artists (with more freedom and musical autonomy, only less socially structured, presenting Mozart as an agent of transition. On the other hand, in the XXI century, comes up with the Brazilian band "Macaco Bong" the concept artist like mason, i. e., the idea of Musician’s involvement in the production process, not just in time to take the stage, pointing out the new digital technologies as a way for democratizing music. In this article, I will discuss reappropriations of ancient strategies of the music industry, and how they return reconfigured with these young people from the new music industry of the XXI century.

Time-lapse seismic attribute analysis for a water-flooded reservoir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Long; Sen, M K; Stoffa, P L; Seif, R K

2008-01-01

One of the goals of time-lapse seismic monitoring is the direct detection of the fluid front and two-phase contact area. However, several factors affect the quality of time-lapse seismic difference data and decrease detectability. One of these factors is random noise. In this paper, we propose five different methods aimed at improving the quality and detectability of noisy time-lapse seismic difference data. Common to these methods is the transform of the differences to a domain where the time-lapse signal and random noise are well separated. Our proposed methods include direct Fourier transform based spectral decomposition, bispectra, wavelet transform, singular value decomposition and hybrid methods. We also propose a method that combines multiple time-lapse difference data and gives a final difference which enhances the common part and attenuates the differences of the multiple difference images resulting in a better detectability than the original images. A synthetic time-lapse model is used to demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed methods

Gluten exacerbates IgA nephropathy in humanized mice through gliadin-CD89 interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Papista, Christina; Lechner, Sebastian; Ben Mkaddem, Sanae; LeStang, Marie-Bénédicte; Abbad, Lilia; Bex-Coudrat, Julie; Pillebout, Evangéline; Chemouny, Jonathan M; Jablonski, Mathieu; Flamant, Martin; Daugas, Eric; Vrtovsnik, François; Yiangou, Minas; Berthelot, Laureline; Monteiro, Renato C

2015-08-01

IgA1 complexes containing deglycosylated IgA1, IgG autoantibodies, and a soluble form of the IgA receptor (sCD89), are hallmarks of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Food antigens, notably gluten, are associated with increased mucosal response and IgAN onset, but their implication in the pathology remains unknown. Here, an IgAN mouse model expressing human IgA1 and CD89 was used to examine the role of gluten in IgAN. Mice were given a gluten-free diet for three generations to produce gluten sensitivity, and then challenged for 30 days with a gluten diet. A gluten-free diet resulted in a decrease of mesangial IgA1 deposits, transferrin 1 receptor, and transglutaminase 2 expression, as well as hematuria. Mice on a gluten-free diet lacked IgA1-sCD89 complexes in serum and kidney eluates. Disease severity depended on gluten and CD89, as shown by reappearance of IgAN features in mice on a gluten diet and by direct binding of the gluten-subcomponent gliadin to sCD89. A gluten diet exacerbated intestinal IgA1 secretion, inflammation, and villous atrophy, and increased serum IgA1 anti-gliadin antibodies, which correlated with proteinuria in mice and patients. Moreover, early treatment of humanized mice with a gluten-free diet prevented mesangial IgA1 deposits and hematuria. Thus, gliadin-CD89 interaction may aggravate IgAN development through induction of IgA1-sCD89 complex formation and a mucosal immune response. Hence, early-stage treatment with a gluten-free diet could be beneficial to prevent disease.

Application of Machine Learning to Predict Dietary Lapses During Weight Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Stephanie P; Zhang, Fengqing; Thomas, John G; Butryn, Meghan L; Herbert, James D; Forman, Evan M

2018-05-01

Individuals who adhere to dietary guidelines provided during weight loss interventions tend to be more successful with weight control. Any deviation from dietary guidelines can be referred to as a "lapse." There is a growing body of research showing that lapses are predictable using a variety of physiological, environmental, and psychological indicators. With recent technological advancements, it may be possible to assess these triggers and predict dietary lapses in real time. The current study sought to use machine learning techniques to predict lapses and evaluate the utility of combining both group- and individual-level data to enhance lapse prediction. The current study trained and tested a machine learning algorithm capable of predicting dietary lapses from a behavioral weight loss program among adults with overweight/obesity (n = 12). Participants were asked to follow a weight control diet for 6 weeks and complete ecological momentary assessment (EMA; repeated brief surveys delivered via smartphone) regarding dietary lapses and relevant triggers. WEKA decision trees were used to predict lapses with an accuracy of 0.72 for the group of participants. However, generalization of the group algorithm to each individual was poor, and as such, group- and individual-level data were combined to improve prediction. The findings suggest that 4 weeks of individual data collection is recommended to attain optimal model performance. The predictive algorithm could be utilized to provide in-the-moment interventions to prevent dietary lapses and therefore enhance weight losses. Furthermore, methods in the current study could be translated to other types of health behavior lapses.

Isolated lymphoid follicles are not IgA inductive sites for recombinant Salmonella

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashizume, Tomomi; Momoi, Fumiki; Kurita-Ochiai, Tomoko; Kaminogawa, Shuichi; Hosono, Akira; Kataoka, Kosuke; Shinozaki-Kuwahara, Noriko; Kweon, Mi-Na; Yamamoto, Masafumi

2007-01-01

In this study, we investigated whether isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) play a role in the regulation of intestinal IgA antibody (Ab) responses. The transfer of wild type (WT) bone marrow (BM) to lymphotoxin-α-deficient (LTα -/- ) mice resulted in the formation of mature ILF containing T cells, B cells, and FDC clusters in the absence of mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. Although the ILF restored total IgA Abs in the intestine, antigen (Ag)-specific IgA responses were not induced after oral immunization with recombinant Salmonella expressing fragment C of tetanus toxin. Moreover, Ag-specific cell proliferation was not detected in the ILF. Interestingly, no IgA anti-LPS Abs were detected in the fecal extracts of LTα -/- mice reconstituted with WT BM. On the basis of these findings, ILF can be presumed to play a role in the production of IgA Abs, but lymphoid nodules are not inductive sites for the regulation of Ag-specific intestinal IgA responses to recombinant Salmonella

Correlation of Serum Anti- Helicobacter pylori Immunoglobulin A (IGA)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori IgA antibodies has been reported to vary among populations and in relation to strains of Helicobacter pylori bacterium. However, there has been conflicting reports on the association between IgA serological status and the histological variables of chronic gastritis. This study ...

MOZART EFFECT AND MUSIC PSYCHOLOGY: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaitsa Giannouli

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The field of Music Psychology has grown in the past 20 years, to emerge from being just a minor topic to one of mainstream interest within the brain sciences (Hallam, Cross, & Thaut, 2011. Despite the plethora of research attempts to examine the so-called hotly disputed “Mozart effect” which was first reported by Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1993, 1995, we still know little about it. This group of researchers were the first to support experimentally that visuospatial processing was enhanced in participants following exposure to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major (K.448. Although the first research attempts referred to the Mozart effect as an easy way of improving cognitive performance immediately after passive music listening to Mozart’s sonata K. 448 (Chabris, 1999, after which healthy young adult students could perform with enhanced spatial- temporal abilities in tasks such as the Paper Folding Task (PFT, nowadays there is a number of studies indicating that this specific music excerpt does not necessarily have this magical influence on all cognitive abilities (e.g. on the overall Intelligence Quotient in humans and on the behavior of animals (for a review see Giannouli, Tsolaki & Kargopoulos, 2010. In addition to that, questions arise whether listening to this ‘magic music excerpt’ does indeed have benefits that generalize across a wide range of cognitive performance, and if it can induce changes that are of importance for medical and therapeutic purposes in patients with neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy or psychiatric disorders (e.g. dementia, depression (Verrusio et al., 2015.

The Mozart effect in biofeedback visual rehabilitation: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvatore, Serena; Librando, Aloisa; Esposito, Mariacristina; Vingolo, Enzo M

2011-01-01

To evaluate the usefulness of acoustic biofeedback by means of Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K. 448 to maintain and/or restore visual performance in a patient with macular pucker and glaucoma. A 74-year-old patient with open angle glaucoma in both eyes and macular pucker in the right eye (RE) underwent visual rehabilitation with acoustic biofeedback by means of the MAIA™ Vision Training Module (Centervue, Padova, Italy) 10 minutes each eye once a week for 5 weeks. The patient was asked to move his eyes according to a sound which changed into Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos when the patient locked the fixation target. Best-corrected visual acuity improved in his right eye (RE) and was stable in the left eye (LE). Fixation stability improved in both eyes, and retinal sensitivity decreased in the RE and improved in the LE. The characteristic of the macular pucker did not change during the training as demonstrated with optical coherence tomography. The patient was very satisfied with the training, as demonstrated by a 25-item questionnaire (National Eye Institute - Visual Functioning Questionnaire, NEI-VFQ-25). The patient's reading speed and the character size which he was able to read improved in his RE. Music could enhance synaptic plasticity and affect neural learning and fixation training by means of MAIA vision training. Therefore it can improve visual performance in patients with macular pucker, postpone the surgical time, and assure a better quality of life for the patient.

Mozart K.448 attenuates spontaneous absence seizure and related high-voltage rhythmic spike discharges in Long Evans rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lung-Chang; Juan, Chun-Ting; Chang, Hsueh-Wen; Chiang, Ching-Tai; Wei, Ruey-Chang; Lee, Mei-Wen; Mok, Hin-Kiu; Yang, Rei-Cheng

2013-05-01

Recent research has revealed more evidence supporting the positive effects of music on humans and animals. However, evidence of music's effects on improving epilepsy in animals is sparse. This study aimed to clarify the influence of Mozart's music in Long Evans rats, which are characterized by spontaneous absence epilepsy (SAE) and high-voltage rhythmic spike (HVRS) discharges. Continuous electroencephalograms comprised of HVRS discharges, and behavioral performance were recorded in Long Evans rats (n=5) before, during, and after exposure to the Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K.448 (Mozart K.448). The same evaluation was repeated after they had been subjected to daily exposure of the music for 20 days. Seizure frequencies and spontaneous HVRS discharges were reduced in all of the SAE rats during and after music exposure compared with the pre-music stage. The average seizure frequencies were 79.8±24.6, 48±15.2, and 33±12.1/h before, during, and after music exposure, respectively. The average run of spike episodes were 84.6±18.4, 52±17.8, and 36.8±16.9/h before, during, and after music exposure, respectively. The seizure frequencies and related run of spike episodes decreased by 39.8% and 38.5% during, and 58.6% and 56.6% post music exposure, respectively. The average run of spike durations and spike numbers also showed significant decreases (reduction by 47.1%, 47.8% during music and 60.8%, 61.3% post music). After daily music exposure for 20 days, the number of HVRS discharges and seizure frequencies during and after music exposure, however, showed no further accumulative reduction or adaptation effect. These results suggest that Mozart K.448 had a positive short-term effect in attenuating the spontaneous HVRS discharges in Long Evans rats. However, the mechanism needs further investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of music composed by Mozart and Ligeti on blood pressure and heart rate circadian rhythms in normotensive and hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemmer, Björn

2008-11-01

There is continuing discussion on the effect of music ("Mozart effect") on numerous functions in man and experimental animals. Radiotelemetry now allows one to monitor cardiovascular functions in freely-moving unrestrained experimental animals. Radiotelemetry was used to monitor systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate (HR), and motor activity (MA) in male normotensive WKY and hypertensive SHR animals. Rats were synchronized to a 12 h light (L): 12 h dark (D) regimen in an isolated, ventilated, light-controlled, sound-isolated animal container. Music (Mozart, Symphony # 40; Ligeti, String Quartet # 2) were played for 2 h at 75 dB in the animal cabin starting at the onset of L or D in a cross-over design. Data were collected every 5 min for 24 h under control conditions and during and after music. In addition, plasma concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) were determined in unrestrained animals at 3 h intervals over 24 h. In both WKY and SHR, highly significant circadian rhythms were obtained in SBP, DBP, HR, and MA under control conditions; HR was lower and BP higher in SHR than in WKY. NE was circadian rhythmic in both strains with higher values in D; the increase in NE with immobilization was much more pronounced in SHR than in WKY. The music of Mozart had no effect on either parameter in WKY, neither in L nor in D. In contrast, in SHR, the music of Mozart presented in L significantly decreased HR and left BP unaffected, leading to a small decrease in cardiac output. The music of Ligeti significantly increased BP both in L and in D and reflexively reduced HR in L, the effects being long-lasting over 24 h. Interestingly, white noise at 75 dB had no effect at all on either function in both strains. The effects of both Mozart and Ligeti cannot be attributed to a stress reaction, as stress due to cage switch increased HR and BP both in WKY and SHR. The study clearly demonstrates that music of different character (tempo, rhythm, pitch, tonality) can

Toxicological Effects of Nickel Chloride on IgA+ B Cells and sIgA, IgA, IgG, IgM in the Intestinal Mucosal Immunity in Broilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bangyuan Wu

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the toxicological effects of dietary NiCl2 on IgA+ B cells and the immunoglobulins including sIgA, IgA, IgG and IgM in the small intestine and cecal tonsil of broilers by the methods of immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. Two hundred and forty one-day-old avian broilers were randomly divided into four groups and fed on a control diet and three experimental diets supplemented with 300, 600, and 900 mg/kg NiCl2 for 42 days. Compared with the control group, the IgA+ B cell number and the sIgA, IgA, IgG, and IgM contents in the NiCl2-treated groups were significantly decreased (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01. It was concluded that dietary NiCl2 in the excess of 300 mg/kg had negative effects on the IgA+ B cell number and the abovementioned immunoglobulin contents in the small intestine and the cecal tonsil. NiCl2-reduced sIgA, IgA, IgG and IgM contents is due to decrease in the population and/or the activation of B cell. The results suggest that NiCl2 at high levels has intestinal mucosal humoral immunotoxicity in animals.

Razlikovnost kao pretpostavka za registraciju žiga

OpenAIRE

Matanovac Vučković, Romana

2012-01-01

U radu se obrazlaže stupnjevanje razlikovnosti u ispitivanju apsolutnih smetnji za registraciju nekog znaka kao žiga nakon harmonizacije žigovnoga prava u Europskoj uniji. Obrazlaže se i nerazdruživost između funkcije označivanja podrijetla i razlikovnosti žiga. S time u svezi obrađuju se Direktiva 2008/95/EZ Europskog parlamenta i Vijeća od 22. listopada 2008. za usklađivanje propisa država članica koji se odnose na žigove (kodificirani tekst), Uredba Vijeća (EZ) 207/2009 od 26. veljače 2009...

Time-Lapse Videos for Physics Education: Specific Examples

Science.gov (United States)

Vollmer, Michael; Möllmann, Klaus-Peter

2018-01-01

There are many physics experiments with long time scales such that they are usually neither shown in the physics class room nor in student labs. However, they can be easily recorded with time-lapse cameras and the respective time-lapse videos allow qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the underlying physics. Here, we present some examples…

Cocoa and cocoa fibre differentially modulate IgA and IgM production at mucosal sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Massot-Cladera, Malen; Franch, Àngels; Pérez-Cano, Francisco J; Castell, Margarida

2016-05-01

Previous studies have shown that a 10 % cocoa (C10) diet, containing polyphenols and fibre among others, modifies intestinal and systemic Ig production. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact of C10 on IgA and IgM production in the intestinal and extra-intestinal mucosal compartments, establishing the involvement of cocoa fibre (CF) in such effects. Mechanisms by which C10 intake may affect IgA synthesis in the salivary glands were also studied. To this effect, rats were fed either a standard diet, a diet containing C10, CF or inulin. Intestinal (the gut wash (GW), Peyer's patches (PP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN)) and extra-intestinal (salivary glands) mucosal tissues and blood samples were collected for IgA and IgM quantification. The gene expressions of IgA production- and homing-related molecules were studied in the salivary glands. The C10 diet decreased intestinal IgA and IgM production. Although the CF diet decreased the GW IgA concentration, it increased PP, MLN and serum IgA concentrations. Both the C10 and the CF diets produced a down-regulatory effect on IgA secretion in the extra-intestinal tissues. The C10 diet interacted with the mechanisms involved in IgA synthesis, whereas the CF showed particular effects on the homing and transcytosis of IgA across the salivary glands. Overall, CF was able to up-regulate IgA production in the intestinal-inductor compartments, whereas it down-regulated its production at the mucosal-effector ones. Further studies must be directed to ascertain the mechanisms involved in the effect of particular cocoa components on gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lings, Kristina; Bygum, Anette

2015-01-01

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LAD) is an autoimmune, chronic bullous disease affecting primarily young children and adults. Studies on LAD are relatively sparse and from Scandinavia we could only find a few case reports. Therefore we decided to conduct a retrospective investigation of patients...

Effect of Instruction in Appropriate Rubato Usage on Performances of Mozart and Bach: Replication and Extension

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher M.; Madsen, Clifford K.; Geringer, John M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how instruction in the use of rhythmic nuances influences subsequent timings of a musical performance. Volunteer participants were asked to listen to and alter a performance of an excerpt from Mozart's "Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 2" and Bach's "Suite Number 3 for Violoncello solo, Bourree…

Famous people with Tourette's syndrome: Dr. Samuel Johnson (yes) & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (may be): Victims of Tourette's syndrome?

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharyya, Kalyan B; Rai, Saurabh

2015-01-01

Tourette's syndrome is a clinical condition characterized by multiple motor tics and vocal tics which occurs in the age range 5-25 years and the intensity of the symptoms changes with time. It is felt that at least two remarkable personalities namely, Dr. Samuel Johnson from England, a man of letters and the compiler of the first ever English dictionary, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Austria, one of the greatest musical genius of all time, possibly suffered from this condition. Tourette's syndrome is often described as the classical borderzone between neurology and psychiatry and every neurologist wonders at the curious and fascinating clinical features of this condition. It seems that at least two remarkable personalities, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a man of letters and the first person to compile an English dictionary, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguably the most creative musical composer of all time, were possibly afflicted with this condition.

Iga viies SVH on ennetatav

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2009-01-01

ONTARGET uuring tõestab, et telmisartaan kaitseb kõrge kardiovaskulaarse riskiga patsiente sama tõhusalt kui ramipriil, kuid on paremini talutav. Uuringust võib järeldada, et telmisartaaniga saab ennetada iga viiendat tõsist kardiovaskulaarset juhtumit. Eesti arstidele tutvustati uuringut 6. mail toimunud sümpoosiumil

Association of IgA multiple myeloma with pre-existing disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schafer, A.I.; Miller, J.B.

1979-01-01

A retrospective analysis of 153 patients with multiple myeloma was performed for evaluation of the possible significance of pre-existing disease. 37% of the group had no significant antecedent disorder. The most common prior illnesses were peptic ulcer disease and gallbladder disease. Of 12 patients in the group who had prior biliary tract disease and for whom immunoelectrophoretic studies were available, eight (66.7%) had IgA paraproteins. This figure is statistically higher than the 14.1% of prevalence of IgA paraproteins in those myeloma patients without biliary disease. We conclude that prior inflammatory gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and, particularly, biliary disease may be implicated in the pathogenesis of the IgA subset of multiple myeloma.

Nähtamatud lapsed / Margit Tõnson

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tõnson, Margit, 1978-

2006-01-01

UNICEFi palvel valmistasid kaheksa tuntud režissööri kassett-filmi maailma kannatavatest lastest "Kõik nähtamatud lapsed" ("All the Invisible Children") : Prantsusmaa - Itaalia 2005. Film on Sõpruse kino kavas

Giardia muris trophozoite antigenic targets for mouse intestinal IgA antibody.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyworth, M F; Vergara, J A

1994-02-01

The aim of this work was to characterize Giardia muris trophozoite proteins that are targets for intestinal anti-trophozoite IgA in G. muris-infected mice. Intestinal secretions were obtained from immunocompetent BALB/c mice that had been infected with G. muris cysts 4-5 weeks previously and from control uninfected BALB/c mice. Flow cytometry of G. muris trophozoites that had been incubated with intestinal secretions and with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-mouse IgA showed that anti-trophozoite IgA was present in intestinal secretions obtained from infected BALB/c mice. By immunoblotting on G. muris trophozoite proteins separated by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis, this IgA recognized at least one trophozoite protein of molecular mass of approximately 80 kDa. The 80-kDa G. muris protein(s) has a molecular mass similar to that described for cysteine-rich surface proteins of the human parasite Giardia lamblia.

Time-lapse videos for physics education: specific examples

Science.gov (United States)

Vollmer, Michael; Möllmann, Klaus-Peter

2018-05-01

There are many physics experiments with long time scales such that they are usually neither shown in the physics class room nor in student labs. However, they can be easily recorded with time-lapse cameras and the respective time-lapse videos allow qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the underlying physics. Here, we present some examples from thermal physics (melting, evaporation, cooling) as well as diffusion processes

Distinct coping strategies differentially predict urge levels and lapses in a smoking cessation attempt.

Science.gov (United States)

Brodbeck, Jeannette; Bachmann, Monica S; Znoj, Hansjörg

2013-06-01

This study analysed mechanisms through which stress-coping and temptation-coping strategies were associated with lapses. Furthermore, we explored whether distinct coping strategies differentially predicted reduced lapse risk, lower urge levels, or a weaker association between urge levels and lapses during the first week of an unassisted smoking cessation attempt. Participants were recruited via the internet and mass media in Switzerland. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with mobile devices was used to assess urge levels and lapses. Online questionnaires were used to measure smoking behaviours and coping variables at baseline, as well as smoking behaviour at the three-month follow-up. The sample consisted of 243 individuals, aged 20 to 40, who reported 4199 observations. Findings of multilevel regression analyses show that coping was mainly associated with a reduced lapse risk and not with lower urge levels or a weaker association between urge levels and lapses. 'Calming down' and 'commitment to change' predicted a lower lapse risk and also a weaker relation between urge levels and lapses. 'Stimulus control' predicted a lower lapse risk and lower urge levels. Conversely, 'task-orientation' and 'risk assessment' were related to higher lapse risk and 'risk assessment' also to higher urge levels. Disengagement coping i.e. 'eating or shopping', 'distraction', and 'mobilising social support' did not affect lapse risk. Promising coping strategies during the initial stage of smoking cessation attempt are targeted directly at reducing the lapse risk and are characterised by engagement with the stressor or one's reactions towards the stressor and a focus on positive consequences instead of health risks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decreased IgA+ B Cells Population and IgA, IgG, IgM Contents of the Cecal Tonsil Induced by Dietary High Fluorine in Broilers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangping Wang

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Fluoride is an environmental and industrial pollutant that affects various organs in humans and animals. The cecal tonsil is an important component of the mucosal immune system and performs important and unique immune functions. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary high fluorine on the quantities of IgA+ B cells in the cecal tonsil by immunohistochemistry, and the immunoglobulin A (IgA, immunoglobulin G (IgG and immunoglobulin M (IgM contents in the cecal tonsil by ELISA. A total of 280 one-day-old avian broilers were divided into four groups and fed on a corn-soybean basal diet as control diet (fluorine 22.6 mg/kg or the same diet supplemented with 400, 800 and 1,200 mg/kg fluorine (high fluorine groups I, II and III in the form of sodium fluoride, respectively, throughout a 42-day experimental period. The results showed that the quantities of IgA+ B cells were lower (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 and the IgA, IgG, and IgM contents were decreased (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 in high fluorine groups II and III in comparison with those of control group. It was concluded that dietary fluorine, in the 800–1,200 mg/kg range, could reduce the numbers of the IgA+ B cells and immunoglobulin contents in the cecal tonsil, implying the local mucosal immune function was ultimately impacted in broilers.

Secretory IgA as a diagnostic tool for Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory colonization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aanaes, Kasper; Johansen, Helle Krogh; Poulsen, Steen Seier

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa sinusitis may be the focus for intermittent lung colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The sinusitis may induce elevated IgA levels in nasal secretion and saliva against P. aeruginosa. METHODS: 120 CF patients chronically infected, intermittently...... colonized or without P. aeruginosa in the lungs participated in this cross-sectional study. IgA and IgG against P. aeruginosa sonicate and alginate were measured in nasal secretions, saliva, and in serum by ELISA. RESULTS: The intermittently colonized patients had significantly higher IgA levels in nasal...... secretions and saliva than those without P. aeruginosa in the lungs, indicating that P. aeruginosa sinusitis may precede intermittent colonization and chronic infection of the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Specific IgA against P. aeruginosa in nasal secretions and saliva can contribute to differentiation between...

Gene Expression Analysis in Tubule Interstitial Compartments Reveals Candidate Agents for IgA Nephropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinling Wang

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Our aim was to explore the molecular mechanism underlying development of IgA nephropathy and discover candidate agents for IgA nephropathy. Methods: The differentially expressed genes (DEGs between patients with IgA nephropathy and normal controls were identified by the data of GSE35488 downloaded from GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus database. The co-expressed gene pairs among DEGs were screened to construct the gene-gene interaction network. Gene Ontology (GO enrichment analysis was performed to analyze the functions of DEGs. The biologically active small molecules capable of targeting IgA nephropathy were identified using the Connectivity Map (cMap database. Results: A total of 55 genes involved in response to organic substance, transcription factor activity and response to steroid hormone stimulus were identified to be differentially expressed in IgA nephropathy patients compared to healthy individuals. A network with 45 co-expressed gene pairs was constructed. DEGs in the network were significantly enriched in response to organic substance. Additionally, a group of small molecules were identified, such as doxorubicin and thapsigargin. Conclusion: Our work provided a systematic insight in understanding the mechanism of IgA nephropathy. Small molecules such as thapsigargin might be potential candidate agents for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.

Low pretransplant IgA level is associated with early post-lung transplant seromucous infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Murthy, Sudish C; Avery, Robin K; Budev, Marie; Gupta, Sandeep; Pettersson, Gösta B; Nowicki, Edward R; Mehta, Atul; Chapman, Jeffrey T; Rajeswaran, Jeevanantham; Blackstone, Eugene H

2018-04-13

Infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. Immunoglobulins are part of both seromucous (IgA) and serum (IgG) infection defense mechanisms. We therefore hypothesized that lower pretransplant IgA levels would be associated with more early post-lung transplant seromucous infections and greater mortality independent of IgG. From January 2000 to July 2010, 538 patients undergoing primary lung transplantation had pretransplant IgA (n = 429) and IgG (n = 488) measured as a clinical routine. Median IgA was 200 mg·dL -1 (2% < 70 mg·dL -1 , lower limit of normal); median IgG was 970 mg·dL -1 (5% < 600 mg·dL -1 ). Intensive microbiology review was used to categorize infections and their causative organisms within the first posttransplant year. In total, 397 seromucous infections were observed in 247 patients, most bacterial. Although IgA and IgG were moderately correlated (r = 0.5, P < .0001), low pretransplant IgA was a strong risk factor (P = .01) for seromucous infections, but pretransplant IgG was not (P ≥ .6). As pretransplant IgA levels fell below 200 mg·dL -1 , the risk of these posttransplant infections rose nearly linearly. Lower pretransplant levels of IgA were associated with greater posttransplant mortality to end of follow-up (P = .004), but pretransplant IgG was not (P ≥ .3). Low levels of preoperative IgA, an important immunoglobulin involved in mucosal immunologic defense, but not IgG, are associated with seromucous infections in the year after lung transplantation and increased follow-up mortality. It would appear prudent to identify patients with relative IgA deficiency at listing and to increase vigilance of monitoring for, and prophylaxis against, seromucous infection in this high-risk population. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Recurrence and graft loss after renal transplantation in adults with IgA vasculitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawabe, Mayuko; Yamamoto, Izumi; Komatsuzaki, Yo; Yamakawa, Takafumi; Katsumata, Haruki; Katsuma, Ai; Mafune, Aki; Nakada, Yasuyuki; Kobayashi, Akimitsu; Tanno, Yudo; Ohkido, Ichiro; Tsuboi, Nobuo; Yokoyama, Keitaro; Horita, Shigeru; Okumi, Masayoshi; Ishida, Hideki; Yamamoto, Hiroyasu; Yokoo, Takashi; Tanabe, Kazunari

2017-08-01

IgA vasculitis, a rare condition resulting in end-stage renal disease, is a small-vessel vasculitis that affects the kidney in 49-83 % of adults. The reported recurrence rate of IgA vasculitis in renal transplant recipients is 11.5-60 %, leading to graft loss in 0-50 % of these patients. However, limited data are available on recurrence and graft loss after renal transplantation. We evaluated renal transplant recipients seen from 1987 to 2015 at the Jikei University School of Medicine and the Department of Urology, Tokyo Women's Medical University. Using a 1:2 match, 21 patients with IgA vasculitis and 42 controls were selected. The mean post-transplant follow-up was 121 ± 69 months for IgA vasculitis and 147 ± 66 months for the controls. The 15-year patient survival was 100 % in IgA vasculitis and 97.6 % in the controls (p = 0.22). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year graft survival rates were 95.2, 90.5, and 81 % in IgA vasculitis and 100, 90.5, and 88.1 % in the controls, respectively (p = 0.63). The recurrence rate was 28.6 % (6 of 21 cases) and half of them (3 of 6 cases) showed histological activity (ISKDC III). We treated them with methylprednisolone pulse therapy and/or tonsillectomy. None of the recurrence cases lost the allograft. The long-term patient and graft survival of IgA vasculitis in renal transplantation were comparable with the previous reports. The recurrence rate was 28.6 %, but none of the recurrent cases showed allograft loss in this study. We speculate that methylprednisolone pulse therapy and/or tonsillectomy prevent the progression of recurrent IgA vasculitis.

Comparison of the Perceived Musicianship of Skilled Musicians and Their Respective Rhythmic Timings in Performances of Mozart.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher M.

1997-01-01

Compares patterns of rubato usage in four performances of an excerpt from the Mozart Concerto Number 2 in Eb Major for Horn and Orchestra with assessments of musicianship. Indicates that: (1) rhythm is an important aspect of musicianship; and (2) the largest positive assessment change occurred simultaneously with the use of rubato. (CMK)

The Mozart effect: evidence for the arousal hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Edward A; Smith, Kenneth H

2008-10-01

This study investigated the effect of music listening for performance on a 25-question portion of the analytical section of the Graduate Record Exam by 72 undergraduate students (M age 21.9 yr.). Five levels of an auditory condition were based on Mozart Piano Sonata No. 3 (K. 281), Movement I (Allegro); a rhythm excerpt; a melody excerpt; traffic sounds; and silence. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the stimuli. After a 5-min., 43-sec. (length of the first Allegro movement) listening period, participants answered the questions. Analysis indicated participants achieved significantly higher mean scores after all auditory conditions than those in the silent condition. No statistically significant pairwise mean difference appeared between scores for the auditory conditions. Findings were interpreted in terms of an arousal framework, suggesting the higher means in all auditory conditions may reflect immediate exposure to auditory stimuli.

PetIGA-MF: a multi-field high-performance toolbox for structure-preserving B-splines spaces

KAUST Repository

Sarmiento, Adel; Cô rtes, A.M.A.; Garcia, D.A.; Dalcin, Lisandro; Collier, N.; Calo, V.M.

2016-01-01

We describe a high-performance solution framework for isogeometric discrete differential forms based on B-splines: PetIGA-MF. Built on top of PetIGA, an open-source library we have built and developed over the last decade, PetIGA-MF is a general

Isogeometric Analysis of Hyperelastic Materials Using PetIGA

KAUST Repository

Bernal, L.M.

2013-06-01

In this work different nonlinear hyperelastic models for slightly compressible materials are implemented in an isogeometric finite element model. This is done within the recently developed computational framework called PetIGA, which uses isoge- ometric analysis and modern computational tools to solve systems of equations directly and iteratively. A flexible theoretical background is described to implement other hyperelastic models and possibly transient problems in future work. Results show quadratic convergence of the nonlinear solution consistent with the Newton-Raphson method that was used. Finally, PetIGA proves to be a powerful and versatile tool to solve these types of problems efficiently.

Isogeometric Analysis of Hyperelastic Materials Using PetIGA

KAUST Repository

Bernal, L.M.; Calo, Victor M.; Collier, Nathan; Espinosa, G.A.; Fuentes, F.; Mahecha, J.C.

2013-01-01

In this work different nonlinear hyperelastic models for slightly compressible materials are implemented in an isogeometric finite element model. This is done within the recently developed computational framework called PetIGA, which uses isoge- ometric analysis and modern computational tools to solve systems of equations directly and iteratively. A flexible theoretical background is described to implement other hyperelastic models and possibly transient problems in future work. Results show quadratic convergence of the nonlinear solution consistent with the Newton-Raphson method that was used. Finally, PetIGA proves to be a powerful and versatile tool to solve these types of problems efficiently.

Serological Analysis of Immunogenic Properties of Recombinant Meningococcus IgA1 Protease-Based Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotelnikova, O V; Zinchenko, A A; Vikhrov, A A; Alliluev, A P; Serova, O V; Gordeeva, E A; Zhigis, L S; Zueva, V S; Razgulyaeva, O A; Melikhova, T D; Nokel, E A; Drozhzhina, E Yu; Rumsh, L D

2016-07-01

Using the genome sequence of IgA1 protease of N. meningitidis of serogroup B, four recombinant proteins of different structure and molecular weight were constructed. These proteins were equal in inducing the formation of specific antibodies to IgA1 protease and had protective properties against meningococci. In the sera of immunized mice, anti-IgA1 protease antibodies were detected by whole-cell ELISA, which indicated the presence of IgA1 protease on the surface of these bacteria. We hypothesized that the protective properties of IgA1 protease-based antigens and IgA1 protease analogs could be realized not only via impairment of bacterium adhesion to the mucosa, but also via suppression of this pathogen in the organism. The presented findings seem promising for using these proteins as the basis for anti-meningococcus vaccine.

The tropical lapse rate steepened during the Last Glacial Maximum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loomis, S.E.; Russell, J.M.; Verschuren, D.; Morrill, C.; De Cort, G.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Olago, D.; Eggermont, H.; Street-Perrott, F.A.; Kelly, M.A.

2017-01-01

The gradient of air temperature with elevation (the temperature lapse rate) in the tropics is predicted to become lesssteep during the coming century as surface temperature rises, enhancing the threat of warming in high-mountainenvironments. However, the sensitivity of the lapse rate to climate

A-3 Construction Time Lapse

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

A time lapse from start to finish of steel erection for the 235-foot tall A-3 Test Stand. Ground work for the stand was broken in August 2008 and the final structural steel beam was placed April 9, 2009.

Gut TFH and IgA: key players for regulation of bacterial communities and immune homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Lucia M; Kawamoto, Shimpei; Maruya, Mikako; Fagarasan, Sidonia

2014-01-01

The main function of the immune system is to protect the host against pathogens. However, unlike the systemic immune system, the gut immune system does not eliminate, but instead nourishes complex bacterial communities and establishes advanced symbiotic relationships. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody isotype in mammals, produced mainly in the gut. The primary function of IgA is to maintain homeostasis at mucosal surfaces, and studies in mice have demonstrated that IgA diversification has an essential role in the regulation of gut microbiota. Dynamic diversification and constant adaptation of IgA responses to local microbiota require expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase by B cells and control from T follicular helper and Foxp3(+) T cells in germinal centers (GCs). We discuss the finely tuned regulatory mechanisms for IgA synthesis in GCs of Peyer's patches and emphasize the roles of CD4(+) T cells for IgA selection and the maintenance of appropriate gut microbial communities required for immune homeostasis.

Time-Lapse Measurement of Wellbore Integrity

Science.gov (United States)

Duguid, A.

2017-12-01

Well integrity is becoming more important as wells are used longer or repurposed. For CO2, shale gas, and other projects it has become apparent that wells represent the most likely unintended migration pathway for fluids out of the reservoir. Comprehensive logging programs have been employed to determine the condition of legacy wells in North America. These studies provide examples of assessment technologies. Logging programs have included pulsed neutron logging, ultrasonic well mapping, and cement bond logging. While these studies provide examples of what can be measured, they have only conducted a single round of logging and cannot show if the well has changed over time. Recent experience with time-lapse logging of three monitoring wells at a US Department of Energy sponsored CO2 project has shown the full value of similar tools. Time-lapse logging has shown that well integrity changes over time can be identified. It has also shown that the inclusion of and location of monitoring technologies in the well and the choice of construction materials must be carefully considered. Two of the wells were approximately eight years old at the time of study; they were constructed with steel and fiberglass casing sections and had lines on the outside of the casing running to the surface. The third well was 68 years old when it was studied and was originally constructed as a production well. Repeat logs were collected six or eight years after initial logging. Time-lapse logging showed the evolution of the wells. The results identified locations where cement degraded over time and locations that showed little change. The ultrasonic well maps show clearly that the lines used to connect the monitoring technology to the surface are visible and have a local effect on cement isolation. Testing and sampling was conducted along with logging. It provided insight into changes identified in the time-lapse log results. Point permeability testing was used to provide an in-situ point

Imunocitoma IgA: A propósito de um caso clínico Immunocytoma IgA: Case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bebiana Conde

2009-01-01

Full Text Available O imunocitoma é um linfoma não Hodgkin (LNHde células B, com evolução habitualmente indolente. Representa aproximadamente 1 -3% dos LNH e atinge habitualmente adultos com mais de 50 anos, podendo manifestar-se por adenomegalias, hepatomegalia, esplenomegalia e linfocitose em 15 a 30% dos casos. Raramente tem envolvimento pulmonar. Com frequência ocorrendo picos monoclonais de imunoglobulinas, sericos, frequentemente IgM e raramente IgA. Como exemplo desta patologia apresentamos o caso clinico de um doente do sexo masculino, 52 anos, com clinica de infecções respiratórias bacterianas de repetição, com necessidade de internamentos sucessivos, cuja investigação identificou um imunocitoma IgA, estádio IV. Assumindo-se o diagnóstico de um linfoma indolente, decidiu-se iniciar terapêutica profiláctica com imunoglobulinas humanas poliespecÍficas, tendo havido diminuição das infecçoes respiratórias. Posteriormente, a evidência de progressão do linfoma condicionou o inicio de poliquimioterapia, com o esquema ciclofosfamida, vincristina, prednisolona (CVP e rituximabR, tendo-se alcançado uma resposta parcial, que se manteve durante dois anos.Immunocytoma is a non-Hodgkin’s indolent evolution B cell lymphoma. It accounts for approximately 1-3% of non-Hodgkin's limphomas and usually onsets in adults aged over 50 years old. It manifests as lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and lymphcytosis in 15 -30% of cases and is rarely seen with pulmonary involvement. Monocloncal peaks of serum immunoglobulin often occur. These are IgM and rarely IgA. We present as an example a male patient aged 52 years old, with recurrent respiratory infections. Clinical work -up identified an immunocytoma IgA stage IV. Diagnosing an indolent lymphoma, we prophylactic polyspecific human immunoglobulin to treat the respiratory infection. Evidence of lymphoma progression leads us to prescribe combined cyclophosphamide (C, vincristine (V, prednisone (P

The tropical lapse rate steepened during the Last Glacial Maximum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loomis, Shannon E; Russell, James M; Verschuren, Dirk; Morrill, Carrie; De Cort, Gijs; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S; Olago, Daniel; Eggermont, Hilde; Street-Perrott, F Alayne; Kelly, Meredith A

The gradient of air temperature with elevation (the temperature lapse rate) in the tropics is predicted to become less steep during the coming century as surface temperature rises, enhancing the threat of warming in high-mountain environments. However, the sensitivity of the lapse rate to climate

Salivary IgA concentration in diabetic patients compared to healthy controls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farimah Sardari

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The alterations in salivary flow rate and its compositions could affect the development, symptoms, and severity of oral changes in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration of salivary IgA in type I in comparison with type II diabetic patients and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 25 patients with type I diabetes, 25 patients with type II diabetes, and 25 control subjects (12 subjects for the type I and 13 subjects for the type II were enrolled. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected by spitting method and the concentration of salivary IgA was measured byenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA method. Results: The mean of salivary IgA in type I diabetic patients was 148.3 ± 38.7 μg/ml and in their controls was 65.8 ± 17.4 μg/ml (P < 0.001. In type II diabetic patients the mean of salivary IgA was 67.3 ± 20.6 μg/ml and in their controls was 63.3 ± 15.2 μg/ml. There was no significant difference between patients with type II diabetes and controls (P = 0.54. The mean of salivary IgA in patients with type I diabetes was significantly higher than in patients with type II diabetes (148.3 ± 38.7 versus 67.3 ± 20.6 μg/ml, respectively, P < 0.001. Conclusions: Level of salivary IgA in type II diabetic patients in comparison with their healthy control did not show any significant difference, but in type I diabetic patients was higher than that of healthy controls and type II diabetic patients.

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis in a patient with renal cell carcinoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Waal, RIF; Van de Scheur, MR; Pas, HH; Jonkman, MF; Van Groeningen, CJ; Nieboer, C; Starink, TM

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is an autoimmune subepidermal bullous disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations, characterized by linear deposition of IgA along the epidermal basement membrane zone. We report a patient with a metastasized renal cell carcinoma who developed an extensive

Radioimmunoassay for the detection of virus-specific IgA antibodies in saliva

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, M.G.

1982-01-01

The use of a sensitive and versatile radioimmunoassay (RIA) for detection of mumps-specific IgA and measles-specific IgA in unconcentrated saliva samples is described. The samples were obtained either by expectoration or by swabbing of the oral cavity, with or without stimulation of secretion, and were inactivated and clarified before testing. Mumps-specific IgA antibodies were detected as early as one day after onset of illness and peaked at 1-2 weeks after onset. Measles-specific salivary IgA antibodies were detected in 15-month old children 2-3 weeks after immunization. These results suggest that the RIA technique may be useful for early diagnosis of viral infections and for confirmation of response to immunization without the need for a blood sample, as well as for the study of the secretory immune response in very young and older subjects. (Auth.)

Are lapsed donors willing to resume blood donation, and what determines their motivation to do so?

Science.gov (United States)

van Dongen, Anne; Abraham, Charles; Ruiter, Robert A C; Schaalma, Herman P; de Kort, Wim L A M; Dijkstra, J Anneke; Veldhuizen, Ingrid J T

2012-06-01

This study investigated the possibility of rerecruiting lapsed blood donors. Reasons for donation cessation, motivation to restart donation, and modifiable components of donation motivation were examined. We distinguished between lapsed donors who had passively withdrawn by merely not responding to donation invitations and donors who had contacted the blood bank to actively withdraw. A cross-sectional survey was sent to 400 actively lapsed donors and to 400 passively lapsed donors, measuring intention to restart donation and psychological correlates of restart intention. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. The response rate among actively lapsed donors was higher than among passively lapsed donors (37% vs. 25%). Actively lapsed donors typically ceased donating because of physical reactions, while passively lapsed donors quit because of a busy lifestyle. Nonetheless, 51% of actively lapsed responders and 80% of passively lapsed responders were willing to restart donations. Multiple regression analysis showed that, for passively lapsed donors, cognitive attitude was the strongest correlate of intention to donate in the future (β=0.605, pattitude (β=0.239, pattitude was also the strongest correlate of intention (β=0.601, pattitude (β=0.345, pattitudes and self-efficacy could further raise such intentions. © 2011 American Association of Blood Banks.

Simfoni No. 40 Bagian Pertama Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. XAVERIA DIAH K

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The First Symfoni No 40 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Symphony is a great composition, whichconventionally consists of four parts. At the end of the eighteenth century it became the main format of orchestralmusic. However, it became prominent at the time of Beethoven. Symphony is a great and ambitious piece of musicsince it is played for 20-45 minutes in length, containing an expansion of tone colors and dynamics of classicalorchestra. It has been known that classical symphony usually consists of four parts inciting broader emotion bythe created tempo and nuance. Mozart’s three last symphonies are Mozart’s masterpieces and Symphony No. 40,for example, contains connotations of romantic signs ignored by his predecessors. Although Symphony No. 40employs minor tones, it is not sad but cheerful, playful, passionful, and dramatic. The fi rst part of the Symphonyuses Allegro Sonata format which consists of three parts, namely exposition, development and recapitulation.

Targeted-release budesonide versus placebo in patients with IgA nephropathy (NEFIGAN)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fellström, Bengt C.; Barratt, Jonathan; Cook, Heather

2017-01-01

Background IgA nephropathy is thought to be associated with mucosal immune system dysfunction, which manifests as renal IgA deposition that leads to impairment and end-stage renal disease in 20–40% of patients within 10–20 years. In this trial (NEFIGAN) we aimed to assess safety and efficacy...... at 62 nephrology clinics across ten European countries. We recruited patients aged at least 18 years with biopsy-confirmed primary IgA nephropathy and persistent proteinuria despite optimised renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade. We randomly allocated patients with a computer algorithm, with a fixed...

Influence of startup oxidizing transients of IGA/SCC in PWR steam generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorman, J.A.; McIlree, A.R.; Gaudreau, T.; Bjornkvist, L.; Andersson, P.-O.

1998-01-01

There is a considerable amount of evidence oxidizing conditions during and following startups are an important factor in the intergranular corrosion/stress corrosion cracking (IGA/SCC) of mill annealed alloy 600 steam generator tubes. This evidence includes plant data that indicate that the growth of IGA/SCC correlates better in some cases with numbers of startups than with time at power, laboratory tests in several plausible crevice environments that show that small amounts of copper oxides accelerate the rate of IGA/SCC, laboratory tests that show that elevating the electrochemical potential (ECP) increases the rates of IGA/SCC in many chemical environments, and laboratory tests that show that copper oxides, hematite, and other oxidized corrosion products can raise the ECP of several solution chemistries into aggressive ranges. Some preliminary data also exist that show that some amounts of oxidized species are produced during typical layup and startup conditions, but data for the subsequent reduction of these oxides are largely lacking. The purpose of this paper is to review the available evidence, to arrive at conclusions regarding the probable importance of oxidizing conditions during startup on occurrence of IGA/SCC, and to identify needed research to better quantify the situation. (author)

Phase Field Modeling Using PetIGA

KAUST Repository

Vignal, Philippe; Collier, Nathan; Calo, Victor M.

2013-01-01

, and having a highly efficient and parallel framework to solve them is necessary. In this work, a brief review on phase field models is given, followed by a short analysis of the Phase Field Crystal Model solved with Isogeometric Analysis us- ing PetIGA. We

History of individuals of the 18th/19th centuries stored in bones, teeth, and hair analyzed by LA-ICP-MS--a step in attempts to confirm the authenticity of Mozart's skull.

Science.gov (United States)

Stadlbauer, Christina; Reiter, Christian; Patzak, Beatrix; Stingeder, Gerhard; Prohaska, Thomas

2007-06-01

A cranium stored in the Stiftung Mozarteum in Salzburg/Austria which is believed to be that of Mozart, and skeletal remains of suspected relatives which have been excavated from the Mozart family grave in the cemetery in Salzburg, have been subjected to scientific investigations to determine whether or not the skull is authentic. A film project by the Austrian television ORF in collaboration with Interspot Film on this issue was broadcast at the beginning of the "Mozart year 2006". DNA analysis could not clarify relationships among the remains and, therefore, assignment of the samples was not really possible. In our work this skull and excavated skeletal remains have been quantified for Pb, Cr, Hg, As, and Sb content by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain information about the living conditions of these individuals. A small splinter of enamel (less than 1 mm(3)) from a tooth of the "Mozart cranium" was also available for investigation. Quantification was performed by using spiked hydroxyapatite standards. Single hair samples which are recorded to originate from Mozart have also been investigated by LA-ICP-MS and compared with hair samples of contemporary citizens stored in the Federal Pathologic-Anatomical Museum, Vienna. In general, Pb concentrations up to approximately 16 mug g(-1) were found in the bone samples of 18th century individuals (a factor of 7 to 8 higher than in recent samples) reflecting elevated Pb levels in food or beverages. Elevated Pb levels were also found in hair samples. The amount of Sb in the enamel sample of the "Mozart cranium" (approx. 3 mug g(-1)) was significantly higher than in all the other tooth samples investigated, indicating possible Sb ingestion in early childhood. Elevated concentrations of elements in single hair samples gave additional information about possible exposure of the individuals to heavy metals at a particular point in their life.

The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy: rationale, clinicopathological correlations, and classification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cattran, Daniel C.; Coppo, Rosanna; Cook, H. Terence; Feehally, John; Roberts, Ian S. D.; Troyanov, Stéphan; Alpers, Charles E.; Amore, Alessandro; Barratt, Jonathan; Berthoux, Francois; Bonsib, Stephen; Bruijn, Jan A.; D'Agati, Vivette; D'Amico, Giuseppe; Emancipator, Steven; Emma, Francesco; Ferrario, Franco; Fervenza, Fernando C.; Florquin, Sandrine; Fogo, Agnes; Geddes, Colin C.; Groene, Hermann-Josef; Haas, Mark; Herzenberg, Andrew M.; Hill, Prue A.; Hogg, Ronald J.; Hsu, Stephen I.; Jennette, J. Charles; Joh, Kensuke; Julian, Bruce A.; Kawamura, Tetsuya; Lai, Fernand M.; Leung, Chi Bon; Li, Lei-Shi; Li, Philip K. T.; Liu, Zhi-Hong; Mackinnon, Bruce; Mezzano, Sergio; Schena, F. Paolo; Tomino, Yasuhiko; Walker, Patrick D.; Wang, Haiyan; Weening, Jan J.; Yoshikawa, Nori; Zhang, Hong

2009-01-01

IgA nephropathy is the most common glomerular disease worldwide, yet there is no international consensus for its pathological or clinical classification. Here a new classification for IgA nephropathy is presented by an international consensus working group. The goal of this new system was to

Primary breast cancer tumours contain high amounts of IgA1 immunoglobulin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Welinder, Charlotte; Baldetorp, Bo; Blixt, Klas Ola

2013-01-01

seen in the percentage of stained cells and in the staining pattern in the different breast cancers analysed. Anti-Tn antibody and HPA were also shown to specifically bind to a number of possible constellations of the Tn antigen in the hinge region of IgA1. Both reagents could also detect the presence....... The short O-glycan that forms the antigen is carried by a number of different proteins. One potential carrier of the Tn antigen is immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), which we surprisingly found in tumour cells of the invasive parts of primary breast carcinoma. Conventional immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin......-embedded sections from primary breast cancers showed IgA1 to be present in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of 35 out of 36 individual primary tumours. The immunohistochemical staining of HPA and anti-Tn antibody (GOD3-2C4) did to some extent overlap with the presence of IgA1 in the tumours, but differences were...

IgA LINEAR BULLOUS DERMATOSIS IN CHILDHOOD.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivelina Yordanova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available IgA linear bullous dermatosis, also known as chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood, is an autoimmune disease which may be idiopathic or drug-induced. The disease affects children and adults. We present a 4 years old girl with itchy polymorphic eruptions. The skin rash was presented by bullous-erosive rosette-like lesions with reddish-brown crust in the center, distributed on the skin of the face, trunk and extremities. The vesicles were filled with serous and hemorrhagic content. Laboratory examinations were within normal values according the age. Histopathological examination of the lesional skin revealed sub epidermal blister. Direct immunofluorescence of perilesional skin demonstrated linear deposition of IgA in the basement membrane. Systemic treatment with Methylprednisolon and Claritromycin was applied with satisfactory effect. The patient is under observation.

Regional air-quality forecasting for the Pacific Northwest using MOPITT/TERRA assimilated carbon monoxide MOZART-4 forecasts as a near real-time boundary condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. L. Herron-Thorpe

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Results from a regional air quality forecast model, AIRPACT-3, were compared to AIRS carbon monoxide column densities for the spring of 2010 over the Pacific Northwest. AIRPACT-3 column densities showed high correlation (R > 0.9 but were significantly biased (~25% with consistent under-predictions for spring months when there is significant transport from Asia. The AIRPACT-3 CO bias relative to AIRS was eliminated by incorporating dynamic boundary conditions derived from NCAR's MOZART forecasts with assimilated MOPITT carbon monoxide. Changes in ozone-related boundary conditions derived from MOZART forecasts are also discussed and found to affect background levels by ± 10 ppb but not found to significantly affect peak ozone surface concentrations.

Lack of serologic evidence to link IgA nephropathy with celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sina Moeller

Full Text Available IgA nephropathy is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Mucosal infections and food antigens, including wheat gluten, have been proposed as potential contributing environmental factors. Increased immune reactivity to gluten and/or association with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by ingestion of gluten, have been reported in IgA nephropathy. However, studies are inconsistent about this association. We aimed to evaluate the proposed link between IgA nephropathy and celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten by conducting a comprehensive analysis of associated serologic markers in cohorts of well-characterized patients and controls. Study participants included patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy (n = 99, unaffected controls of similar age, gender, and race (n = 96, and patients with biopsy-proven celiac disease (n = 30. All serum specimens were tested for IgG and IgA antibodies to native gliadin and deamidated gliadin, as well as IgA antibody to transglutaminase 2 (TG2. Anti-TG2 antibody-positive nephropathy patients and unaffected controls were subsequently tested for IgA anti-endomysial antibody and genotyped for celiac disease-associated HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 alleles. In comparison to unaffected controls, there was not a statistically significant increase in IgA or IgG antibody reactivity to gliadin in individuals with IgA nephropathy. In addition, the levels of celiac disease-specific serologic markers, i.e., antibodies to deamidated gliadin and TG2, did not differ between IgA nephropathy patients and unaffected controls. Results of the additional anti-endomysial antibody testing and HLA genotyping were corroborative. The data from this case-control study do not reveal any evidence to suggest a significant role for celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten in IgA nephropathy.

Lack of serologic evidence to link IgA nephropathy with celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten.

Science.gov (United States)

Moeller, Sina; Canetta, Pietro A; Taylor, Annette K; Arguelles-Grande, Carolina; Snyder, Holly; Green, Peter H; Kiryluk, Krzysztof; Alaedini, Armin

2014-01-01

IgA nephropathy is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Mucosal infections and food antigens, including wheat gluten, have been proposed as potential contributing environmental factors. Increased immune reactivity to gluten and/or association with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by ingestion of gluten, have been reported in IgA nephropathy. However, studies are inconsistent about this association. We aimed to evaluate the proposed link between IgA nephropathy and celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten by conducting a comprehensive analysis of associated serologic markers in cohorts of well-characterized patients and controls. Study participants included patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy (n = 99), unaffected controls of similar age, gender, and race (n = 96), and patients with biopsy-proven celiac disease (n = 30). All serum specimens were tested for IgG and IgA antibodies to native gliadin and deamidated gliadin, as well as IgA antibody to transglutaminase 2 (TG2). Anti-TG2 antibody-positive nephropathy patients and unaffected controls were subsequently tested for IgA anti-endomysial antibody and genotyped for celiac disease-associated HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 alleles. In comparison to unaffected controls, there was not a statistically significant increase in IgA or IgG antibody reactivity to gliadin in individuals with IgA nephropathy. In addition, the levels of celiac disease-specific serologic markers, i.e., antibodies to deamidated gliadin and TG2, did not differ between IgA nephropathy patients and unaffected controls. Results of the additional anti-endomysial antibody testing and HLA genotyping were corroborative. The data from this case-control study do not reveal any evidence to suggest a significant role for celiac disease or immune reactivity to gluten in IgA nephropathy.

Glomerular diseases: emerging tests and therapies for IgA nephropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetta, Pietro A; Kiryluk, Krzysztof; Appel, Gerald B

2014-03-01

The last decade has seen major progress in understanding the pathogenesis as well as the prognosis and treatment of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Although the diagnostic criterion of a kidney biopsy demonstrating dominant or codominant IgA deposition remains unchanged, much more is known about the genetic and environmental factors predisposing to disease development and progression. These advances have led to the identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic markers. Among the most promising clinically are genetic profiling, quantification of galactose-deficient IgA1 levels, and measurement of anti-IgA1 immunoglobulins. While targeted treatment for IgAN remains elusive, there is mounting evidence for therapeutic interventions that alter the disease course. The appropriate validation and integration of these discoveries into clinical care represent a major challenge, but one that holds tremendous promise for refining prognostication, guiding therapy, and improving the lives of patients with IgAN.

"Zde bydlel W. A. Mozart". Ke stavebním dějinám domu usedlosti Bertramka v 19. a 20. století

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mezihoráková, Klára

2014-01-01

Roč. 74, č. 2 (2014), s. 115-123 ISSN 1210-5538 Institutional support: RVO:68378033 Keywords : Bertramka * estate * 19th century architecture * Mozart Subject RIV: AL - Art, Architecture, Cultural Heritage

Predictors of lapse in first week of smoking abstinence in PTSD and non-PTSD smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Beckham, Jean C; Calhoun, Patrick S; Dennis, Michelle F; Wilson, Sarah M; Dedert, Eric A

2013-06-01

Retrospective research suggests smokers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) lapse more quickly after their quit date. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research is needed to confirm the presence of early smoking lapse in PTSD and form conceptualizations that inform intervention. Smokers with (n = 55) and without (n = 52) PTSD completed alarm-prompted EMA of situational and psychiatric variables the week before and after a quit date, and self-initiated EMA following smoking lapses. Blood samples at baseline and on the quit date allowed assessment of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA(S)). PTSD was related to shorter time to lapse (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.677, 95% CI: 1.106-2.544). Increased smoking abstinence self-efficacy was related to longer time to lapse (HR = 0.608, 95% CI: 0.430-0.860). Analyses of participants' real-time reports revealed that smokers with PTSD were more likely to attribute first-time lapses to negative affect ( = 5.412, p = .020), and trauma reminders (Fisher's exact p = .003**). Finally, the quit date decrease in DHEA(S) was related to shorter time to lapse (HR = 1.009, 95% CI: 1.000-1.018, p smoking lapse in PTSD, and add to evidence that early lapse occasions are more strongly related to trauma reminders, negative affect, and cravings in smokers with PTSD.

Determinants of return behavior: a comparison of current and lapsed donors.

Science.gov (United States)

Germain, Marc; Glynn, Simone A; Schreiber, George B; Gélinas, Stéphanie; King, Melissa; Jones, Mike; Bethel, James; Tu, Yongling

2007-10-01

There is a need to identify factors explaining why some people stop donating blood. A random mail survey of first-time (FT) and repeat (RPT) current (donating within 6 months before survey) and lapsed (donating >2 years prior) donors was conducted. The self-administered questionnaire included questions on personal, social, and behavioral characteristics. Among 1280 current and 1672 lapsed donors with valid addresses, the participation rate was 66.8 and 39.2 percent, respectively. In FT donors, the odds of lapsing increased with education (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34-3.55 for college or higher vs. Grade 12 or less education). Lapsed FT donors were more often asked to donate (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.32-2.70) and had less interest in incentives (p marketing strategies that appeal solely to altruistic values need to be further evaluated for their effectiveness.

Minimal Change Disease and IgA Deposition: Separate Entities or Common Pathophysiology?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandon S. Oberweis

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Minimal Change Disease (MCD is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children, while IgA nephropathy is the most common cause of glomerulonephritis worldwide. MCD is responsive to glucocorticoids, while the role of steroids in IgA nephropathy remains unclear. We describe a case of two distinct clinical and pathological findings, raising the question of whether MCD and IgA nephropathy are separate entities or if there is a common pathophysiology. Case Report. A 19-year old man with no medical history presented to the Emergency Department with a 20-day history of anasarca and frothy urine, BUN 68 mg/dL, Cr 2.3 mg/dL, urinalysis 3+ RBCs, 3+ protein, and urine protein : creatinine ratio 6.4. Renal biopsy revealed hypertrophic podocytes on light microscopy, podocyte foot process effacement on electron microscopy, and immunofluorescent mesangial staining for IgA. The patient was started on prednisone and exhibited dramatic improvement. Discussion. MCD typically has an overwhelming improvement with glucocorticoids, while the resolution of IgA nephropathy is rare. Our patient presented with MCD with the uncharacteristic finding of hematuria. Given the improvement with glucocorticoids, we raise the question of whether there is a shared pathophysiologic component of these two distinct clinical diseases that represents a clinical variant.

Inter- and intra-observer variability of time-lapse annotations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundvall, Linda; Ingerslev, Hans Jakob; Breth Knudsen, Ulla

2013-01-01

. This provides the basis for further investigation of embryo assessment and selection by time-lapse imaging in prospective trials. Study funding/competing interest(s): Research at the Fertility Clinic was funded by an unrestricted grant from Ferring and MSD. The authors have no competing interests to declare.......Study question: How consistent is the time-lapse annotation of dynamic and static morphologic parameters of embryo development, within and between observers? Summary answer: The assessment of dynamic parameters is characterized by almost perfect agreement within and between observers. What is known...... already: The commonly employed method used to assess embryos in IVF treatments is based on static evaluation of morphology in a microscope, but this is limited by substantial intra- and inter-observer variation. Time-lapse imaging has been proposed as a method to refine embryo selection by adding new...

Anti Helicobacter pylori IgG and IgA response in patients with gastric cancer and chronic gastritis.

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Manojlovic, Nebojsa; Babic, Dragana; Filipovic-Ljeshovic, Ivana; Pilcevic, Dijana

2008-01-01

Immune response against Helicobacter pylori is important for the course and outcome of infection. We conducted study looking for the difference in anti H. pylori IgG and IgA between patients with intestinal type of gastric cancer, superficial and atrophic gastritis. For this study, 133 patients infected with H. pylori were enrolled: 50 with superficial gastritis, 42 with atrophic gastritis and 41 with gastric cancer. Anti H. pylori IgG and IgA ELISA tests were performed. The difference in antibody titers of IgG and IgA, frequency of IgA > IgG ratio and combination of low IgG and IgA > IgG ratio were analyzed. The patients with gastritis had higher titer of IgG that the patients with gastric cancer (p gastritis had higher titer of IgA than the patients with gastric cancer (p IgG ratio is more frequent in patients with gastric cancer than in the patients with superficial gastritis (p IgG is more frequent in the patients with gastric cancer than in the patients with gastritis (p cancer elicit different anti H. pylori IgG and IgA response than the patients with superficial and atrophic gastritis. Low IgG and IgA predominance seems characteristic for gastric cancer.

A case of linear IgA bullous dermatosis with IgA anti-type VII collagen autoantibodies.

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Hashimoto, T; Ishiko, A; Shimizu, H; Tanaka, T; Dodd, H J; Bhogal, B S; Black, M M; Nishikawa, T

1996-02-01

In this study we present a patient with the sublamina densa type of linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD), with IgA autoantibodies reactive with the 290-kDa type VII collagen (the epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) antigen) and with immunoblotting of normal human dermal extracts. The clinical and histological features of the present case were compatible with those of LABD but quite different from those of EBA. Although EBA sera reacted with the bacterial fusion protein of the N-terminal globular (NC1) domain of type VII collagen, this patient's serum did not show reactivity. Furthermore, ultrastructural localization of target epitopes on the anchoring fibrils in this patient was considerably different from EBA. These results indicate that, whereas EBA antibodies react with the NC1 domain of type VII collagen, the epitope in this case is different from that of EBA (and is most likely on the central triple helical domain). This difference may be responsible for the clinical presentation in this patient being distinct from that of EBA.

Famous people with Tourette′s syndrome: Dr. Samuel Johnson (yes & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (may be: Victims of Tourette′s syndrome?

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Kalyan B Bhattacharyya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Tourette′s syndrome is a clinical condition characterized by multiple motor tics and vocal tics which occurs in the age range 5-25 years and the intensity of the symptoms changes with time. It is felt that at least two remarkable personalities namely, Dr. Samuel Johnson from England, a man of letters and the compiler of the first ever English dictionary, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Austria, one of the greatest musical genius of all time, possibly suffered from this condition. Tourette′s syndrome is often described as the classical borderzone between neurology and psychiatry and every neurologist wonders at the curious and fascinating clinical features of this condition. It seems that at least two remarkable personalities, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a man of letters and the first person to compile an English dictionary, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arguably the most creative musical composer of all time, were possibly afflicted with this condition.

Pathological Role of Tonsillar B Cells in IgA Nephropathy

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Yusuke Suzuki

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Although impaired immune regulation along the mucosa-bone marrow axis has been postulated to play an important role, the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN is unknown; thus, no disease-specific therapy for this disease exists. The therapeutic efficacy of tonsillectomy or tonsillectomy in combination with steroid pulse therapy for IgAN has been discussed. Although randomized control trials for these therapies are ongoing in Japan, the scientific rationale for these therapies remains obscure. It is now widely accepted that abnormally glycosylated IgA1 and its related immune complex (IC are probably key molecules for the pathogenesis, and are thus considered possible noninvasive biomarkers for this disease. Emerging evidence indicates that B cells in mucosal infections, particularly in tonsillitis, may produce the nephritogenic IgA. In this paper, we briefly summarize characteristics of the nephritogenic IgA/IgA IC, responsible B cells, and underlying mechanisms. This clinical and experimental information may provide important clues for a therapeutic rationale.

Effect of Mozart music on heel prick pain in preterm infants: a pilot randomized controlled trial

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Cristina Cavaiuolo

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effect of music by Mozart on heel prick procedural pain in premature infants.Background: Painful procedures are routinely performed in the setting of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. Pain may exert short- and long-term deleterious effects on premature babies. Many non-pharmacological interventions have been proven efficacious for blunting neonatal pain.Study design: Randomized, controlled trial.Methods: The study was carried out in the NICU of the “G. Rummo” Hospital in Benevento, Italy. The sample consisted of 42 preterm infants, with no hearing loss or significant cerebral lesions on cranial ultrasound. They were randomized to receive heel lance during a music condition or a no-music control condition. We set strict criteria for selecting and delivering the music. Baseline and postprocedural heart rate and transcutaneous oxygen saturation were manually recorded. The Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP score was used to measure the behavioral response to prick. An unpaired t-test was performed for the intergroup comparisons.Results: There were significant differences between groups on heart rate increase, oxygen saturation reduction and PIPP score following the procedure.Conclusions: Listening to Mozart music during heel prick is a simple and inexpensive tool for pain alleviating in preterm stable neonates.

Correlation between saliva IgA level and T cell CD4+ in HIV/AIDS patients

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Irna Sufiawati

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Background: HIV infection appears to have direct effects on oral mucosal immunity, cellular and humoral. Antibody secretion, especially salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA, is a useful indicator of mucosal immune function. This immune system component is recognized as an important first-line of defence against pathogens which colonize and invade mucosal surfaces in the oral cavity. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate salivary IgA levels and to determine its correlation with CD4+ T-cell counts among HIV-infected patients in Pokdisus AIDS Cipto Mangunkusomo Hospital Jakarta. Methods: The design study was using a cross-sectional study. Whole paraffin-wax-stimulated saliva was collected from 103 HIV-infected patients and 30 healthy individuals. Saliva was collected using the spitting method. Salivary IgA levels were determined by the immunoturbidimetry method using the Behring Turbitimer Analyser. CD4+ T-cell counts were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Salivary IgA levels were 141.55 ± 83.23 (HIV group and 97.24 ± 38.25 (healthy individuals. The Mann-Whitney U test showed salivary IgA levels were significantly higher in HIV/AIDS subjects compared with healthy individuals (p0.1. Conclusion: This study indicates that total salivary IgA levels were significantly higher in the HIV-infected patients compared to control, and salivary IgA level seems not to be related significantly to CD4+ T-cell counts.

Evaluation of Serum IgA level in nontreated and treated oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

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Richa Mishra

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Research in early cancer detection has led to discovery of many immunological tumor markers that contribute considerably to supplement the method of diagnosis. High serum immunoglobulin A (IgA values in patients with cancer have been used as tumor markers. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate and compare the serum IgA levels in nontreated, treated oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC patients, and control group. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients were included in the study. 20 biopsy confirmed oral SCC patients, who have received no medical treatment, 20 oral SCC patients treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy and 20 normal healthy individuals. Venous blood samples were collected from anterior cubital vein and were delivered to the biochemistry laboratory for the estimation of serum IgA level by nephelometry method. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical method employed were the Pearson's Chi-square test and One-way analysis of variance (Welch followed by Games-Howell post-hoc test. Results: We observed significant difference for serum IgA between study subjects in control, nontreated and treated oral SCC patients (P < 0.001. Serum IgA level in nontreated group was significantly higher than treated group and there was an approximately two-fold increase in serum IgA level in nontreated oral SCC patients when compared to that of the normal healthy individuals. Conclusion: Serum level of IgA might be employed as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in oral cancer.

HIV-1-Specific IgA Monoclonal Antibodies from an HIV-1 Vaccinee Mediate Galactosylceramide Blocking and Phagocytosis

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2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Vaccine-elicited humoral immune responses comprise an array of antibody forms and specificities, with only a fraction contributing to protective host immunity. Elucidation of antibody effector functions responsible for protective immunity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) acquisition is a major goal for the HIV-1 vaccine field. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is an important part of the host defense against pathogens; however, little is known about the role of vaccine-elicited IgA and its capacity to mediate antiviral functions. To identify the antiviral functions of HIV-1-specific IgA elicited by vaccination, we cloned HIV-1 envelope-specific IgA monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) by memory B cell cultures from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from an RV144 vaccinee and produced two IgA clonal cell lines (HG129 and HG130) producing native, nonrecombinant IgA MAbs. The HG129 and HG130 MAbs mediated phagocytosis by monocytes, and HG129 blocked HIV-1 Env glycoprotein binding to galactosylceramide, an alternative HIV-1 receptor. These findings elucidate potential antiviral functions of vaccine-elicited HIV-1 envelope-specific IgA that may act to block HIV-1 acquisition at the portal of entry by preventing HIV-1 binding to galactosylceramide and mediating antibody Fc receptor-mediated virion phagocytosis. Furthermore, these findings highlight the complex and diverse interactions of vaccine-elicited IgA with pathogens that depend on IgA fine specificity and form (e.g., multimeric or monomeric) in the systemic circulation and mucosal compartments. IMPORTANCE Host-pathogen interactions in vivo involve numerous immune mechanisms that can lead to pathogen clearance. Understanding the nature of antiviral immune mechanisms can inform the design of efficacious HIV-1 vaccine strategies. Evidence suggests that both neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies can mediate some protection against HIV in animal models. Although numerous studies have characterized the

Intra-tumour IgA1 is common in cancer and is correlated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer.

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Charlotte Welinder

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A high frequency of IgA1-positive tumour cells was found in tissue micro-arrays of oesophagus, colon, testis, lung, breast, bladder and ovarian cancer. IgA1 was observed in the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane. A correlation was found between intra-tumour IgA1 and poor overall survival in a large cohort of bladder cancer patients (n = 99, p = 0.011, log-rank test. The number of IgA1-positive tumour cells was also found to be higher in female than male bladder cancer patients. The presence of IgA1 was confirmed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded ovarian carcinoma samples using LC-MS/MS analysis. Uptake of IgA1 was also observed in breast cancer and melanoma cell lines when cultivated in the presence of serum from healthy individuals, indicating a possible origin of the IgA1 antibodies in cancer cells.

Time-lapse Raman imaging of osteoblast differentiation

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Hashimoto, Aya; Yamaguchi, Yoshinori; Chiu, Liang-Da; Morimoto, Chiaki; Fujita, Katsumasa; Takedachi, Masahide; Kawata, Satoshi; Murakami, Shinya; Tamiya, Eiichi

2015-07-01

Osteoblastic mineralization occurs during the early stages of bone formation. During this mineralization, hydroxyapatite (HA), a major component of bone, is synthesized, generating hard tissue. Many of the mechanisms driving biomineralization remain unclear because the traditional biochemical assays used to investigate them are destructive techniques incompatible with viable cells. To determine the temporal changes in mineralization-related biomolecules at mineralization spots, we performed time-lapse Raman imaging of mouse osteoblasts at a subcellular resolution throughout the mineralization process. Raman imaging enabled us to analyze the dynamics of the related biomolecules at mineralization spots throughout the entire process of mineralization. Here, we stimulated KUSA-A1 cells to differentiate into osteoblasts and conducted time-lapse Raman imaging on them every 4 hours for 24 hours, beginning 5 days after the stimulation. The HA and cytochrome c Raman bands were used as markers for osteoblastic mineralization and apoptosis. From the Raman images successfully acquired throughout the mineralization process, we found that β-carotene acts as a biomarker that indicates the initiation of osteoblastic mineralization. A fluctuation of cytochrome c concentration, which indicates cell apoptosis, was also observed during mineralization. We expect time-lapse Raman imaging to help us to further elucidate osteoblastic mineralization mechanisms that have previously been unobservable.

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Rituximab in IgA Nephropathy with Proteinuria and Renal Dysfunction.

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Lafayette, Richard A; Canetta, Pietro A; Rovin, Brad H; Appel, Gerald B; Novak, Jan; Nath, Karl A; Sethi, Sanjeev; Tumlin, James A; Mehta, Kshama; Hogan, Marie; Erickson, Stephen; Julian, Bruce A; Leung, Nelson; Enders, Felicity T; Brown, Rhubell; Knoppova, Barbora; Hall, Stacy; Fervenza, Fernando C

2017-04-01

IgA nephropathy frequently leads to progressive CKD. Although interest surrounds use of immunosuppressive agents added to standard therapy, several recent studies have questioned efficacy of these agents. Depleting antibody-producing B cells potentially offers a new therapy. In this open label, multicenter study conducted over 1-year follow-up, we randomized 34 adult patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy and proteinuria >1 g/d, maintained on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers with well controlled BP and eGFR<90 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 , to receive standard therapy or rituximab with standard therapy. Primary outcome measures included change in proteinuria and change in eGFR. Median baseline serum creatinine level (range) was 1.4 (0.8-2.4) mg/dl, and proteinuria was 2.1 (0.6-5.3) g/d. Treatment with rituximab depleted B cells and was well tolerated. eGFR did not change in either group. Rituximab did not alter the level of proteinuria compared with that at baseline or in the control group; three patients in each group had ≥50% reduction in level of proteinuria. Serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 or antibodies against galactose-deficient IgA1 did not change. In this trial, rituximab therapy did not significantly improve renal function or proteinuria assessed over 1 year. Although rituximab effectively depleted B cells, it failed to reduce serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 and antigalactose-deficient IgA1 antibodies. Lack of efficacy of rituximab, at least at this stage and severity of IgA nephropathy, may reflect a failure of rituximab to reduce levels of specific antibodies assigned salient pathogenetic roles in IgA nephropathy. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Improving the representation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA in the MOZART-4 global chemical transport model

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A. Mahmud

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The secondary organic aerosol (SOA module in the Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4 was updated by replacing existing two-product (2p parameters with those obtained from two-product volatility basis set (2p-VBS fits (MZ4-C1, and by treating SOA formation from the following additional volatile organic compounds (VOCs: isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes (MZ4-C2. Strong seasonal and spatial variations in global SOA distributions were demonstrated, with significant differences in the predicted concentrations between the base case and updated model simulations. Updates to the model resulted in significant increases in annual average SOA mass concentrations, particularly for the MZ4-C2 simulation in which the additional SOA precursor VOCs were treated. Annual average SOA concentrations predicted by the MZ4-C2 simulation were 1.00 ± 1.04 μg m−3 in South America, 1.57 ± 1.88 μg m−3 in Indonesia, 0.37 ± 0.27 μg m−3 in the USA, and 0.47 ± 0.29 μg m−3 in Europe with corresponding increases of 178, 406, 311 and 292% over the base-case simulation, respectively, primarily due to inclusion of isoprene. The increases in predicted SOA mass concentrations resulted in corresponding increases in SOA contributions to annual average total aerosol optical depth (AOD by ~ 1–6%. Estimated global SOA production was 5.8, 6.6 and 19.1 Tg yr−1 with corresponding burdens of 0.22, 0.24 and 0.59 Tg for the base-case, MZ4-C1 and MZ4-C2 simulations, respectively. The predicted SOA budgets fell well within reported ranges for comparable modeling studies, 6.7 to 96 Tg yr−1, but were lower than recently reported observationally constrained values, 50 to 380 Tg yr−1. For MZ4-C2, simulated SOA concentrations at the surface also were in reasonable agreement with comparable modeling studies and observations. Total organic aerosol (OA mass concentrations at the surface, however, were slightly over-predicted in Europe, Amazonian

Urinary uromodulin excretion predicts progression of chronic kidney disease resulting from IgA nephropathy.

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Jingjing Zhou

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Uromodulin, or Tamm-Horsfall protein, is the most abundant urinary protein in healthy individuals. Recent studies have suggested that uromodulin may play a role in chronic kidney diseases. We examined an IgA nephropathy cohort to determine whether uromodulin plays a role in the progression of IgA nephropathy. METHODS: A total of 344 IgA nephropathy patients were involved in this study. Morphological changes were evaluated with the Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA measured the urinary uromodulin level on the renal biopsy day. Follow up was done regularly on 185 patients. Time-average blood pressure, time-average proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR and eGFR decline rate were caculated. Association between the urinary uromodulin level and the eGFR decline rate was analyzed with SPSS 13.0. RESULTS: We found that lower baseline urinary uromodulin levels (P = 0.03 and higher time-average proteinuria (P = 0.04 were risk factors for rapid eGFR decline in a follow-up subgroup of the IgA nephropathy cohort. Urinary uromodulin level was correlated with tubulointerstitial lesions (P = 0.016. Patients that had more tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis on the surface had lower urinary uromodulin levels (P = 0.02. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary uromodulin level is associated with interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy and contributes to eGFR decline in IgA nephropathy.

Detection of H. Pylori infection on dyspepsia patients with IgA H. Pylori antibody

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Loesnihari, R.

2018-03-01

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has a big role in the relapse and pathogenesis of the upper gastrointestinal disease. Dyspepsia is characterized by uncomfortable feeling at the upper gastrointestinal area. IgA H. pylori antibody was in two-thirds of H. pylori infected patients, but about 7.2% of IgA H. Pylori antibody became the only positive result of the test between the two serology test (IgG and IgA). A cross-sectional study was conducted in 38 patients with dyspepsia. The IgA antibody test for H. pylori in the serum of dyspepsia patient conducted through the ELISA test. The hemoglobin levels, leukocytes, platelets number, and H. pylori infection via IgA antibody test on ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia patient had no significant difference. There was a relation between the number of platelets in the infected H. pylori patients compared to the non-infected patients. H. pylori infection in the ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia patient with serology method was 18%. H. pylori infection number on ulcer dyspepsia was not higher than the non-ulcer dyspepsia, all ulcer dyspepsia patients who were with H. pylori found with a lesion on the antrum.

A systematic review of anti-rotavirus serum IgA antibody titer as a potential correlate of rotavirus vaccine efficacy.

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Patel, Manish; Glass, Roger I; Jiang, Baoming; Santosham, Mathuram; Lopman, Ben; Parashar, Umesh

2013-07-15

Identifying an immunological correlate of protection for rotavirus vaccines (Rotarix [RV1] and RotaTeq [RV5]) would substantially facilitate testing of interventions for improving efficacy in developing countries and evaluating additional candidate rotavirus vaccines. We accessed PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify immunogenicity and efficacy trials for RV1 and RV5 to correlate anti-rotavirus serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody titers vs efficacy in regions stratified by all-cause under-5 mortality rates (u5MR). We established a cutoff point for IgA geometric mean concentration or titer (GMC) that predicted lower efficacy and calculated pooled vaccine efficacy among countries with high vs low IgA titers. We observed an inverse correlation between u5MR and IgA titers for RV1 (r(2) = 0.72; P efficacy and IgA titers for both vaccines (r(2) = 0.56; P = .005). Postimmunization anti-rotavirus IgA GMC vaccine efficacy. Efficacy during first 2 years of life was significantly lower among countries with IgA GMC 90 (85%; 95% CI, 82-88). We observed a significant correlation between IgA titers and rotavirus vaccine efficacy and hypothesize that a critical level of IgA antibody titer is associated with a sufficient level of sustained protection after rotavirus vaccination.

CD44 expression in IgA nephropathy

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Florquin, Sandrine; Nunziata, Raffaele; Claessen, Nike; van den Berg, Frank M.; Pals, Steven T.; Weening, Jan J.

2002-01-01

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is a frequent, chronic renal disease characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical presentations and pathologic findings. CD44, a family of type I transmembrane glycoproteins: involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, may orchestrate partially the cascade

Exploring Time-Lapse Photography as a Means for Qualitative Data Collection

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Persohn, Lindsay

2015-01-01

Collecting information via time-lapse photography is nothing new. Scientists and artists have been using this kind of data since the late 1800s. However, my research and experiments with time-lapse have shown that great potential may lie in its application to educational and social scientific research methods. This article is part history, part…

Linear IgA dermatosis associated with ulcerative colitis: complete and sustained remission after total colectomy

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Vargas,Thiago Jeunon de Sousa; Fialho,Mônica; Santos,Luiza Tavares dos; Rodrigues,Palmira Assis de Jesus Barreto; Vargas,Ana Luisa Bittencourt Sampaio Jeunon; Sousa,Maria Auxiliadora Jeunon

2013-01-01

Linear IgA dermatosis has been increasingly associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, particularly ulcerative colitis. A 13-year-old male patient with an 11-month history of ulcerative colitis developed vesicles, pustules and erosions on the skin of the face, trunk and buttocks and in the oral mucosa. The work-up revealed a neutrophil-rich sub-epidermal bullous disease and linear deposition of IgA along the dermoepidermal junction, establishing the diagnosis of linear IgA dermatosis. The p...

Interleukin-6-deficient mice refractory to IgA dysregulation but not anorexia induction by vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol) ingestion.

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Pestka, J J; Zhou, H R

2000-07-01

Dietary exposure to the trichothecene vomitoxin (VT) causes feed refusal and elevates IgA production in the mouse. Based on the observations that IL-6 can cause anorexia and promote IgA production and that gene expression of this cytokine is increased in vivo and ex vivo on VT exposure, we hypothesized that IL-6 is an essential cytokine in VT-induced feed refusal and IgA dysregulation. To test this hypothesis, the effects of dietary VT on feed intake, weight gain, serum IgA levels and kidney mesangial IgA deposition in an IL-6-"knockout" mouse (B6129-IL6(tmi Kopf)) were compared to those in both a corresponding "wildtype" (B6129F2) and a previously characterized "sentinel" strain (B6C3F1) that possess the intact gene for this cytokine. IL-6 deficiency did not alter the capacity of VT to cause feed refusal or impair weight gain. VT-fed B6129F2 and B6C3F1 mice had significantly higher serum IgA concentrations than did their corresponding controls fed clean diet, whereas significant differences were not observed between IL-6 KO mice fed VT or control diets. Kidneys taken from VT-fed wild-type and sentinel mice had significantly increased mesangial IgA deposition as compared to controls. While slight increases in mesangial IgA were observed in VT-fed IL-6 KO mice, mean fluorescence intensities were significantly less than that found in the corresponding wild-type and sentinel strains. IL-6 KO mice appeared to be less prone to the development of microscopic haematuria following VT exposure than were the corresponding wild-type and sentinel strains. In total, the results suggested that IL-6-deficient mice were refractory to VT-induced dysregulation of IgA production and development of IgA nephropathy, whereas chronic VT-mediated nutritional effects related to feed intake and weight gain were unaffected.

Pre- and Posttransplant IgA Anti-Fab Antibodies to Predict Long-term Kidney Graft Survival.

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Amirzargar, M A; Amirzargar, A; Basiri, A; Hajilooi, M; Roshanaei, G; Rajabi, G; Solgi, G

2015-05-01

Immunologic factors are reliable markers for allograft monitoring, because of their seminal role in rejection process. One of these factors is the immunoglobulin (Ig)A anti-Fab of the IgG antibody. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of pre- and posttransplant levels of this marker for kidney allograft function and survival. Sera samples of 59 living unrelated donor kidney recipients were collected before and after transplantation (days 7, 14, and 30) and investigated for IgA anti-Fab of IgG antibody levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in relation with allograft outcome. Among 59 patients, 15 cases (25%) including 10 with acute rejection and 5 with chronic rejection episodes showed graft failure during a mean of 5 years of follow-up. High posttransplant levels of IgA anti-Fab antibodies were observed more frequently in patients with stable graft function (SGF) compared with patients with graft failure (P = 2 × 10(-6)). None of patients with acute or chronic rejection episodes had high levels of IgA anti-Fab antibodies at day 30 posttransplant compared with the SGF group (P = 10(-6) and P = .01, respectively). In addition, high levels of IgA anti-Fab antibody correlated with lesser concentration of serum creatinine at 1 month posttransplantation (P = .01). Five-year graft survival was associated with high levels of pre- and posttransplant IgA anti-Fab antibodies (P = .02 and P = .003, respectively). Our findings indicate the protective effect of higher levels of IgA anti-Fab antibodies regarding to kidney allograft outcomes and long-term graft survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of lapses of attention on working memory capacity.

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Unsworth, Nash; Robison, Matthew K

2016-02-01

In three experiments, the influence of lapses of attention on working memory (WM) capacity measures was examined. Participants performed various change detection tasks while also reporting whether they were focused on the current task or whether they were unfocused and mind-wandering. Participants reported that they were mind-wandering roughly 27% of the time, and when participants reported mind-wandering, their performance was worse compared to when they reported being on-task. Low WM capacity individuals reported more mind-wandering and lapses of attention than high WM capacity individuals, and mind-wandering and filtering abilities were shown to make independent contributions to capacity estimates. These results provide direct support for the notion that the ability to focus attention on-task and prevent lapses of attention is an important contributor to performance on measures of WM capacity.

The association of positive emotion and first smoking lapse: An ecological momentary assessment study.

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Vinci, Christine; Li, Liang; Wu, Cai; Lam, Cho Y; Guo, Lin; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie; Spears, Claire A; Hoover, Diana S; Etcheverry, Paul E; Wetter, David W

2017-11-01

Individuals attempting to quit smoking typically have poor success rates, and the majority fail to maintain long-term abstinence. Although a large body of evidence documents the impact of negative affect on reducing abstinence, there is a much smaller body of research on positive emotions, which could be an important mechanism that is associated with successful cessation. As such, this study examined positive emotions in real-time via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to determine whether discrete positive emotions were uniquely related to 2 cessation milestones: quit day lapse and first lapse. Participants were 391 smokers who received tobacco cessation treatment. EMAs were completed pre- and postquit, and positive emotion was assessed with 3 items (enthusiastic, happy, and relaxed) rated on 5-point Likert scales. Analyses examined the associations of the means and slopes of each emotion on the current day with the likelihood of lapse on the following day. When controlling for relevant covariates, prequit positive emotions were not related to quit day lapse. However, postquit positive emotions were associated with first lapse. Specifically, high levels of happiness and relaxation, as well as increasing levels of enthusiasm, happiness, and relaxation were related to a lower likelihood of next day lapse. These are some of the first real-time, real-world data to demonstrate that distinct positive emotions are associated with a lower risk of lapse during the postquit period among smokers attempting to quit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Momentary factors during marijuana use as predictors of lapse during attempted abstinence in young adults.

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Shrier, Lydia A; Sarda, Vishnudas; Jonestrask, Cassandra; Harris, Sion Kim

2018-08-01

Young adults using marijuana heavily often try multiple times to quit on their own. We sought to identify momentary experiences during marijuana use that could aid in predicting lapse when young adults subsequently attempt abstinence. Young adults (N=34) age 18-25 using marijuana ≥5days/week and planning to quit completed a survey of sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, marijuana expectancies, use motives, perceived social support, and confidence to abstain. They completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) smartphone reports several times/day for two weeks prior to, then during two weeks of attempted abstinence. Use period EMA reports assessed affect, craving, accessibility, situational permissibility, use, and motivation to abstain. Baseline survey and EMA data were examined in relation to subsequent lapse during attempted abstinence. Nearly 3 in 4 participants (73.5%) reported lapsing during attempted abstinence from marijuana. On bivariate analyses, lower baseline dependence severity score, negative effect expectancies, perceived family support, and confidence to abstain were each associated with lapse. Of the use period EMA variables, greater percent of days with marijuana use, reports of easy accessibility, and reports of situational permissibility were each associated with lapse. Modeled together, negative effect expectancies, perceived family support, confidence to abstain, and situational permissibility during use were highly accurate in predicting lapse during attempted abstinence. Momentary factors may add to conventionally-surveyed characteristics to enhance prediction of lapse during attempted abstinence among young adults with heavy marijuana use. Momentary assessment prior to a quit attempt may thus enable more effective personalized approaches to preventing lapse. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dendritic cells support production of IgA and other non-IgM isotypes in clonal microculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrader, C E; George, A; Kerlin, R L; Cebra, J J

1990-01-01

Microcultures of helper T (Th) cells and a few appropriately primed murine B cells can be used to detect cognate T-B interactions which lead to clonal production of IgM, IgG1, and IgE. However, IgG2, IgG3, and IgA are very rarely expressed. We have found that the addition of dendritic cells to such cultures creates an extremely supportive environment for clones expressing IgA with other isotypes, as well as clones expressing only detectable IgA. Typically, 400 dendritic cells were added to 3000 conalbumin-specific Th cells (D10.G4.1) and 30 hapten-specific Peyer's patch (PP) B cells with antigen in 15 microliters. The response was antigen dependent and clonal. Almost half of the clones expressed only non-IgM isotypes, 43% expressed some IgA, and 14% expressed some IgG3; isotype diversity increased over time. Dendritic cells from PP and spleen were found to be equally supportive, and allowed the number of T cells required in microculture to be decreased from 3000 to 400. However, T cell proliferation was not required for the supportive effect of dendritic cells. Surface IgD-bearing cells were also found to switch to IgA production in microculture as judged by their generating clones expressing IgM along with IgA and other isotypes. Again, IgA was usually expressed only in the presence of dendritic cells. The mechanism may involve dendritic cell-induced T cell activation and/or dendritic cell factors, and is under investigation.

Validation of lower tropospheric carbon monoxide inferred from MOZART model simulation over India

Science.gov (United States)

Yarragunta, Y.; Srivastava, S.; Mitra, D.

2017-02-01

In the present study, MOZART-4 (Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers-Version-4) simulation has been made from 2003 to 2007 and compared with satellite and in-situ observations with a specific focus on Indian subcontinent to illustrate the capabilities of MOZART-4 model. The model simulated CO have been compared with latest version (version-6) of MOPITT (Measurement Of Pollution In The Troposphere) carbon monoxide (CO) retrievals at 900, 800 and 700 hPa. Model reproduces major features present in satellite observations. However model significantly overestimates CO over the entire Indian region at 900 hPa and moderately overestimates at 800 hPa and 700 hPa. The frequency distribution of all simulated data points with respect to MOZART error shows maximum in the error range of 10-20% at all pressure levels. Over total Indian landmass, the percentage of gridded CO data that are being overestimated in the range of 0-30% at 900 hPa, 800 hPa and 700 hPa are 58%, 62% and 66% respectively. The study reflects very good correlation between two datasets over Central India (CI) and Southern India (SI). The coefficient of determination (r2) is found to be 0.68-0.78 and 0.70-0.78 over the CI and SI respectively. The weak correlation is evident over Northern India (NI) with r2 values of 0.1-0.3. Over Eastern India (EI), Good correlation at 800 hPa (r2 = 0.72) and 700 hPa (r2 = 0.66) whereas moderately weak correlation at 900 hPa (r2 = 0.48) has been observed. In contrast, Over Western India (WI), strong correlation is evident at 900 hPa (r2 = 0.64) and moderately weak association is found to be present at 800 hPa and 700 hPa. Model fairly reproduces seasonal cycle of CO in the lower troposphere over most of the Indian regions. However, during June to December, model shows overestimation over NI. The magnitude of overestimation is increasing linearly from 900 hPa to 700 hPa level. During April-June months, model results are coinciding with observed CO concentrations over SI

Air and wet bulb temperature lapse rates and their impact on snowmaking in a Pyrenean ski resort

Science.gov (United States)

López-Moreno, Juan Ignacio; Navarro-Serrano, F.; Azorín-Molina, C.; Sánchez-Navarrete, P.; Alonso-González, E.; Rico, I.; Morán-Tejeda, E.; Buisan, S.; Revuelto, J.; Pons, M.; Vicente-Serrano, S. M.

2018-03-01

A set of 17 air temperature and relative humidity sensors were used to analyze the temporal variability of surface air temperature (Tair), wet bulb temperature (Twb), and daily snowmaking hours (SM, number of hours per day with Twb identical temporal fluctuations. The Twb exhibited average lapse rates that were slightly steeper (- 5.2 °C/km) than those observed for Tair (- 4.9 °C/km). The less steep lapse rates and most thermal inversions were observed in December. Days having less (more) steep Tair and Twb lapse rates were observed under low (high) wind speeds and high (low) relative humidity and air pressure. The temporal dynamics of the SM lapse rates was more complex, as this involved consideration of the average Tair in the ski resort, in addition to the driving factors of the spatio-temporal variability of Twb. Thus, on a number of cold (warm) days, snowmaking was feasible at all elevations at the ski resort, independently of the slopes of the lapse rates. The SM exhibited an average daily lapse rate of 8.2 h/km, with a progressive trend of increase from December to March. Weather types over the Iberian Peninsula tightly control the driving factors of the Tair, Twb, and SM lapse rates (wind speed, relative humidity, and Tair), so the slopes of the lapse rates and the frequency of inversions in relation to elevation for the three variables are very dependent on the occurrence of specific weather types. The less steep lapse rates occurred associated with advections from the southeast, although low lapse rates also occurred during advections from the east and south, and under anticyclonic conditions. The steepest Tair and Twb lapse rates were observed during north and northwest advections, while the steepest rates for SM were observed during days of cyclonic circulation and advections from the northeast.

Protein energy malnutrition alters mucosal IgA responses and reduces mucosal vaccine efficacy in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rho, Semi; Kim, Heejoo; Shim, Seung Hyun; Lee, Seung Young; Kim, Min Jung; Yang, Bo-Gie; Jang, Myoung Ho; Han, Byung Woo; Song, Man Ki; Czerkinsky, Cecil; Kim, Jae-Ouk

2017-10-01

Oral vaccine responsiveness is often lower in children from less developed countries. Childhood malnutrition may be associated with poor immune response to oral vaccines. The present study was designed to investigate whether protein energy malnutrition (PEM) impairs B cell immunity and ultimately reduces oral vaccine efficacy in a mouse model. Purified isocaloric diets containing low protein (1/10 the protein of the control diet) were used to determine the effect of PEM. PEM increased both nonspecific total IgA and oral antigen-specific IgA in serum without alteration of gut permeability. However, PEM decreased oral antigen-specific IgA in feces, which is consistent with decreased expression of polymeric Immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) in the small intestine. Of note, polymeric IgA was predominant in serum under PEM. In addition, PEM altered B cell development status in the bone marrow and increased the frequency of IgA-secreting B cells, as well as IgA secretion by long-lived plasma cells in the small intestinal lamina propria. Moreover, PEM reduced the protective efficacy of the mucosally administered cholera vaccine and recombinant attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium vaccine in a mouse model. Our results suggest that PEM can impair mucosal immunity where IgA plays an important role in host protection and may partly explain the reduced efficacy of oral vaccines in malnourished subjects. Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thioredoxin is involved in endothelial cell extracellular transglutaminase 2 activation mediated by celiac disease patient IgA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Antonella Nadalutti

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To investigate the role of thioredoxin (TRX, a novel regulator of extracellular transglutaminase 2 (TG2, in celiac patients IgA (CD IgA mediated TG2 enzymatic activation. METHODS: TG2 enzymatic activity was evaluated in endothelial cells (HUVECs under different experimental conditions by ELISA and Western blotting. Extracellular TG2 expression was studied by ELISA and immunofluorescence. TRX was analysed by Western blotting and ELISA. Serum immunoglobulins class A from healthy subjects (H IgA were used as controls. Extracellular TG2 enzymatic activity was inhibited by R281. PX12, a TRX inhibitor, was also employed in the present study. RESULTS: We have found that in HUVECs CD IgA is able to induce the activation of extracellular TG2 in a dose-dependent manner. Particularly, we noted that the extracellular modulation of TG2 activity mediated by CD IgA occurred only under reducing conditions, also needed to maintain antibody binding. Furthermore, CD IgA-treated HUVECs were characterized by a slightly augmented TG2 surface expression which was independent from extracellular TG2 activation. We also observed that HUVECs cultured in the presence of CD IgA evinced decreased TRX surface expression, coupled with increased secretion of the protein into the culture medium. Intriguingly, inhibition of TRX after CD IgA treatment was able to overcome most of the CD IgA-mediated effects including the TG2 extracellular transamidase activity. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether our findings suggest that in endothelial cells CD IgA mediate the constitutive activation of extracellular TG2 by a mechanism involving the redox sensor protein TRX.

PetIGA-MF: a multi-field high-performance toolbox for structure-preserving B-splines spaces

KAUST Repository

Sarmiento, Adel

2016-10-01

We describe a high-performance solution framework for isogeometric discrete differential forms based on B-splines: PetIGA-MF. Built on top of PetIGA, an open-source library we have built and developed over the last decade, PetIGA-MF is a general multi-field discretization tool. To test the capabilities of our implementation, we solve different viscous flow problems such as Darcy, Stokes, Brinkman, and Navier-Stokes equations. Several convergence benchmarks based on manufactured solutions are presented assuring optimal convergence rates of the approximations, showing the accuracy and robustness of our solver.

IgA anti-Streptococcus mutans em crianças com e sem cárie dentária Anti-Streptococcus mutans IgA in children with and without dental caries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzete Cristina YAZAKI

1999-07-01

Full Text Available A cárie dentária é uma doença infecciosa crônica que necessita pelo menos quatro componentes para desenvolver-se: hospedeiro suscetível, microbiota patogênica, dieta rica em sacarose e tempo. Este trabalho estuda as correlações existentes entre estreptococos salivares do grupo mutans, placa bacteriana e anticorpos IgA anti-Streptococcus mutans em crianças com e sem experiência de cárie. Para tanto, utilizou-se o meio Mitis Salivarius (DIFCO para determinar o número de Unidades Formadoras de Colônias (UFC/ml, o Índice de Higiene Oral Simplificado (IHOS para mensurar a quantidade de placa bacteriana e a técnica ELISA para detectar anticorpos anti-S. mutans. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que não existe uma correlação entre os níveis salivares de estreptococos (UFC/ml e IgA anti-S. mutans na população estudada. No grupo com cárie, uma correlação positiva, estatisticamente significante, foi observada entre o Índice de placa e IgA específica.Dental caries is a chronic infectious disease that needs at least four components to develop. As a susceptible host, a pathogenic microbiota, a high-sucrose diet and time. This work assess the relationships between Streptococcus mutans and dental plaque; Streptococcus mutans and IgA antibodies in children with and without caries experience. In order to achieve this goal we have used Mitis Salivarius bacitracin agar (DIFCO to determine the colony forming units (CFU/mL, the simplified oral hygiene index (SOHI for measuring bacterial plaque and ELISA for antibody detection. The results obtained have not shown any correlations between colony forming units of S. mutans and IgA antibodies. A significant correlation was found between bacterial plaque index and specific IgA in children with carious lesions.

Inducement of IGA/SCC in Inconel 600 steam generator tubing during unit outages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durance, D.; Sedman, K. [Bruce Power, Tiverton, Ontario (Canada); Roberts, J. [CANTECH Associates Ltd., Burlington, Ontario (Canada); King, P. [Babcock and Wilcox Canada, Cambridge, Ontario (Canada); Gorman, J. [Dominion Engineering, Reston, VA (United States); Allen, R. [Kinectrics, Inc., Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2008-07-01

The degradation of Unit 4 SG tubing by IGA/SCC has limited both the operating period and end of life predictions for Unit 4 since restart in late 2003. The circumferential IGA/SCC has been most significant in SG4 with substantial increases in both initiation and growth rates from 2005 through the spring of 2007. A detailed review of the occurrence of circumferential OD IGA/SCC at the RTZ in the HL TTS region of Bruce 4 steam generator tubes has led a conclusion that it is probable that the IGA/SCC has been the result of attack by partially reduced sulfur species such as tetrathionates and thiosulfates during periods of low temperature exposure. It is believed that attack of this type has mostly likely occurred during startup evolutions following outages as the result the development of aggressive reduced sulfur species in the TTS region during periods when the boilers were fully drained for maintenance activities. The modification of outage practices to limit secondary side oxygen ingress in the spring of 2007 has apparently arrested the degradation and has had significant affects on the allowable operating interval and end of life predictions for the entire unit. (author)

Inducement of IGA/SCC in Inconel 600 steam generator tubing during unit outages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durance, D.; Sedman, K.; Roberts, J.; King, P.; Gorman, J.; Allen, R.

2008-01-01

The degradation of Unit 4 SG tubing by IGA/SCC has limited both the operating period and end of life predictions for Unit 4 since restart in late 2003. The circumferential IGA/SCC has been most significant in SG4 with substantial increases in both initiation and growth rates from 2005 through the spring of 2007. A detailed review of the occurrence of circumferential OD IGA/SCC at the RTZ in the HL TTS region of Bruce 4 steam generator tubes has led a conclusion that it is probable that the IGA/SCC has been the result of attack by partially reduced sulfur species such as tetrathionates and thiosulfates during periods of low temperature exposure. It is believed that attack of this type has mostly likely occurred during startup evolutions following outages as the result the development of aggressive reduced sulfur species in the TTS region during periods when the boilers were fully drained for maintenance activities. The modification of outage practices to limit secondary side oxygen ingress in the spring of 2007 has apparently arrested the degradation and has had significant affects on the allowable operating interval and end of life predictions for the entire unit. (author)

Capturing change: the duality of time-lapse imagery to acquire data and depict ecological dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Brinley Buckley, Emma M.; Allen, Craig R.; Forsberg, Michael; Farrell, Michael; Caven, Andrew J.

2017-01-01

We investigate the scientific and communicative value of time-lapse imagery by exploring applications for data collection and visualization. Time-lapse imagery has a myriad of possible applications to study and depict ecosystems and can operate at unique temporal and spatial scales to bridge the gap between large-scale satellite imagery projects and observational field research. Time-lapse data sequences, linking time-lapse imagery with data visualization, have the ability to make data come alive for a wider audience by connecting abstract numbers to images that root data in time and place. Utilizing imagery from the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, water inundation and vegetation phenology metrics are quantified via image analysis and then paired with passive monitoring data, including streamflow and water chemistry. Dynamic and interactive time-lapse data sequences elucidate the visible and invisible ecological dynamics of a significantly altered yet internationally important river system in central Nebraska.

Effect of oxygen concentration on human embryo development evaluated by time-lapse monitoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingerslev, Hans Jakob; Hindkjær, Johnny Juhl; Kirkegaard, Kirstine

2012-01-01

recently demonstrated to occur from first cleavage cycle in mice using time-lapse microscopy, with the largest impact on the pre-compaction stages. However, embryonic development in mice differs in many aspects from human embryonic development. The objective of this retrospective, descriptive study...... was to evaluate the influence of oxygen tension on human pre-implantation development using time-lapse monitoring. Materials and methods: Human embryos were cultured to the blastocyst stage in a time-lapse incubator (EmbryoScope™) in 20% O2 (group 1), 20% O2 for 24 hours followed by culture in 5% O2 (group 2......) or in 5% O2 (group 3). Eligible were patients with age 8 oocytes retrieved. Group 1 consisted of 120 IVF/ICSI embryos from 26 patients recruited to a study conducted to evaluate the safety of the time-lapse incubator by randomising 1:1 embryos from a patient to culture...

Reactivities of N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectins with human IgA1 proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moore, J.S.; Kulhavy, R.; Tomana, M.

2007-01-01

, VV reacted with sugars of both IgA subclasses and IgG, indicating that it also recognized N-linked glycans without GalNAc. Furthermore, HAA and HPA from several manufacturers differed in their ability to bind various IgA1 myeloma proteins and other GalNAc-containing glycoproteins in ELISA and Western...

Linear IgA dermatosis associated with ulcerative colitis: complete and sustained remission after total colectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, Thiago Jeunon de Sousa; Fialho, Mônica; Santos, Luiza Tavares dos; Rodrigues, Palmira Assis de Jesus Barreto; Vargas, Ana Luisa Bittencourt Sampaio Jeunon; Sousa, Maria Auxiliadora Jeunon

2013-01-01

Linear IgA dermatosis has been increasingly associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, particularly ulcerative colitis. A 13-year-old male patient with an 11-month history of ulcerative colitis developed vesicles, pustules and erosions on the skin of the face, trunk and buttocks and in the oral mucosa. The work-up revealed a neutrophil-rich sub-epidermal bullous disease and linear deposition of IgA along the dermoepidermal junction, establishing the diagnosis of linear IgA dermatosis. The patient experienced unsatisfactory partial control of skin and intestinal symptoms despite the use of adalimumab, mesalazine, prednisone and dapsone for some months. After total colectomy, he presented complete remission of skin lesions, with no need of medications during two years of follow-up. A review of previously reported cases of the association is provided here and the role of ulcerative colitis in triggering linear IgA dermatosis is discussed.

History matching of time-lapse crosswell data using ensemble kalman filtering

KAUST Repository

de Matos Ravanelli, Fabio Miguel

2015-09-03

Data from crosswell seismic surveys is processed to provide crosswell time-lapse data to map fluid changes in a reservoir where time-lapse or 4D seismic data is unavailable or unreliable, such as in onshore reservoirs. The resultant processing results provide quantitative information for history matching purposes using a probabilistic approach to take in account uncertainties in the geological model and reduce uncertainties in reservoir production forecasts.

Mozart Ear Deformity: a Rare Diagnosis in the Ear Reconstruction Clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Telich-Tarriba, Jose E; Victor-Baldin, Andre; Apellaniz-Campo, Armando

2017-07-01

Mozart ear is a rare auricular deformity; clinically the auricle is characterized by the bulging appearance of the anterosuperior portion of the auricle due to fusion of the crura of the antihelix, an inversion in the normal form of the cavum conchae resulting in its convexity and a slit-like narrowing of the orifice of the external auditory meatus.A retrospective review of clinical and photographic records of patients attended at the ear reconstruction clinic of our hospital between June of 2010 and May 2016 was performed; out of 576 consecutive patients only 3 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, with a prevalence of 0.5%. The authors present these patients.Surgical interventions mainly focus on the correction of the convex concha; however, the procedure should be tailored to the severity of the deformity and the wishes of the patient.

Intermittent fasting promotes bacterial clearance and intestinal IgA production in Salmonella typhimurium-infected mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Godínez-Victoria, M; Campos-Rodriguez, R; Rivera-Aguilar, V; Lara-Padilla, E; Pacheco-Yepez, J; Jarillo-Luna, R A; Drago-Serrano, M E

2014-05-01

The impact of intermittent fasting versus ad libitum feeding during Salmonella typhimurium infection was evaluated in terms of duodenum IgA levels, bacterial clearance and intestinal and extra-intestinal infection susceptibility. Mice that were intermittently fasted for 12 weeks or fed ad libitum were infected with S. typhimurium and assessed at 7 and 14 days post-infection. Next, we evaluated bacterial load in the faeces, Peyer's patches, spleen and liver by plate counting, as well as total and specific intestinal IgA and plasmatic corticosterone levels (by immunoenzymatic assay) and lamina propria IgA levels in plasma cells (by cytofluorometry). Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, α- and J-chains, Pax-5 factor, pro-inflammatory cytokine (tumour necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (transforming growth factor-β) mRNA levels were assessed in mucosal and liver samples (by real-time PCR). Compared with the infected ad libitum mice, the intermittently fasted infected animals had (1) lower intestinal and systemic bacterial loads; (2) higher SIgA and IgA plasma cell levels; (3) higher mRNA expression of most intestinal parameters; and (4) increased or decreased corticosterone levels on day 7 and 14 post-infection, respectively. No contribution of liver IgA was observed at the intestinal level. Apparently, the changes following metabolic stress induced by intermittent fasting during food deprivation days increased the resistance to S. typhimurium infection by triggering intestinal IgA production and presumably, pathogen elimination by phagocytic inflammatory cells. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prevalence of serological markers for celiac disease (IgA and IgG class antigliadin antibodies and IgA class antiendomysium antibodies in patients with autoimmune rheumatologic diseases in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Pesquisa de anticorpos antigliadina (classes IgA e IgG e anticorpos antiendomísio classe IgA, em pacientes com doenças reumatológicas autoimunes em Belo Horizonte, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor de Barros Koehne

2010-09-01

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Patients with autoimmune rheumatologic conditions and celiac disease tend to have a variety of autoantibodies, many of which have no clear pathogenic role. The literature contains frequent reports of celiac disease being more prevalent in patients with rheumatologic diseases, although this remains controversial. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of positive serum tests for celiac disease, particularly IgA and IgG antigliadin (AGA antibodies and IgA antiendomysium antibodies (EmA in patients with autoimmune rheumatologic diseases. A second aim was to correlate positive serum tests with prednisone and immunosuppressant medication. METHODS: A total of 190 adults and pediatric patients with a variety of autoimmune rheumatologic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthrophathies were evaluated and tested for IgA and IgG antigliadin-antibodies and IgA antiendomysium antibodies. Patients with positive serum tests underwent endoscopic duodenal biopsies for pathology studies. RESULTS: There were four positive sera (2.1% for AGA IgA, all of which tested negative for AGA IgG and EmA. Three sera (1.6% tested positive for AGA IgG; all were negative for AGA IgA and EmA. The EmA test at a 1:2.5 serum dilution tested positive in 94 patients (49.5%; at a 1:5 serum dilution it was positive in 41 patients (21.6%. Eleven subjects tested positive for EmA at 1:40 dilution; and all of these tested negative for IgA tissue antitransglutaminase (tTG antibodies. Nine of the 11 EmA-positive patients and all 7 patients with positive antigliadin antibodies tests underwent duodenal endoscopic biopsies, and no significant changes were demonstrated in their duodenal mucosa. A positive EmA was associated with elevated optical density AGA IgA readings; however, there was no relationship between positive EmA and AGA IgG optical density readings. Prednisone and immunosuppressant use were unrelated

Capturing change: the duality of time-lapse imagery to acquire data and depict ecological dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma M. Brinley Buckley

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We investigate the scientific and communicative value of time-lapse imagery by exploring applications for data collection and visualization. Time-lapse imagery has a myriad of possible applications to study and depict ecosystems and can operate at unique temporal and spatial scales to bridge the gap between large-scale satellite imagery projects and observational field research. Time-lapse data sequences, linking time-lapse imagery with data visualization, have the ability to make data come alive for a wider audience by connecting abstract numbers to images that root data in time and place. Utilizing imagery from the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, water inundation and vegetation phenology metrics are quantified via image analysis and then paired with passive monitoring data, including streamflow and water chemistry. Dynamic and interactive time-lapse data sequences elucidate the visible and invisible ecological dynamics of a significantly altered yet internationally important river system in central Nebraska.

Changes in IgA protease expression are conferred by changes in genomes during persistent infection by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, Mary C; Kirkham, Charmaine; Eng, Samantha; Bebawee, Remon S; Kong, Yong; Pettigrew, Melinda M; Tettelin, Hervé; Murphy, Timothy F

2018-05-14

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an exclusively human pathobiont that plays a critical role in the course and pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). NTHi causes acute exacerbations of COPD and also causes persistent infection of the lower airways. NTHi expresses four IgA protease variants (A1, A2, B1, and B2) that play different roles in virulence. Expression of IgA proteases varies among NTHi strains, but little is known about the frequency and mechanisms by which NTHi modulates IgA protease expression during infection in COPD. To assess expression of IgA protease during natural infection in COPD, we studied IgA protease expression of 101 persistent strains (median duration of persistence 161 days, range 2 to 1422) collected longitudinally from patients enrolled in a 20-year study of COPD upon initial acquisition and immediately before clearance from the host. Upon acquisition, 89 (88%) expressed IgA protease. A total of 16 of 101 (16%) strains of NTHi altered expression of IgA protease during persistence. Indels and slipped-strand mispairing of mononucleotide repeats conferred changes in expression of igaA1, igaA2, and igaB1 Strains with igaB2 underwent frequent changes in expression of IgA protease B2 during persistence, mediated by slipped-strand mispairing of a 7-nucleotide repeat, TCAAAAT, within the open reading frame of igaB2 We conclude that changes in iga gene sequences result in changes in expression of IgA proteases by NTHi during persistent infection in the respiratory tract of patients with COPD. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Time-lapse controlled-source electromagnetics using interferometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hunziker, J.W.; Slob, E.C.; Wapenaar, C.P.A.

In time-lapse controlled-source electromagnetics, it is crucial that the source and the receivers are positioned at exactly the same location at all times of measurement. We use interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) to overcome problems in repeatability of the source location.

Transient glyco-engineering to produce recombinant IgA1 with defined N- and O-glycans in plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina eDicker

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The production of therapeutic antibodies to combat pathogens and treat diseases such as cancer is of great interest for the biotechnology industry. The recent development of plant-based expression systems has demonstrated that plants are well-suited for the production of recombinant monoclonal antibodies with defined glycosylation. Compared to immunoglobulin G (IgG, less effort has been undertaken to express immunoglobulin A (IgA, which is the most prevalent antibody class at mucosal sites and a promising candidate for novel recombinant biopharmaceuticals with enhanced anti-tumour activity. Here, we transiently expressed recombinant human IgA1 against the VP8* rotavirus antigen in glyco-engineered deltaXT/FT Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Mass spectrometric analysis of IgA1 glycopeptides revealed the presence of complex biantennary N-glycans with terminal N-acetylglucosamine present on the N-glycosylation site of the CH2 domain in the IgA1 alpha chain. Analysis of the peptide carrying nine potential O-glycosylation sites in the IgA1 alpha chain hinge region showed the presence of plant-specific modifications including hydroxyproline formation and the attachment of pentoses. By co-expression of enzymes required for initiation and elongation of human O-glycosylation it was possible to generate disialylated mucin-type core 1 O-glycans on plant-produced IgA1. Our data demonstrate that deltaXT/FT Nicotiana benthamiana plants can be engineered towards the production of recombinant IgA1 with defined human-type N- and O-linked glycans.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 levels are increased in patients with IgA nephropathy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokunaga, Koki; Uto, Hirofumi; Takami, Yoichiro; Mera, Kumiko; Nishida, Chika; Yoshimine, Yozo; Fukumoto, Mayumi; Oku, Manei; Sogabe, Atsushi; Nosaki, Tsuyoshi; Moriuchi, Akihiro; Oketani, Makoto; Ido, Akio; Tsubouchi, Hirohito

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → IGFBP-1 mRNA over express in kidneys obtained from mice model of IgA nephropathy. → Serum IGFBP-1 levels are high in patients with IgA nephropathy. → Serum IGFBP-1 levels correlate with renal function and the severity of renal injury. -- Abstract: The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) are not well understood. In this study, we examined gene expression profiles in kidneys obtained from mice with high serum IgA levels (HIGA mice), which exhibit features of human IgAN. Female inbred HIGA, established from the ddY line, were used in these experiments. Serum IgA levels, renal IgA deposition, mesangial proliferation, and glomerulosclerosis were increased in 32-week-old HIGA mice in comparison to ddY animals. By microarray analysis, five genes were observed to be increased by more than 2.5-fold in 32-week-old HIGA in comparison to 16-week-old HIGA; these same five genes were decreased more than 2.5-fold in 32-week-old ddY in comparison to 16-week-old ddY mice. Of these five genes, insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (IGFBP)-1 exhibited differential expression between these mouse lines, as confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, serum IGFBP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with IgAN than in healthy controls. In patients with IgAN, these levels correlated with measures of renal function, such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), but not with sex, age, serum IgA, C3 levels, or IGF-1 levels. Pathologically, serum IGFBP-1 levels were significantly associated with the severity of renal injury, as assessed by mesangial cell proliferation and interstitial fibrosis. These results suggest that increased IGFBP-1 levels are associated with the severity of renal pathology in patients with IgAN.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 levels are increased in patients with IgA nephropathy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tokunaga, Koki [Department of Digestive and Life-Style Related Disease, Health Research Course, Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520 (Japan); Uto, Hirofumi, E-mail: hirouto@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp [Department of Digestive and Life-Style Related Disease, Health Research Course, Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520 (Japan); Takami, Yoichiro; Mera, Kumiko; Nishida, Chika; Yoshimine, Yozo; Fukumoto, Mayumi; Oku, Manei; Sogabe, Atsushi; Nosaki, Tsuyoshi; Moriuchi, Akihiro; Oketani, Makoto; Ido, Akio; Tsubouchi, Hirohito [Department of Digestive and Life-Style Related Disease, Health Research Course, Human and Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8520 (Japan)

2010-08-20

Research highlights: {yields} IGFBP-1 mRNA over express in kidneys obtained from mice model of IgA nephropathy. {yields} Serum IGFBP-1 levels are high in patients with IgA nephropathy. {yields} Serum IGFBP-1 levels correlate with renal function and the severity of renal injury. -- Abstract: The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) are not well understood. In this study, we examined gene expression profiles in kidneys obtained from mice with high serum IgA levels (HIGA mice), which exhibit features of human IgAN. Female inbred HIGA, established from the ddY line, were used in these experiments. Serum IgA levels, renal IgA deposition, mesangial proliferation, and glomerulosclerosis were increased in 32-week-old HIGA mice in comparison to ddY animals. By microarray analysis, five genes were observed to be increased by more than 2.5-fold in 32-week-old HIGA in comparison to 16-week-old HIGA; these same five genes were decreased more than 2.5-fold in 32-week-old ddY in comparison to 16-week-old ddY mice. Of these five genes, insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (IGFBP)-1 exhibited differential expression between these mouse lines, as confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, serum IGFBP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with IgAN than in healthy controls. In patients with IgAN, these levels correlated with measures of renal function, such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), but not with sex, age, serum IgA, C3 levels, or IGF-1 levels. Pathologically, serum IGFBP-1 levels were significantly associated with the severity of renal injury, as assessed by mesangial cell proliferation and interstitial fibrosis. These results suggest that increased IGFBP-1 levels are associated with the severity of renal pathology in patients with IgAN.

Presença de Candida nas mucosas vaginal e bucal e sua relação com IgA salivar Relationship between Candida in vaginal and oral mucosae and salivary IgA

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Célia Regina Gonçalves e Silva

2008-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: correlacionar a presença de leveduras do gênero Candida na cavidade bucal e vaginal de mulheres com e sem candidíase vulvovaginal (CVV com os níveis de IgA secretora (IgAs presentes na saliva. MÉTODOS: cinqüenta e uma mulheres foram incluídas; 13 apresentaram CVV e 38 formaram o Grupo Controle. De cada paciente, foram coletados 2,0 mL de saliva sem estimulação e secreção vaginal com o auxílio de swab, que foi imerso a seguir em 2,0 mL de solução fisiológica. As amostras foram semeadas em ágar Sabouraud dextrose com cloranfenicol para isolamento e contagem de colônias, e os isolados foram identificadas fenotipicamente. Na saliva de ambos os grupos foi quantificada IgA pela técnica ELISA. RESULTADOS: nas 13 pacientes com diagnóstico clínico e micológico de CVV, a média de unidades formadoras de colônias de Candida por mililitro de secreção vaginal (ufc/mL foi de 52.723 e 23,8% dos pacientes apresentaram colonização na mucosa bucal com menor quantidade de ufc/mL (6.030. Os níveis de IgAs na saliva foram mais baixos no grupo com CVV (média de densidade: 0,3 quando comparados aos níveis de IgA do Grupo Controle (média de DO: 0,6. Onze pacientes (37% do Grupo Controle apresentaram colonização por Candida na cavidade bucal, com média de ufc/mL mais baixa quando comparada ao grupo com CVV. O Grupo Controle também apresentou menor quantidade de ufc/mL (1.973 na cavidade vaginal quando comparado com o Grupo CVV (52.942. CONCLUSÕES: os resultados demonstraram que os pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de candidíase vulvovaginal apresentaram maior quantidade de Candida, tanto na cavidade vaginal quanto na bucal, e apresentaram menores níveis de IgA anti-Candida na saliva.PURPOSE: to correlate the presence of yeast from the Candida genus in the oral and vaginal cavity of women with and without vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC, with secretor IgA levels (IgAs present in the saliva. METHODS: among the 51 women

Decreased Taxon-Specific IgA Response in Relation to the Changes of Gut Microbiota Composition in the Elderly

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Hirosuke Sugahara

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Gut microbiota is known to change with aging; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been well elucidated. Immunoglobulin A (IgA is the dominant class of antibody secreted by the intestinal mucosa, and are thought to play a key role in the regulation of the gut microbiota. T cells regulate the magnitude and nature of microbiota-specific IgA responses. However, it is also known that T cells become senescent in elderly people. Therefore, we speculated that the age-related changes of IgA response against the gut microbiota might be one of the mechanisms causing the age-associated changes of gut microbiota composition. To prove our hypothesis, fecal samples from 40 healthy subjects (adult group: n = 20, an average of 35 years old; elderly group: n = 20, an average of 76 years old were collected, and the gut microbiota composition and the response of IgA to gut microbiota were investigated. The relative abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae was significantly lower, whereas those of Clostridiaceae, Clostridiales;f__ and Enterobacteriaceae were significantly higher in the elderly group than in the adult group. There was no significant difference in the fecal IgA concentration between the adult and elderly groups. However, the taxon-specific IgA response to some bacterial taxa was different between the adult and elderly groups. To evaluate inter-group differences in the taxon-specific IgA response to each bacterial taxon, the IgA-indices were calculated, and the IgA-indices of Clostridiaceae and Enterobacteriaceae were found to be significantly lower in the elderly group than the adult group. In addition, Clostridiales;f__ and Enterobacteriaceae were significantly enriched in the IgA+ fraction in the adult group but not in the elderly group, whereas Clostridiaceae was significantly enriched in the IgA- fraction in the elderly group but not in the adult group. Some species assigned to Clostridiaceae or Enterobacteriaceae are known to be pathogenic

Clinical and pathological analysis of IgA nephropathy with chronic renal failure.

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Liu, Yuyuan; Hu, Qinfeng; Shen, Ping; Tang, Li; Yuan, Gang; Zhou, Yongmei; Chai, Huaqi

2016-10-01

To investigative clinical and pathological characteristics of IgA nephropathy with chronic renal failure. Clinical and pathological findings from 65 cases of IgA nephropathy with chronic renal failure were reviewed. Pathological characteristics of all the cases were analyzed according to WHO definition and Oxford Classification. Evaluating the severity of pathological lesions by the Katafuchi R semiquantitative scoring system, and analyzing their relationship with clinical indexes of renal function. Of all 65 cases the male and female ratio was 1.4, and the mean age was 37 ± 13 years old. Levels of systolic pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), uric acid (UA), album (Alb), serum IgG and 24 h urinary protein were related with eGRF level (p  0.05). IgA nephropathy with chronic renal failure usually occurred in young adults, and it had severe clinical condition and pathological changes, while there was no significant relationship between them.

Genome-Wide Analyses Suggest Mechanisms Involving Early B-Cell Development in Canine IgA Deficiency.

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Mia Olsson

Full Text Available Immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD is the most common primary immune deficiency disorder in both humans and dogs, characterized by recurrent mucosal tract infections and a predisposition for allergic and other immune mediated diseases. In several dog breeds, low IgA levels have been observed at a high frequency and with a clinical resemblance to human IgAD. In this study, we used genome-wide association studies (GWAS to identify genomic regions associated with low IgA levels in dogs as a comparative model for human IgAD. We used a novel percentile groups-approach to establish breed-specific cut-offs and to perform analyses in a close to continuous manner. GWAS performed in four breeds prone to low IgA levels (German shepherd, Golden retriever, Labrador retriever and Shar-Pei identified 35 genomic loci suggestively associated (p <0.0005 to IgA levels. In German shepherd, three genomic regions (candidate genes include KIRREL3 and SERPINA9 were genome-wide significantly associated (p <0.0002 with IgA levels. A ~20kb long haplotype on CFA28, significantly associated (p = 0.0005 to IgA levels in Shar-Pei, was positioned within the first intron of the gene SLIT1. Both KIRREL3 and SLIT1 are highly expressed in the central nervous system and in bone marrow and are potentially important during B-cell development. SERPINA9 expression is restricted to B-cells and peaks at the time-point when B-cells proliferate into antibody-producing plasma cells. The suggestively associated regions were enriched for genes in Gene Ontology gene sets involving inflammation and early immune cell development.

Time-lapse imaging of neural development: zebrafish lead the way into the fourth dimension.

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Rieger, Sandra; Wang, Fang; Sagasti, Alvaro

2011-07-01

Time-lapse imaging is often the only way to appreciate fully the many dynamic cell movements critical to neural development. Zebrafish possess many advantages that make them the best vertebrate model organism for live imaging of dynamic development events. This review will discuss technical considerations of time-lapse imaging experiments in zebrafish, describe selected examples of imaging studies in zebrafish that revealed new features or principles of neural development, and consider the promise and challenges of future time-lapse studies of neural development in zebrafish embryos and adults. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Interaction between the macrophage system and IgA immune complexes in IgA nephropathy.

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Roccatello, D; Coppo, R; Basolo, B; Martina, G; Rollino, C; Cordonnier, D; Busquet, G; Picciotto, G; Sena, L M; Piccoli, G

1983-01-01

In nine patients with IgA nephropathy, the function of the mononuclear phagocyte system was assessed by measuring in vivo clearance of anti-D coated red blood cells (RBC) and in vitro phagocytosis of sensitised RBC by monocytes. A strict correlation was found between in vivo macrophage function and in vitro monocyte phagocytosis. Statistical correlations were also found between in vivo clearance values and IgAIC and C3d values. A defective macrophage and monocyte function affects patients with major signs of clinical activity, highest IgAIC values, signs of complement activation and the most unfavourable clinical course.

How does blastomere removal affect embryonic development? : A time-lapse analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Kirstine; Hindkjær, Johnny Juhl; Ingerslev, Hans Jakob

of the 6-10 cell embryo. It has been argued that blastomere removal does not affect embryonic development, but few studies have focussed on safety of the procedure. Recently, time-lapse studies on mice have suggested that blastomere removal affects embryonic development. The present study was conducted...... to evaluate the effect of blastomere biopsy on early human embryonic development using time-lapse analysis. Materials and methods: Couples undergoing IVF treatment or PGD were requested permission to include embryos in the project. The diagnosis healthy/diseased was made by analysis of a single blastomere....... For PGD 56 human embryos were biopsied 68 hours after fertilisation, the majority at the eight cell stage. As controls 43 non-biopsied embryos at the 6-8 cell stage were selected. All embryos were cultured until 5 days after fertilisation in a time-lapse incubator (EmbryoScope™). Key events such as time...

CellProfiler Tracer: exploring and validating high-throughput, time-lapse microscopy image data.

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Bray, Mark-Anthony; Carpenter, Anne E

2015-11-04

Time-lapse analysis of cellular images is an important and growing need in biology. Algorithms for cell tracking are widely available; what researchers have been missing is a single open-source software package to visualize standard tracking output (from software like CellProfiler) in a way that allows convenient assessment of track quality, especially for researchers tuning tracking parameters for high-content time-lapse experiments. This makes quality assessment and algorithm adjustment a substantial challenge, particularly when dealing with hundreds of time-lapse movies collected in a high-throughput manner. We present CellProfiler Tracer, a free and open-source tool that complements the object tracking functionality of the CellProfiler biological image analysis package. Tracer allows multi-parametric morphological data to be visualized on object tracks, providing visualizations that have already been validated within the scientific community for time-lapse experiments, and combining them with simple graph-based measures for highlighting possible tracking artifacts. CellProfiler Tracer is a useful, free tool for inspection and quality control of object tracking data, available from http://www.cellprofiler.org/tracer/.

Evaluating the relationship between dental caries number and salivary level of IgA in adults

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Haeri-Araghi, Hesam; Safarzadeh-Khosroshahi, Shadab; Mirzadeh, Monirsadat

2018-01-01

Background Dental caries are the most common mouth infectious disease and also chronic disease of childhood. Saliva plays different roles in oral cavity; for example, salivary immunoglobulins play significant role in body and oral immunity. Various studies were conducted on the different effects of IgA on oral cavity, especially dental caries, and reported controversial results. The current study aimed to compare salivary IgA level at different stages of dental caries in adults. Material and Methods A total of 40 adults, aged 20 to 40 years, referred to the department of oral medicine at Qazvin Faculty of Dentistry, were selected voluntarily based on the number of decayed teeth. Their unstimulated saliva was collected by the spitting method. The cases were assigned to 4 groups each of 10, based on the number of decayed teeth, as follows: Group 1: Caries free, Group 2: With 1 or 2 decayed teeth, Group 3: With 3 or 4 decayed teeth, and Group 4: With 5 or more decayed teeth. None of the cases had systemic diseases or the history of using medicines which affect the quality or quantity of saliva. The salivary IgA level of the cases was measured immunoturbidometrically and analyzed by ANOVA and t test. Results Significant difference was observed between the groups 1 and 4, but there was no significant difference between the other groups. Conclusions According to the results of the current study, the salivary IgA can be considered as an index for the function of immune system, which may be increased by the number of decayed teeth. In fact, the increase of salivary IgA is just the response of immune system to the accumulation of microorganisms and may be the attempt of body to control them. Key words:Saliva, IgA, Dental caries. PMID:29670718

The Evaluation of Psychological Factor and Salivary Cortisol and IgA Levels in

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Fateme Arbabi-Kalati

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP is a chronic immunological disorder with unknown etiology. The aim of this study was to determine psychological factors and salivary cortisol, IgA level in patients with oral lichen planus. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study 20 patients with OLP and healthy person were admitted to this study. Saliva samples were collected between - Am. saliva cortisol, IgA level was detected by ELIZA method. In this study, patients with anxiety and depression were measured using the SCL-90 questionnaire. Data analyzed by t-test. Results: The mean salivary cortisol level in patients with OLP was 3.2±1.9 ng/mL and the mean saliva cortisol level in healthy person was 3.5±1.9 ng/mL. Significant difference was observed in the salivary cortisol levels in the 2 study groups (p=0.04. The mean salivary IgA level in patients with OLP was 0.69±0.29 ng/mL and the mean saliva IgA level in healthy person was 0.9±0.43 ng/mL but no significant difference was observed in the salivary cortisol levels in the 2 study groups. Results showed that anxiety levels in patients with oral lichen planus were slightly higher than controls but there was no significant difference between healthy subjects. Conclusion: Finding revealed the mean salivary cortisol level in patient with OLP less than healthy persons. Significant difference was observed in the salivary cortisol levels in the 2 study groups. Based on the t-student test, no significant difference was observed in the salivary IgA levels in the 2 study groups. Anxiety levels in patients with oral lichen planus were slightly higher than controls.

Treatment of IgA nephropathy.

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Barratt, J; Feehally, J

2006-06-01

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an important cause of progressive kidney disease with 25-30% of patients developing end-stage renal disease within 20 years of diagnosis. There is still no treatment to modify mesangial IgA deposition and available treatments are those extrapolated from the management of other patterns of chronic glomerulonephritis. There remains no consensus on the use of immunosuppressive agents for treatment of progressive IgAN and this is compounded by the relative lack in IgAN of randomized controlled trials relevant to current clinical practice. Patients with recurrent macroscopic hematuria or isolated microscopic hematuria and proteinuria renal biopsy should be managed as for minimal change nephropathy. There is no evidence to support the use of corticosteroids for nephrotic IgAN outside this group of patients. Patients presenting with acute renal failure require evaluation to distinguish acute tubular necrosis, which requires supportive therapy only, from crescentic IgAN, for which treatment with cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids in a regimen similar to that for renal small vessel vasculitis is indicated in the absence of significant chronic histologic injury. Patients at greatest risk of progressive renal impairment are those with hypertension, proteinuria >1 g/24 h, and reduced glomerular filtration rate at diagnosis. All such patients should be treated to a blood pressure of 125/75 mm Hg with dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and angiotensin receptor blockade. At present, there is insufficient evidence for the additional use of immunosuppressive agents, antiplatelet agents, or anticoagulants.

Kohtu loal lapse nimel tehingute tegemine krediidiasutuses : [magistritöö] / Merily Saar ; Tartu Ülikool, õigusteaduskond ; juhendaja: Triin Göttig

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Saar, Merily, 1987-

2013-01-01

Varahooldusõigusest tulenevast lapse vara säilitamise kohustusest, perekonnaseadusest tulenevatest piirangutest vanema poolt lapse esindajana tehingute tegemisel, lapse nimel väärtpaberitehingute tegemisest

Gastrointestinal sensitivity to soy and milk proteins in patients with IgA nephropathy.

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Kloster Smerud, H; Fellström, B; Hällgren, R; Osagie, S; Venge, P; Kristjánsson, G

2010-11-01

sensitivity to food antigens has been postulated as a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). in this study we used a recently developed mucosal patch technique to evaluate rectal mucosal sensitivity to soy and cow's milk (CM) proteins in IgAN patients (n = 28) compared to healthy subjects (n = 18). The rectal mucosal production of nitric oxide (NO) and release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were measured. Serum samples were analyzed for IgA and IgG antibodies to alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, casein and soy. 14 of 28 (14/28) patients experienced a rectal mucosal reaction, measured by increased NO and/or MPO levels, upon rectal challenge with soy and/or cow's milk proteins. The levels of IgG antibodies to alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin and casein were significantly higher in CM sensitive as compared with non-sensitive IgAN patients, whereas the mean serum levels of IgA antibodies were similar. No differences were seen in serum levels of IgA or IgG antibodies to soy. it is concluded that approximately half of our IgAN patients have a rectal mucosal sensitivity to soy or CM, and that an immune reactivity against antigens may be involved in the pathogenesis of IgAN in this subgroup of patients.

IGA/SCC propagation rate measurements on alloy 600 steam generator tubing using a side stream model boiler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamatsu, H.; Matsueda, K.; Matsunaga, T.; Kitera, T.; Arioka, K.; Tsuruta, T.; Okamoto, S.

1993-01-01

IGA/SCC crack propagation rate measurements using various types of IGA/SCC predefected ALloy 600 tubing were tested in model boilers, a side stream model boiler at Ohi Unit 1 and similar model boilers in the laboratory. Types of IGA/SCC predefects introduced from the outside of the tubing were as follows. (1) Actual IGA/SCC predefect introduced by high temperature caustic environments; (2) Longitudinal predefect by electrodischarge machining (EDM) method, and then crack tip fatigue was introduced to serve as the marker on the fractured surface (EDM slit + fatigue). IGA/SCC crack propagation rate was measured after the destructive examination by Cr concentration profile on fracture surface for (1), and observation of intergranular fractured surface propagated from the marked fatigue was employed for (2) and (3) after the model boiler tests. As for the water chemistry conditions, mainly AVT (high N 2 H 4 ) + boric acid (5-10ppm as B in SGs) treatment for both model boilers, and some of the tests for the model boiler in the laboratory employed AVT (high N 2 H 4 ) without boric acid. The results of IGA/SCC crack propagation rate measurements were compared with each other, and the three methods employed showed a good coincidence with the rate of ca. 1 x 10 -5 mm/Hr for AVT (high N 2 H 4 ) + boric acid treatment condition, in the case that crack tip boron intensity (B/O value by IMMA analysis) of more than 1 was observed

Mozart effect, cognitive dissonance, and the pleasure of music.

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Perlovsky, Leonid; Cabanac, Arnaud; Bonniot-Cabanac, Marie-Claude; Cabanac, Michel

2013-05-01

We explore a possibility that the 'Mozart effect' points to a fundamental cognitive function of music. Would such an effect of music be due to the hedonicity, a fundamental dimension of mental experience? The present paper explores a recent hypothesis that music helps to tolerate cognitive dissonances and thus enabled accumulation of knowledge and human cultural evolution. We studied whether the influence of music is related to its hedonicity and whether pleasant or unpleasant music would influence scholarly test performance and cognitive dissonance. Specific hypotheses evaluated in this study are that during a test students experience contradictory cognitions that cause cognitive dissonances. If some music helps to tolerate cognitive dissonances, then first, this music should increase the duration during which participants can tolerate stressful conditions while evaluating test choices. Second, this should result in improved performance. These hypotheses are tentatively confirmed in the reported experiments as the agreeable music was correlated with longer duration of tests under stressful conditions and better performance above that under indifferent or unpleasant music. It follows that music likely performs a fundamental cognitive function explaining the origin and evolution of musical ability that have been considered a mystery. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Levels and complexity of IgA antibody against oral bacteria in samples of human colostrum.

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Petrechen, L N; Zago, F H; Sesso, M L T; Bertoldo, B B; Silva, C B; Azevedo, K P; de Lima Pereira, S A; Geraldo-Martins, V R; Ferriani, V P L; Nogueira, R D

2015-01-01

Streptococcus mutans (SM) have three main virulence antigens: glucan binding protein B (gbpB), glucosyltransferase (Gtf) and antigens I/II (Ag I/II) envolved in the capacity of those bacteria to adhere and accumulate in the dental biofilm. Also, the glycosyltransferases 153 kDa of Streptococcus gordonii (SGO) and 170kDa of Streptococcus sanguinis (SSA) were important antigens associated with the accumulation of those bacterias. Streptococcus mitis (SMI) present IgA1 protease of 202 kDa. We investigated the specificity and levels IgA against those antigens of virulence in samples of human colostrum. This study involved 77 samples of colostrum that were analyzed for levels of immunoglobulian A, M and G by Elisa. The specificity of IgA against extracts of SM and initials colonizators (SSA, SMI, SGO) were analyzed by the Western blot. The mean concentration of IgA was 2850.2 (±2567.2) mg/100 mL followed by IgM and IgG (respectively 321.8±90.3 and 88.3±51.5), statistically different (pbacteria antigens and theirs virulence antigens. To SM, the GbpB was significantly lower detected than others antigens of SM (p0.4). So, the breast milk from first hours after birth presented significant levels of IgA specific against important virulence of antigens those oral streptococci, which can disrupt the installation and accumulation process of these microorganisms in the oral cavity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Differences in serum IgA responses to HIV-1 gp41 in elite controllers compared to viral suppressors on highly active antiretroviral therapy.

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Rafiq Nabi

Full Text Available Mechanisms responsible for natural control of human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV replication in elite controllers (EC remain incompletely defined. To determine if EC generate high quality HIV-specific IgA responses, we used Western blotting to compare the specificities and frequencies of IgA to HIV antigens in serum of gender-, age- and race-matched EC and aviremic controllers (HC and viremic noncontrollers (HN on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART. Concentrations and avidity of IgA to HIV antigens were measured using ELISA or multiplex assays. Measurements for IgG were performed in parallel. EC were found to have stronger p24- and V1V2-specific IgG responses than HN, but there were no IgG differences for EC and HC. In contrast, IgA in EC serum bound more frequently to gp160 and gag proteins than IgA in HC or HN. The avidity of anti-gp41 IgA was also greater in EC, and these subjects had stronger IgA responses to the gp41 heptad repeat region 1 (HR1, a reported target of anti-bacterial RNA polymerase antibodies that cross react with gp41. However, EC did not demonstrate greater IgA responses to E. coli RNA polymerase or to peptides containing the shared LRAI sequence, suggesting that most of their HR1-specific IgA antibodies were not induced by intestinal microbiota. In both EC and HAART recipients, the concentrations of HIV-specific IgG were greater than HIV-specific IgA, but their avidities were comparable, implying that they could compete for antigen. Exceptions were C1 peptides and V1V2 loops. IgG and IgA responses to these antigens were discordant, with IgG reacting to V1V2, and IgA reacting to C1, especially in EC. Interestingly, EC with IgG hypergammaglobulinemia had greater HIV-specific IgA and IgG responses than EC with normal total IgG levels. Heterogeneity in EC antibody responses may therefore be due to a more focused HIV-specific B cell response in some of these individuals. Overall, these data suggest that development of

First-order symmetrizable hyperbolic formulations of Einstein's equations including lapse and shift as dynamical fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvi, Kashif

2002-01-01

First-order hyperbolic systems are promising as a basis for numerical integration of Einstein's equations. In previous work, the lapse and shift have typically not been considered part of the hyperbolic system and have been prescribed independently. This can be expensive computationally, especially if the prescription involves solving elliptic equations. Therefore, including the lapse and shift in the hyperbolic system could be advantageous for numerical work. In this paper, two first-order symmetrizable hyperbolic systems are presented that include the lapse and shift as dynamical fields and have only physical characteristic speeds

A Disulfide Bond in the Membrane Protein IgaA Is Essential for Repression of the RcsCDB System

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M. Graciela Pucciarelli

2017-12-01

Full Text Available IgaA is an integral inner membrane protein that was discovered as repressor of the RcsCDB phosphorelay system in the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The RcsCDB system, conserved in many members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, regulates expression of varied processes including motility, biofilm formation, virulence and response to envelope stress. IgaA is an essential protein to which, in response to envelope perturbation, the outer membrane lipoprotein RcsF has been proposed to bind in order to activate the RcsCDB phosphorelay. Envelope stress has also been reported to be sensed by a surface exposed domain of RcsF. These observations support a tight control of the RcsCDB system by RcsF and IgaA via mechanisms that, however, remain unknown. Interestingly, RcsF and IgaA have four conserved cysteine residues in loops exposed to the periplasmic space. Two non-consecutive disulfide bonds were shown to be required for RcsF function. Here, we report mutagenesis studies supporting the presence of one disulfide bond (C404-C425 in the major periplasmic loop of IgaA that is essential for repression of the RcsCDB phosphorelay. Our data therefore suggest that the redox state of the periplasm may be critical for the control of the RcsCDB system by its two upstream regulators, RcsF and IgaA.

Intestinal IgA responses to Giardia muris in mice depleted of helper T lymphocytes and in immunocompetent mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyworth, M F

1989-04-01

Immunocompetent mice infected with Giardia muris generate an intestinal antibody response to this parasite and clear G. muris infection. Previous work has shown that G. muris infection is prolonged in mice that have been depleted of helper (CD4+) T lymphocytes by treatment with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against the murine CD4 antigen. The aim of the present study was to compare the intestinal anti-Giardia antibody response in immunocompetent mice and in mice depleted of helper T (Th) lymphocytes by treatment with anti-CD4 mAb. Immunocompetent mice generated an IgA response to G. muris, as judged by the presence of IgA on Giardia trophozoites harvested from the intestine of these animals more than 10 days after the start of the infection. The anti-Giardia IgA response was impaired in mice depleted of Th lymphocytes, as judged by virtual absence of immunofluorescent staining of trophozoites from these animals for surface-bound IgA. Clearance of G. muris infection was impaired by treatment of mice with anti-CD4 mAb. The results suggest that Th (CD4+) lymphocytes are important for the generation of a local IgA response against G. muris trophozoites in the mouse intestine and that IgA anti-trophozoite antibody may contribute to the clearance of G. muris from the intestine of immunocompetent mice.

The Oxford IgA nephropathy clinicopathological classification is valid for children as well as adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coppo, Rosanna; Troyanov, Stéphan; Camilla, Roberta; Hogg, Ronald J.; Cattran, Daniel C.; Cook, H. Terence; Feehally, John; Roberts, Ian S. D.; Amore, Alessandro; Alpers, Charles E.; Barratt, Jonathan; Berthoux, Francois; Bonsib, Stephen; Bruijn, Jan A.; D'Agati, Vivette; D'Amico, Giuseppe; Emancipator, Steven N.; Emma, Francesco; Ferrario, Franco; Fervenza, Fernando C.; Florquin, Sandrine; Fogo, Agnes B.; Geddes, Colin C.; Groene, Hermann J.; Haas, Mark; Herzenberg, Andrew M.; Hill, Prue A.; Hsu, Stephen I.; Jennette, J. Charles; Joh, Kensuke; Julian, Bruce A.; Kawamura, Tetsuya; Lai, Fernand M.; Li, Lei S.; Li, Philip K.; Liu, Zhi H.; Mezzano, Sergio; Schena, F. Paolo; Tomino, Yasuhiko; Walker, Patrick D.; Wang, Haiyan; Weening, Jan J.; Yoshikawa, Norishige; Zhang, Hong

2010-01-01

To study the predictive value of biopsy lesions in IgA nephropathy in a range of patient ages we retrospectively analyzed the cohort that was used to derive a new classification system for IgA nephropathy. A total of 206 adults and 59 children with proteinuria over 0.5 g/24h/1.73 m(2) and an eGFR of

Intranasal IFNγ extends passive IgA antibody protection of mice against Mycobacterium tuberculosis lung infection

Science.gov (United States)

Reljic, R; Clark, S O; Williams, A; Falero-Diaz, G; Singh, M; Challacombe, S; Marsh, P D; Ivanyi, J

2006-01-01

Intranasal inoculation of mice with monoclonal IgA against the α-crystallin (acr1) antigen can diminish the tuberculous infection in the lungs. As this effect has been observed only over a short-term, we investigated if it could be extended by inoculation of IFNγ 3 days before infection, and further coinoculations with IgA, at 2 h before and 2 and 7 days after aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. This treatment reduced the lung infection at 4 weeks more than either IgA or IFNγ alone (i.e. 17-fold, from 4·2 × 107 to 2·5 × 106 CFU, P = 0·006), accompanied also by lower granulomatous infiltration of the lungs. IFNγ added prior to infection of mouse peritoneal macrophages with IgA-opsonized bacilli resulted in a synergistic increase of nitric oxide and TNFα production and a 2–3 fold decrease in bacterial counts. Our improved results suggest, that combined treatment with IFNγ and IgA could be developed towards prophylactic treatment of AIDS patients, or as an adjunct to chemotherapy. PMID:16487246

Chronic myeloid leukemia in a child with IgA nephropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Udani, Amish; Vijayakumar, Mahalingam; Prahlad, Nageswaran; Ekambaram, Sudha

2012-08-01

We report an 11 year old boy with IgA nephropathy developing chronic myeloid leukemia on follow-up. This association suggests that a B cell defect might be involved in the pathogenesis of these two conditions.

Andeka lapse arengukeskkond ja toimetulek koolis / Helle Sikka

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Sikka, Helle

2001-01-01

Andekuse mõistest ja selle arengust, andeka lapse isiksuseomadustest. 1998-2000.a. läbi viidud küsitlusuuringust, mille eesmärgiks oli selgitada andekate laste koolimeeldivust, hinnanguid õpetajatele, õpilaste asendit kaaslaste seas, õpilaste arvamusi oma isiksuseomaduste kohta ning andekate harrastusi ja huvisid

Lapse parimate huvide kaitse lapseröövi menetluses : [magistritöö] / Reeli Tambek ; Tartu Ülikool, õigusteaduskond ; juhendaja: Maarja Torga

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tambek, Reeli

2012-01-01

Lapse parimatest huvidest, kahe Euroopa suurima kohtu erinevast praktikast ja sellest tingitud ohtudest, õige tasakaalu saavutamise vajadusest ning viisidest lapse parimate huvide ja lapse tagastamise kohustuse vahel

Respiratory problems and anxiety sensitivity in smoking lapse among treatment seeking smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zvolensky, Michael J; Rodríguez-Cano, Rubén; Paulus, Daniel J; Kotov, Roman; Bromet, Evelyn; Gonzalez, Adam; Manning, Kara; Luft, Benjamin J

2017-12-01

The current study examined whether the interaction of lower respiratory symptoms and anxiety sensitivity is related to smoking lapse in the context of smoking cessation. Participants were adult daily smokers (N=60) exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster who were in a smoking cessation treatment program (75.0% male, 50.6years old [SD=9.2], and current smoking rate was 17.6 cigarettes per day (SD=10.6). Results indicated that the interaction between lower respiratory symptoms and anxiety sensitivity was a significant predictor of greater risk for lapse (i.e., lower survival time; B=0.005, OR=1.01, p=0.039). Follow-up analysis showed that greater respiratory symptoms were a significant predictor of lapse risk among those with high (B=0.116, OR=1.12, p=0.025), but not those with low (B=-0.048, OR=0.95, p=0.322), levels of anxiety sensitivity. The findings from the current study suggest that smokers with greater respiratory symptoms and higher levels of anxiety sensitivity may be associated with early lapse to smoking following smoking cessation treatment. Future work has the potential to inform the development of tailored cessation interventions for smokers who experience varying levels of lower respiratory symptoms and anxiety sensitivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum strain AYA enhances IgA secretion and provides survival protection against influenza virus infection in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yosuke Kikuchi

Full Text Available The mucosal immune system provides the first line of defense against inhaled and ingested pathogenic microbacteria and viruses. This defense system, to a large extent, is mediated by the actions of secretory IgA. In this study, we screened 140 strains of lactic acid bacteria for induction of IgA production by murine Peyer's patch cells. We selected one strain and named it Lactobacillus plantarum AYA. We found that L. plantarum AYA-induced production of IL-6 in Peyer's patch dendritic cells, with this production promoting IgA(+ B cells to differentiate into IgA-secreting plasma cells. We also observed that oral administration of L. plantarum AYA in mice caused an increase in IgA production in the small intestine and lung. This production of IgA correlated strongly with protective ability, with the treated mice surviving longer than the control mice after lethal influenza virus infection. Our data therefore reveals a novel immunoregulatory role of the L. plantarum AYA strain which enhances mucosal IgA production and provides protection against respiratory influenza virus infection.

Salivary IgA and dental caries in HIV patients: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Acharya, Sonu; Mandal, Pradip Kumar

2016-01-01

The interrelationship of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and dental caries, as well as Salivary IgA (S-IgA) level, appear to remain underexplored while a manual and electronic search of the literature was made. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the relationship of S-IgA and dental caries status in HIV +ve children. The aim of this study was to find out the relationship of S-IgA antibody with dental caries by measuring the concentration of IgA in saliva of HIV +ve and HIV -ve children and to determine the dental caries status in HIV +ve and HIV -ve children, which may help in treatment planning and prevention of the same. Twenty-eight HIV +ve children aged between 6 and 14 years and 28 age matched HIV -ve children were included in this study, and both samples were randomly selected from the same nongovernmental organization (NGO). The HIV status of both these samples was confirmed from their medical records provided by the NGO. 2 cc of unstimulated saliva was collected from both groups in special tubes coded numerically using the method described by Collins and Dawes, and the samples were analyzed to measure the concentration of IgA using commercially available ELISA kit (DRG Diagnostics, Germany). Examination of dental caries was carried out according to the WHO criteria (1997) using a flat mouth mirror and Community periodontal index (CPI) probe. In HIV +ve group, mean salivary IgA level was calculated as 81.61 ± 6.20 μg/ml, mean decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) was 3.86 ± 3.37, mean decayed, extracted and filled teeth (deft) was 4.75 ± 2.86. In HIV -ve group, the mean salivary IgA level was calculated as 145.57 ±17.83 μg/ml, mean DMFT was 2.54 ± 0.69, mean deft was 2.43 ± 2.01. Strong -ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.781, t = 6.38, P 0.05) between S-IgA and deft was found in HIV +ve group. Strong -ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.655, t = 4.42, P caries than normal individuals.

Definition of "banner clouds" based on time lapse movies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. H. Schween

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Banner clouds appear on the leeward side of a mountain and resemble a banner or a flag. This article provides a comprehensive definition of "banner clouds". It is based primarily on an extensive collection of time lapse movies, but previous attempts at an explanation of this phenomenon are also taken into account. The following ingredients are considered essential: the cloud must be attached to the mountain but not appear on the windward side; the cloud must originate from condensation of water vapour contained in the air (rather than consist of blowing snow; the cloud must be persistent; and the cloud must not be of convective nature. The definition is illustrated and discussed with the help of still images and time lapse movies taken at Mount Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps.

Recombinant IgA Is Sufficient To Prevent Influenza Virus Transmission in Guinea Pigs

Science.gov (United States)

Seibert, Christopher W.; Rahmat, Saad; Krause, Jens C.; Eggink, Dirk; Albrecht, Randy A.; Goff, Peter H.; Krammer, Florian; Duty, J. Andrew; Bouvier, Nicole M.; García-Sastre, Adolfo

2013-01-01

A serum hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titer of 40 or greater is thought to be associated with reduced influenza virus pathogenesis in humans and is often used as a correlate of protection in influenza vaccine studies. We have previously demonstrated that intramuscular vaccination of guinea pigs with inactivated influenza virus generates HAI titers greater than 300 but does not protect vaccinated animals from becoming infected with influenza virus by transmission from an infected cage mate. Only guinea pigs intranasally inoculated with a live influenza virus or a live attenuated virus vaccine, prior to challenge, were protected from transmission (A. C. Lowen et al., J. Virol. 83:2803–2818, 2009.). Because the serum HAI titer is mostly determined by IgG content, these results led us to speculate that prevention of viral transmission may require IgA antibodies or cellular immune responses. To evaluate this hypothesis, guinea pigs and ferrets were administered a potent, neutralizing mouse IgG monoclonal antibody, 30D1 (Ms 30D1 IgG), against the A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) virus hemagglutinin and exposed to respiratory droplets from animals infected with this virus. Even though HAI titers were greater than 160 1 day postadministration, Ms 30D1 IgG did not prevent airborne transmission to passively immunized recipient animals. In contrast, intramuscular administration of recombinant 30D1 IgA (Ms 30D1 IgA) prevented transmission to 88% of recipient guinea pigs, and Ms 30D1 IgA was detected in animal nasal washes. Ms 30D1 IgG administered intranasally also prevented transmission, suggesting the importance of mucosal immunity in preventing influenza virus transmission. Collectively, our data indicate that IgG antibodies may prevent pathogenesis associated with influenza virus infection but do not protect from virus infection by airborne transmission, while IgA antibodies are more important for preventing transmission of influenza viruses. PMID:23698296

Association of IgG co-deposition with serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 in pediatric IgA nephropathy

Science.gov (United States)

Eison, T. Matthew; Hastings, M. Colleen; Moldoveanu, Zina; Sanders, John T.; Gaber, Lillian; Walker, Patrick D.; Lau, Keith K; Julian, Bruce A.; Novak, Jan; Wyatt, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Objective: To determine whether the absence of mesangial IgG deposits is associated with the absence of elevated blood levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) in pediatric patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Design and methods: Serum Gd-IgA1 levels were determined by ELISA using an N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin from Helix aspersa. Levels of Gd-IgA1 above the 90th percentile for healthy pediatric controls were considered to be elevated. Renal biopsy samples were examined by immunofluorescence for presence and intensity of staining for IgA, IgG, IgM, C3 and C1q and by light microscopy for histological changes. Findings were graded by a single pathologist (L. Gaber) at UTHSC until 2007 and by NephropathTM (Little Rock, AR, USA) thereafter. Staining for the mesangial deposits was considered negative when intensity was trace or less, and positive at greater intensity. Fisher’s exact-test was used to determine significance of 2 × 2 tables. Results: Serum samples were obtained from 30 patients with IgAN diagnosed before age 18 years. Male : female ratio was 2.3 : 1. Twenty were Caucasian and 10 were African-American. Blood was obtained within 3 months of biopsy (incident cases) for 12, while 18 provided blood > 3 months after biopsy (prevalent cases). Serum Gd-IgA1 level was elevated in 23 (77%) of cases and 20 (67%) had a biopsy positive for IgG. Of those 20 patients, 18 (90%) had an elevated serum Gd-IgA1 level, whereas 5 (50%) of patients with biopsies without IgG had a normal serum Gd-IgA1 level (p = 0.026). Summary: In this small study we found a weak association between the absence of IgG in the biopsy and normal serum Gd-IgA1 level. PMID:23006340

Global dynamics of selective attention and its lapses in primary auditory cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Lakatos, Peter; Barczak, Annamaria; Neymotin, Samuel A; McGinnis, Tammy; Ross, Deborah; Javitt, Daniel C; O'Connell, Monica Noelle

2016-12-01

Previous research demonstrated that while selectively attending to relevant aspects of the external world, the brain extracts pertinent information by aligning its neuronal oscillations to key time points of stimuli or their sampling by sensory organs. This alignment mechanism is termed oscillatory entrainment. We investigated the global, long-timescale dynamics of this mechanism in the primary auditory cortex of nonhuman primates, and hypothesized that lapses of entrainment would correspond to lapses of attention. By examining electrophysiological and behavioral measures, we observed that besides the lack of entrainment by external stimuli, attentional lapses were also characterized by high-amplitude alpha oscillations, with alpha frequency structuring of neuronal ensemble and single-unit operations. Entrainment and alpha-oscillation-dominated periods were strongly anticorrelated and fluctuated rhythmically at an ultra-slow rate. Our results indicate that these two distinct brain states represent externally versus internally oriented computational resources engaged by large-scale task-positive and task-negative functional networks.

Advances in interpretation of subsurface processes with time-lapse electrical imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Singha, Kaminit; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Johnson, Tim B.; Slater, Lee D.

2015-01-01

Electrical geophysical methods, including electrical resistivity, time-domain induced polarization, and complex resistivity, have become commonly used to image the near subsurface. Here, we outline their utility for time-lapse imaging of hydrological, geochemical, and biogeochemical processes, focusing on new instrumentation, processing, and analysis techniques specific to monitoring. We review data collection procedures, parameters measured, and petrophysical relationships and then outline the state of the science with respect to inversion methodologies, including coupled inversion. We conclude by highlighting recent research focused on innovative applications of time-lapse imaging in hydrology, biology, ecology, and geochemistry, among other areas of interest.

Binding and transepithelial transport of immunoglobulins by intestinal M cells: demonstration using monoclonal IgA antibodies against enteric viral proteins

OpenAIRE

1989-01-01

M cells of intestinal epithelia overlying lymphoid follicles endocytose luminal macromolecules and microorganisms and deliver them to underlying lymphoid tissue. The effect of luminal secretory IgA antibodies on adherence and transepithelial transport of antigens and microorganisms by M cells is unknown. We have studied the interaction of monoclonal IgA antibodies directed against specific enteric viruses, or the hapten trinitrophenyl (TNP), with M cells. To produce monospecific IgA antibodie...

Developing an EEG based On-line Closed-loop Lapse Detection and Mitigation System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Te eWang

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In America, sixty percent of adults reported that they have driven a motor vehicle while feeling drowsy, and at least 15-20% of fatal car accidents are fatigue-related. This study translates previous laboratory-oriented neurophysiological research to design, develop, and test an On-line Closed-loop Lapse Detection and Mitigation (OCLDM System featuring a mobile wireless dry-sensor EEG headgear and a cell-phone based real-time EEG processing platform. Eleven subjects participated in an event-related lane-keeping task, in which they were instructed to manipulate a randomly deviated, fixed-speed cruising car on a 4-lane highway. This was simulated in a 1st person view with an 8-screen and 8-projector immersive virtual-realty environment. When the subjects experienced lapses or failed to respond to events during the experiment, auditory feedback was delivered to rectify the performance decrements. However, the arousing auditory signals were not always effective. The EEG spectra exhibited statistically significant differences between effective and ineffective arousing signals, suggesting that EEG spectra could be used as a countermeasure of the efficacy of arousing signals. In this on-line pilot study, the proposed OCLDM System was able to continuously detect EEG signatures of fatigue, deliver arousing feedback to subjects suffering momentary cognitive lapses, and assess the efficacy of the feedback in near real-time to rectify cognitive lapses. The on-line testing results of the OCLDM System validated the efficacy of the arousing signals in improving subjects' response times to the subsequent lane-departure events. This study may lead to a practical on-line lapse detection and mitigation system in real-world environments.

Developing an EEG-based on-line closed-loop lapse detection and mitigation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu-Te; Huang, Kuan-Chih; Wei, Chun-Shu; Huang, Teng-Yi; Ko, Li-Wei; Lin, Chin-Teng; Cheng, Chung-Kuan; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2014-01-01

In America, 60% of adults reported that they have driven a motor vehicle while feeling drowsy, and at least 15-20% of fatal car accidents are fatigue-related. This study translates previous laboratory-oriented neurophysiological research to design, develop, and test an On-line Closed-loop Lapse Detection and Mitigation (OCLDM) System featuring a mobile wireless dry-sensor EEG headgear and a cell-phone based real-time EEG processing platform. Eleven subjects participated in an event-related lane-keeping task, in which they were instructed to manipulate a randomly deviated, fixed-speed cruising car on a 4-lane highway. This was simulated in a 1st person view with an 8-screen and 8-projector immersive virtual-reality environment. When the subjects experienced lapses or failed to respond to events during the experiment, auditory warning was delivered to rectify the performance decrements. However, the arousing auditory signals were not always effective. The EEG spectra exhibited statistically significant differences between effective and ineffective arousing signals, suggesting that EEG spectra could be used as a countermeasure of the efficacy of arousing signals. In this on-line pilot study, the proposed OCLDM System was able to continuously detect EEG signatures of fatigue, deliver arousing warning to subjects suffering momentary cognitive lapses, and assess the efficacy of the warning in near real-time to rectify cognitive lapses. The on-line testing results of the OCLDM System validated the efficacy of the arousing signals in improving subjects' response times to the subsequent lane-departure events. This study may lead to a practical on-line lapse detection and mitigation system in real-world environments.

Saliva and sera IgA and IgG in Egyptian Giardia-infected children.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Gebaly, Naglaa Saad M; Halawa, Eman Fawzy; Moussa, Hanaa M Ezzat; Rabia, Ibrahim; Abu-Zekry, Maha

2012-08-01

Giardiasis is a gastrointestinal infection of wide distribution that is more prevalent in childhood. Easy and rapid diagnosis of giardiasis is essential for reduction of this infection. This cross-sectional study included 62 children in which collection of saliva, stool and serum samples was performed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was evaluated to detect IgA and IgG responses in both saliva and serum samples. Twenty-two children were positive for Giardia duodenalis infection by direct examination of faecal specimens, 20 non-infected and 20 infected with other parasites. Salivary and serum IgA and IgG responses against G. duodenalis infection were significantly higher in Giardia parasitized than non-Giardia parasitized children (p < 0.001). This concludes that specific salivary IgA may serve as a diagnostic tool and specific salivary IgG as a screening tool in monitoring the exposure of various populations to Giardia duodenalis. The advantage of salivary assays over serum immunoglobulin assay is being easy and non-invasive in sampling technique which is important especially for young children.

CagA, a major virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori, promotes the production and underglycosylation of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Man [Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu City 610500 (China); Li, Fu-gang [Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou City 646000 (China); Xie, Xi-sheng [Department of Nephrology, Second Clinical Medical Institution of North Sichuan Medical College (Nanchong Central Hospital), Nanchong City 637400 (China); Wang, Shao-qing [Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu City 610500 (China); Fan, Jun-ming, E-mail: junmingfan@163.com [Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu City 610500 (China); Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou City 646000 (China)

2014-02-07

Highlights: • CagA stimulated cell proliferation and the production of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells. • CagA promoted the underglycosylation of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells. • CagA decreased the expression of C1GALT1 and its chaperone Cosmc in DAKIKI cells. • Helicobacter pylori infection may participate in the pathogenesis of IgAN via CagA. - Abstract: While Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is closely associated with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study was to investigate the effect of cytotoxin associated gene A protein (CagA), a major virulence factor of Hp, on the production and underglycosylation of IgA1 in the B cell line DAKIKI cells. Cells were cultured and treated with recombinant CagA protein. We found that CagA stimulated cell proliferation and the production of IgA1 in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Moreover, CagA promoted the underglycosylation of IgA1, which at least partly attributed to the downregulation of β1,3-galactosyltransferase (C1GALT1) and its chaperone Cosmc. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Hp infection, at least via CagA, may participate in the pathogenesis of IgAN by influencing the production and glycosylation of IgA1 in B cells.

CagA, a major virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori, promotes the production and underglycosylation of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Man; Li, Fu-gang; Xie, Xi-sheng; Wang, Shao-qing; Fan, Jun-ming

2014-01-01

Highlights: • CagA stimulated cell proliferation and the production of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells. • CagA promoted the underglycosylation of IgA1 in DAKIKI cells. • CagA decreased the expression of C1GALT1 and its chaperone Cosmc in DAKIKI cells. • Helicobacter pylori infection may participate in the pathogenesis of IgAN via CagA. - Abstract: While Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is closely associated with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study was to investigate the effect of cytotoxin associated gene A protein (CagA), a major virulence factor of Hp, on the production and underglycosylation of IgA1 in the B cell line DAKIKI cells. Cells were cultured and treated with recombinant CagA protein. We found that CagA stimulated cell proliferation and the production of IgA1 in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Moreover, CagA promoted the underglycosylation of IgA1, which at least partly attributed to the downregulation of β1,3-galactosyltransferase (C1GALT1) and its chaperone Cosmc. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Hp infection, at least via CagA, may participate in the pathogenesis of IgAN by influencing the production and glycosylation of IgA1 in B cells

Physical activity adoption to adherence, lapse, and dropout: a self-determination theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinnafick, Florence-Emilie; Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie; Duda, Joan L

2014-05-01

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, we aimed to explore and identify key motivational processes involved in the transition from a physically inactive to an active lifestyle, and the processes involved in lapse and dropout behavior within a walking program. We implemented a qualitative, longitudinal case study method, using semistructured interviews and theoretical thematic analyses. Fifteen women were interviewed over 10 months and three profiles were generated: (a) nonadherence, (b) lapse/readoption of physical activity, and (c) adherence. Internalization of walking behavior was key to adherence. Satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness were central for participation during exercise at the adoption stages, and autonomy was particularly pertinent in facilitating adherence. Those who lapsed and restarted physical activity experienced feelings of autonomy at the point of readoption. Sources of support were driving forces in the adoption and adherence phases.

Inhibition of rotavirus replication by a non-neutralizing, rotavirus VP6–specific IgA mAb

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ningguo; Lawton, Jeffrey A.; Gilbert, Joana; Kuklin, Nelly; Vo, Phuoc; Prasad, B.V. Venkataram; Greenberg, Harry B.

2002-01-01

Rotaviruses are the leading cause of severe diarrheal disease in young children. Intestinal mucosal IgA responses play a critical role in protective immunity against rotavirus reinfection. Rotaviruses consist of three concentric capsid layers surrounding a genome of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA. The outer layer proteins, VP4 and VP7, which are responsible for viral attachment and entry, are targets for protective neutralizing antibodies. However, IgA mAb’s directed against the intermediate capsid protein VP6, which do not neutralize the virus, have also been shown to protect mice from rotavirus infection and clear chronic infection in SCID mice. We investigated whether the anti-VP6 IgA (7D9) mAb could inhibit rotavirus replication inside epithelial cells and found that 7D9 acted at an early stage of infection to neutralize rotavirus following antibody lipofection. Using electron cryomicroscopy, we determined the three-dimensional structure of the virus-antibody complex. The attachment of 7D9 IgA to VP6 introduces a conformational change in the VP6 trimer, rendering the particle transcriptionally incompetent and preventing the elongation of initiated transcripts. Based on these observations, we suggest that anti-VP6 IgA antibodies confers protection in vivo by inhibiting viral transcription at the start of the intracellular phase of the viral replication cycle. PMID:11994409

[Acute pancreatitis as the presenting feature of an IgA vasculitis: An unusual presentation].

Science.gov (United States)

Fertitta, L; Noel, N; Ackermann, F; Lerolle, N; Benoist, S; Rocher, L; Lambotte, O

2017-10-01

IgA vasculitis is a systemic small vessel leukocytoclastic vasculitis characterized by skin purpura, arthritis, abdominal pain and nephritis. Most of the abdominal complications are due to edema and hemorrhage in the small bowel wall, but rarely to acute secondary pancreatitis. Here, we report a 53-year-old woman who presented with acute pancreatitis and, secondarily, developed skin purpura and arthritis at the seventh day of the clinical onset. Biological tests and computed tomographic scan allowed to rule out another cause of pancreatitis and IgA vasculitis was diagnosed as its etiology. The outcome was favorable without any relapse on glucocorticoids. Despite its rarity, pancreatitis is a potential life-threatening complication of IgA vasculitis in which the role of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs remains uncertain. A prompt elimination of other usual pancreatitis etiologies is mandatory to improve the management of the patients. Copyright © 2017 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Igaühele hea haridus!? / Olav Aarna

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Aarna, Olav, 1942-

2005-01-01

Ilmunud ka: Järva Teataja 1. september lk. 2, Meie Maa 1. september lk. 2, Koit 1. september lk. 6, Severnoje Poberezhje 1. september lk. 2, Vali Uudised 2. september lk. 2, Sakala 2. september lk. 2, Hiiu Leht 2. september lk. 2, Kuulutaja 2. september lk. 4, Nädaline 8. september lk. 4. Riigikogu kultuurikomisjoni esimehe sõnul peaks igaüks sõnastama enda jaoks rahuldava vastuse küsimusele, mis on hea haridus

IgA LINEAR BULLOUS DERMATOSIS IN CHILDHOOD.

OpenAIRE

Ivelina Yordanova; Valentin Valtchev; Dimitar Gospodinov; Snejina Vassileva

2015-01-01

IgA linear bullous dermatosis, also known as chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood, is an autoimmune disease which may be idiopathic or drug-induced. The disease affects children and adults. We present a 4 years old girl with itchy polymorphic eruptions. The skin rash was presented by bullous-erosive rosette-like lesions with reddish-brown crust in the center, distributed on the skin of the face, trunk and extremities. The vesicles were filled with serous and hemorrhagic content. Laboratory...

Investigation of MOZART experimental data and analysis of MOZART experiment using JFS-3-J3.2R group constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaise, Yoichiro; Osada, Hiroo

2003-03-01

Various critical experiments have been analyzed and evaluated in Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) to improve the accuracy of prediction for nuclear characteristics of fast breeder reactors. This report describes update of the analysis of Monju Zebra Assembly Reactor Test (MOZART) reflecting a recent development of JNC analysis scheme. The main results are as follows: (1) Compilation of spectrum measurements: Spectrum measurement data are newly compiled including energy structure and geometrical information. (2) Reevaluation of atomic number density data: Atomic number density data were reevaluated considering impurities that had been neglected in the past analysis and reflecting a JNC standard analysis scheme. The revision of the data successfully reduces core type dependence of C/E values for criticality from 0.4%dk to 0.1%dk. (3) Analyses using JFS-3-J3.2R group constant set: The base-calculation and correction factors were fully reevaluated suing JFS-3-J3.2R group constant set and the results were compared with those using JFS-3-J3.2. For criticality, C/E values become smaller by 0.1%dk, which tendency is consistent with that observed in the analysis of JUPITER experiment. Reduction of B-10 concentration dependence from 7% to 1% is observed in C/E values for control rod worth, and 10% improvement are for Na void reactivity. These improvements are attribute to the revision of the group constant set and analysis scheme. The correction factors are confirmed to be insensitive to the revision of group constant sets. (author)

Circulating immune complexes, immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgA ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective:- To evaluate serum levels of circulating immune complexes (CICs), immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgA and IgM) and Complement Components (C3c, C4 and Factor B) in Nigerians with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Design:- Case control study. Setting:- University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

A randomized clinical trial comparing embryo culture in a conventional incubator with a time-lapse incubator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Kirstine; Hindkjaer, Johnny Juhl; Grøndahl, Marie Louise

2012-01-01

Time-lapse monitoring allows for a flexible embryo evaluation and potentially provides new dynamic markers of embryo competence. Before introducing time-lapse monitoring in a clinical setting, the safety of the instrument must be properly documented. Accordingly, the aim of this study...

Label Free QCM Immunobiosensor for AFB1 Detection Using Monoclonal IgA Antibody as Recognition Element

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özlem Ertekin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This study introduces the use of an IgA isotype aflatoxin (AF specific monoclonal antibody for the development of a highly sensitive Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM immunobiosensor for the detection of AF in inhibitory immunoassay format. The higher molecular weight of IgA antibodies proved an advantage over commonly used IgG antibodies in label free immunobiosensor measurements. IgA and IgG antibodies with similar affinity for AF were used in the comparative studies. Sensor surface was prepared by covalent immobilization of AFB1, using self assembled monolayer (SAM formed on gold coated Quartz Crystal, with 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl carbodiimide/N-hydroxy succinimide (EDC/NHS method using a diamine linker. Nonspecific binding to the surface was decreased by minimizing the duration of EDC/NHS activation. Sensor surface was chemically blocked after AF immobilization without any need for protein blocking. This protein free sensor chip endured harsh solutions with strong ionic detergent at high pH, which is required for the regeneration of the high affinity antibody-antigen interaction. According to the obtained results, the detection range with IgA antibodies was higher than IgG antibodies in QCM immunosensor developed for AFB1.

Plasma Gelsolin Promotes Proliferation of Mesangial Cell in IgA Nephropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Zhang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Plasma gelsolin (pGSN is an actin-binding protein that plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. However, whether pGSN is involved in other immunological diseases remains unknown. This study focused on the relationship between pGSN and immunoglobulin A (IgA nephropathy (IgAN. Methods: Two hundred patients with IgAN, 200 patients each with several other types of nephropathy and healthy controls (HCs who underwent kidney biopsies between 2000 and 2014 were enrolled in the study. The Oxford classification system was used to predict the risk of disease progression. Serum and renal tissue were used to detect pGSN, and the correlations between pGSN and IgA, galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1, transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN content, clinical symptoms, and kidney function were analyzed. Results: We found that the pGSN levels were significantly decreased in sera from IgAN patients compared to sera from patients with other forms of glomerular nephritis and HCs. Furthermore, the serum pGSN levels were negatively correlated with the serum IgA1, FN, and TGF-β1 levels, and positively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Conversely, the glomerular pGSN content was significantly elevated in the IgAN patients and was positively correlated with TGF-β1 and FN levels. In renal tissue, the pGSN levels were significantly higher in IgAN patients with M1 and S1 compared to patients with M0 and S0 (p in vitro. pGSN also promoted integrin α2β1 expression in HMCs and enhanced the integrin α2β1-pGSN interaction. Conclusion: Our study suggested that pGSN may play an important role in the development of IgAN by promoting the proliferation of mesangial cells and that serum and glomerular pGSN levels may be new markers for predicting IgAN progression and prognosis.

Time-lapse seismic waveform modelling and attribute analysis using hydromechanical models for a deep reservoir undergoing depletion

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He, Y.-X.; Angus, D. A.; Blanchard, T. D.; Wang, G.-L.; Yuan, S.-Y.; Garcia, A.

2016-04-01

Extraction of fluids from subsurface reservoirs induces changes in pore pressure, leading not only to geomechanical changes, but also perturbations in seismic velocities and hence observable seismic attributes. Time-lapse seismic analysis can be used to estimate changes in subsurface hydromechanical properties and thus act as a monitoring tool for geological reservoirs. The ability to observe and quantify changes in fluid, stress and strain using seismic techniques has important implications for monitoring risk not only for petroleum applications but also for geological storage of CO2 and nuclear waste scenarios. In this paper, we integrate hydromechanical simulation results with rock physics models and full-waveform seismic modelling to assess time-lapse seismic attribute resolution for dynamic reservoir characterization and hydromechanical model calibration. The time-lapse seismic simulations use a dynamic elastic reservoir model based on a North Sea deep reservoir undergoing large pressure changes. The time-lapse seismic traveltime shifts and time strains calculated from the modelled and processed synthetic data sets (i.e. pre-stack and post-stack data) are in a reasonable agreement with the true earth models, indicating the feasibility of using 1-D strain rock physics transform and time-lapse seismic processing methodology. Estimated vertical traveltime shifts for the overburden and the majority of the reservoir are within ±1 ms of the true earth model values, indicating that the time-lapse technique is sufficiently accurate for predicting overburden velocity changes and hence geomechanical effects. Characterization of deeper structure below the overburden becomes less accurate, where more advanced time-lapse seismic processing and migration is needed to handle the complex geometry and strong lateral induced velocity changes. Nevertheless, both migrated full-offset pre-stack and near-offset post-stack data image the general features of both the overburden and

Automatic segmentation of time-lapse microscopy images depicting a live Dharma embryo.

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Zacharia, Eleni; Bondesson, Maria; Riu, Anne; Ducharme, Nicole A; Gustafsson, Jan-Åke; Kakadiaris, Ioannis A

2011-01-01

Biological inferences about the toxicity of chemicals reached during experiments on the zebrafish Dharma embryo can be greatly affected by the analysis of the time-lapse microscopy images depicting the embryo. Among the stages of image analysis, automatic and accurate segmentation of the Dharma embryo is the most crucial and challenging. In this paper, an accurate and automatic segmentation approach for the segmentation of the Dharma embryo data obtained by fluorescent time-lapse microscopy is proposed. Experiments performed in four stacks of 3D images over time have shown promising results.

Role of maternal elimination diets and human milk IgA in the development of cow's milk allergy in the infants.

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Järvinen, K M; Westfall, J E; Seppo, M S; James, A K; Tsuang, A J; Feustel, P J; Sampson, H A; Berin, C

2014-01-01

The role of maternal avoidance diets in the prevention of food allergies is currently under debate. Little is known regarding the effects of such diets on human milk (HM) composition or induction of infant humoral responses. To assess the association of maternal cow's milk (CM) avoidance during breastfeeding with specific IgA levels in HM and development of cow's milk allergy (CMA) in infants. We utilized HM and infant serum samples from a prospective birth cohort of 145 dyads. Maternal serum and HM samples were assessed for casein and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG)-specific IgA and IgG by ELISA; 21 mothers prophylactically initiated a strict maternal CM avoidance diet due to a sibling's history of food allergy and 16 due to atopic eczema or regurgitation/vomiting seen in their infants within the first 3 months of life. Infants' sera were assessed for casein and BLG-specific IgG, IgA and IgE; CMA was confirmed by an oral food challenge. The impact of HM on BLG uptake was assessed in transcytosis assays utilizing Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell line. Mothers avoiding CM had lower casein- and BLG-specific IgA in HM than mothers with no CM restriction (P = 0.019 and P = 0.047). Their infants had lower serum casein- and BLG-specific IgG(1) (P = 0.025 and P < 0.001) and BLG-specific IgG(4) levels (P = 0.037), and their casein- and BLG-specific IgA levels were less often detectable than those with no CM elimination diet (P = 0.003 and P = 0.007). Lower CM-specific IgG4 and IgA levels in turn were associated with infant CMA. Transcytosis of BLG was impaired by HM with high, but not low levels of specific IgA. Maternal CM avoidance was associated with lower levels of mucosal-specific IgA levels and the development of CMA in infants. HM IgA may play a role in preventing excessive, uncontrolled food antigen uptake in the gut lumen and thereby in the prevention of CMA. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

IgA response in serum and gut secretion in sensitized mice fed with the dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract

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Maciel M.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Induced oral tolerance to mucosal-exposed antigens in immunized animals is of particular interest for the development of immunotherapeutic approaches to human allergic diseases. This is a unique feature of mucosal surfaces which represent the main contact interface with the external environment. However, the influence of oral tolerance on specific and natural polyreactive IgA antibodies, the major defense mechanism of the mucosa, is unknown. We have shown that oral administration of an extract of the dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp to primed mice caused down-regulation of IgE responses and an increase in tumor growth factor-ß secretion. In the present study, we observed that primed inbred female A/Sn mice (8 to 10 weeks old fed by gavage a total weight of 1.0-mg Dp extract on the 6th, 7th and 8th days post-immunization presented normal secretion of IL-4 and IL-10 in gut-associated lymphoid tissue and a decreased production of interferon gamma induced by Dp in the draining lymph nodes (13,340 ± 3,519 vs 29,280 ± 2,971 pg/ml. Mice fed the Dp extract also showed higher levels of serum anti-Dp IgA antibodies and an increase of IgA-secreting cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (N = 10, reflecting an increase in total fecal IgA antibodies (N = 10. The levels of secretory anti-Dp IgA antibodies increased after re-immunization regardless of Dp extract feeding. Oral tolerance did not interfere with serum or secretory IgA antibody reactivity related to self and non-self antigens. These results suggest that induction of oral tolerance to a Dp extract in sensitized mice triggered different regulatory mechanisms which inhibited the IgE response and stimulated systemic and secretory IgA responses, preserving the natural polyreactive IgA antibody production.

Intermittent fasting modulates IgA levels in the small intestine under intense stress: a mouse model.

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Lara-Padilla, Eleazar; Godínez-Victoria, Marycarmen; Drago-Serrano, Maria Elisa; Reyna-Garfias, Humberto; Arciniega-Martínez, Ivonne Maciel; Abarca-Rojano, Edgar; Cruz-Hernández, Teresita Rocío; Campos-Rodríguez, Rafael

2015-08-15

Intermittent fasting prolongs the lifespan and unlike intense stress provides health benefits. Given the role of the immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the intestinal homeostasis, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of intermittent fasting plus intense stress on secretory IgA (SIgA) production and other mucosal parameters in the duodenum and ileum. Two groups of six mice, with intermittent fasting or fed ad libitum for 12weeks, were submitted to a session of intense stress by a bout of forced swimming. Unstressed ad libitum fed or intermittently fasted groups were included as controls. After sacrifice, we evaluated intestinal SIgA and plasma adrenal hormones, lamina propria IgA+ plasma-cells, mRNA expression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, α- and J-chains in the liver and intestinal mucosa, as well as pro- (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and Interferon-γ) and anti- (interleukin-2, -4, -10 and transforming growth factor-β) inflammatory cytokines in mucosal samples. Under intense stress, intermittent fasting down- or up-modulated the levels of most parameters in the duodenum and ileum, respectively while up-regulated corticosterone levels without affecting epinephrine. Our data suggest intermittent fasting plus intense stress elicited neuroendocrine pathways that differentially controlled IgA and pIgR expression in duodenum and ileum. These findings provide experimental foundations for a presumable impact of intermittent fasting under intense stress on the intestinal homeostasis or inflammation by triggering or reducing the IgA production in ileum or duodenum respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

IgA against gut-derived endotoxins: does it contribute to suppression of hepatic inflammation in alcohol-induced liver disease?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parlesak, Alexandr; Schäfer, C.; Bode, C.

2002-01-01

Endotoxins of intestinal origin are supposed to play an important role in the development of alcoholic hepatitis in man. To estimate the role of immunoglobulin response to gut-derived endotoxin in the development of alcohol-induced liver disease, serum levels of IgA and IgG against fecal endotoxin......, endotoxin, and acute-phase proteins were measured in patients with different stages of alcoholic liver disease and in healthy controls. Antibodies of type IgA, but not IgG, against fecal endotoxins were significantly increased in patients with alcohol-induced liver disease. IgA antibodies against fecal...... endotoxin were found to be closely correlated with the plasma concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and C-reactive protein in patients with alcoholic liver disease. In conclusion, as IgA located in body tissue was shown to suppress the inflammatory process, enhanced...

Flame figures in linear IgA bullous dermatosis: a novel histopathologic finding.

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Fulton, E; Jan, F; Zimarowski, M J

2017-11-15

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease usually with a neutrophil rich inflammatory infiltrate, and characterized by linear IgA deposition at the basement membrane zone (BMZ), and neutrophil predominant dermal inflammation. We report a case of LABD with numerous eosinophils and flame figure formation, a unique histopathologic finding not previously reported. A 69-year-old woman presented with a rapidly progressive, intensely pruritic rash over forearms, breasts, axillae, hips, and thighs. Thelesions were comprised of annular vesicles and bullae with hemorrhagic crusts and erosions. The clinical differential diagnosis included bullous pemphigoid(BP), LABD, and epidermolysis bullosa aquisita (EBA). A biopsy from a bullous plaque on the wrist revealed a subepidermal blister with neutrophils and numerous eosinophils with flame figure formation.Direct immunofluorescent (DIF) microscopy revealed linear deposition of IgA at the BMZ. Although unusual, the combined findings supported a diagnosis of LABD. Increased eosinophils may be associated with drug-induced LABD and may explain the numerous eosinophils in our case. It is important to be aware of this finding as the pathology may easily be misdiagnosed as BP, or possibly bullousWells syndrome. This case emphasizes that combined clinical, pathologic, and DIF findings are essential in the diagnosis of bullous dermatoses.

The mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin B instructs non-mucosal dendritic cells to promote IgA production via retinoic acid and TGF-β.

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Anouk K Gloudemans

Full Text Available It is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA, and how T cell-dependent (TD or -independent (TI pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL, B cell activating factor (BAFF, Retinoic Acid (RA, TGF-β or nitric oxide (NO. We hypothesized that the mucosal adjuvant Cholera Toxin subunit B (CTB could imprint non-mucosal DCs to induce IgA synthesis, and studied the mechanism of its induction. In vitro, CTB-treated bone marrow derived DCs primed for IgA production by B cells without the help of T cells, yet required co-signaling by different Toll-like receptor (TLR ligands acting via the MyD88 pathway. CTB-DC induced IgA production was blocked in vitro or in vivo when RA receptor antagonist, TGF-β signaling inhibitor or neutralizing anti-TGF-β was added, demonstrating the involvement of RA and TGF-β in promoting IgA responses. There was no major involvement for BAFF, APRIL or NO. This study highlights that synergism between CTB and MyD88-dependent TLR signals selectively imprints a TI IgA-inducing capacity in non-mucosal DCs, explaining how CTB acts as an IgA promoting adjuvant.

The mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin B instructs non-mucosal dendritic cells to promote IgA production via retinoic acid and TGF-β.

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Gloudemans, Anouk K; Plantinga, Maud; Guilliams, Martin; Willart, Monique A; Ozir-Fazalalikhan, Arifa; van der Ham, Alwin; Boon, Louis; Harris, Nicola L; Hammad, Hamida; Hoogsteden, Henk C; Yazdanbakhsh, Maria; Hendriks, Rudi W; Lambrecht, Bart N; Smits, Hermelijn H

2013-01-01

It is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), and how T cell-dependent (TD) or -independent (TI) pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), B cell activating factor (BAFF), Retinoic Acid (RA), TGF-β or nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that the mucosal adjuvant Cholera Toxin subunit B (CTB) could imprint non-mucosal DCs to induce IgA synthesis, and studied the mechanism of its induction. In vitro, CTB-treated bone marrow derived DCs primed for IgA production by B cells without the help of T cells, yet required co-signaling by different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands acting via the MyD88 pathway. CTB-DC induced IgA production was blocked in vitro or in vivo when RA receptor antagonist, TGF-β signaling inhibitor or neutralizing anti-TGF-β was added, demonstrating the involvement of RA and TGF-β in promoting IgA responses. There was no major involvement for BAFF, APRIL or NO. This study highlights that synergism between CTB and MyD88-dependent TLR signals selectively imprints a TI IgA-inducing capacity in non-mucosal DCs, explaining how CTB acts as an IgA promoting adjuvant.

An ecological momentary intervention for smoking cessation: The associations of just-in-time, tailored messages with lapse risk factors.

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Hébert, Emily T; Stevens, Elise M; Frank, Summer G; Kendzor, Darla E; Wetter, David W; Zvolensky, Michael J; Buckner, Julia D; Businelle, Michael S

2018-03-01

Smartphone apps can provide real-time, tailored interventions for smoking cessation. The current study examines the effectiveness of a smartphone-based smoking cessation application that assessed risk for imminent smoking lapse multiple times per day and provided messages tailored to current smoking lapse risk and specific lapse triggers. Participants (N=59) recruited from a safety-net hospital smoking cessation clinic completed phone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) 5 times/day for 3 consecutive weeks (1week pre-quit, 2weeks post-quit). Risk for smoking lapse was estimated in real-time using a novel weighted lapse risk estimator. With each EMA, participants received messages tailored to current level of risk for imminent smoking lapse and self-reported presence of smoking urge, stress, cigarette availability, and motivation to quit. Generalized linear mixed model analyses determined whether messages tailored to specific lapse risk factors were associated with greater reductions in these triggers than messages not tailored to specific triggers. Overall, messages tailored to smoking urge, cigarette availability, or stress corresponded with greater reductions in those triggers than messages that were not tailored to specific triggers (p's=0.02 to <0.001). Although messages tailored to stress were associated with greater reductions in stress than messages not tailored to stress, the association was non-significant (p=0.892) when only moments of high stress were included in the analysis. Mobile technology can be used to conduct real-time smoking lapse risk assessment and provide tailored treatment content. Findings provide initial evidence that tailored content may impact users' urge to smoke, stress, and cigarette availability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A prospective study on oral manifestations in selective IgA deficient patients in children medical center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (2000- 2001

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Pourpak Z.

2001-09-01

Full Text Available "nAbstract: IgA selective deficiency is the most common immunodeficiency. The prevalence of it in different races varies from  to . Since secretary IgA has has a defensive role in the mucosal surfaces, supposing is thought that IgA deficiency will be accompanied by oral manifestations. The previous studies showed controversial results about that. The aim of this cohort study was to finding out oral manifestations in IgA- deficient individuals. As s result oral specialists can find the patients in early stages. 11 IgA- deficient patients (with IgA level < 10 mg/dl in serum and 11 normal volunteers with the same age and sex were compared. The ages of the people were between 3 and 18 years old and 5 girls and 6 boys were in each group. Their oral examination included DMFT (Decayed, Missed and Filled Teeth, periodontal condition, Plaque accumulation and oral mucosal lesions. Saliva immunoglobulin and secretary component levels were detected by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and serum immunoglobulin levels were detected by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID methods. All of the IgA- deficient patients had the serum IgA level < 10 mg/dl and their immunoglobulin levels were normal.  of these patients didn't have SIgA and the rest of them had a little SIgA in their saliva(<  SIgA levels in sex and age matched normal group. IgA deficient patients showed no statistical significant difference about oral manifestations in comparison with normal group. It may be related to the increase of compensatory SIgM or assistance of other non- immunological defense factors in saliva, phagocytosis and cellular immunity. Thus IgA- deficiency cannot produce any oral manifestations as a criteria to diagnose it.

Detection of circulating immune complexes of human IgA and beta 2 glycoprotein I in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome symptomatology.

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Martínez-Flores, José A; Serrano, Manuel; Pérez, Dolores; Lora, David; Paz-Artal, Estela; Morales, José M; Serrano, Antonio

2015-07-01

Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) have a hypercoagulable condition associated with the presence of antiphospholipid autoantibodies (aPL). Consensus antibodies for diagnosis are lupus anticoagulant, anti-beta2 glycoprotein I (B2GPI) and anticardiolipin (IgG or IgM). Circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) of B2GPI associated with IgM or IgG were reported. Isolated IgA aB2GPI antibodies have achieved high diagnostic value although specific CIC of B2GPI bounded to IgA (B2A-CIC) has still not been described. CIC detection assays are mainly based on interaction with complement and are not appropriate to detect B2A-CIC because IgA does not fix complement using the classical pathway. Sera from healthy blood donors (N= 247) and from patients with thrombosis background and isolate positive for IgA aB2GPI (N = 68) were studied in a case-control study. Two methods were applied, these being a capture ELISA to quantify specific B2A-CIC and quantification of total IgA anti-B2GPI after dissociating CIC. B2A-CIC values in APS-patients were 19.27 ± 2.6 AU vs 6.1 ± 0.4 AU in blood donors (p < 0.001). There were 36.4% B2A-CIC positive patients (cutoff 21 AU) versus 5.5% in blood donors (p < 0.001). Dissociated IgA aB2GPI levels (total IgA aB2GPI) were 146.8 ± 10.8 IU/mL in patients vs. 22.4 IU/mL in controls (p < 0.001). B2A-CIC was independent of B2GPI and autoantibodies IgA aB2GPI serum levels. B2A-CIC can be identified and quantified in an easy and reproducible manner using two complement-independent methods. The use of these tests in prospective studies will allow better understanding of the prognosis and outcome of patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Calibrating vadose zone models with time-lapse gravity data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Lars; Binning, Philip John; Rosbjerg, Dan

2011-01-01

The vadose zone plays an important role in the hydrologic cycle. Various geophysical methods can determine soil water content variations in time and space in volumes ranging from a few cubic centimeters to several cubic meters. In contrast to the established methods, time-lapse gravity measurements...... of changes in soil water content do not rely on a petrophysical relationship between the measured quantity and the water content but give a direct measure of the mass change in the soil. Only recently has the vadose zone been systematically incorporated when ground-based gravity data are used to infer...... hydrologic information. In this study, changes in the soil water content gave rise to a measurable signal in a forced infiltration experiment on a 107-m2 grassland area. Time-lapse gravity data were able to constrain the van Genuchten soil hydraulic parameters in both a synthetic example and a field...

COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS OF A PROGRESSIVE MOBILIZATION AND MOZART MUSIC THERAPY ON NON-INVASIVE HEMODYNAMIC STATUS CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD INJURY IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

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Novi Indriani

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: The instability of hemodynamic status in patients with head injury with decreased consciousness has an effect on the increase of intracranial pressure. The recovery of hemodynamic status can be done through nursing intervention either by providing a sensory stimulus (music therapy or motor stimulus (progressive mobilization. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of progressive mobilization of level I with Mozart's music therapy on non-invasive hemodynamic status changes in patients with head injury with decreased awareness. Methods: This was a quasy-experimental study with pretest-posttest design. There were 34 samples selected using consecutive sampling, which 17 samples assigned in a group of progressive mobilization and group of music therapy. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon test were used for paired group, and Independent t-test and Mann-Whitney test for unpaired group. Results: Progressive mobilization of level I had significant effect on changes in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0001, diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.002 and MAP (p = 0.019, and no significant effect on heart rate (p = 0.155, respiration (p = 0.895 and oxygen saturation (p = 0.248. Mozart's music therapy had a significant effect on changes in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0001, diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.0001, respiration (p= 0.032 and oxygen saturation (p = 0.008, but no effect on MAP (p = 0.561. There was a significant difference between the two interventions in the systolic blood pressure and heart rate variables (p 0.05. Conclusion: The Mozart's music therapy is more effective on non-invasive hemodynamic status changes in patients with head injury with decreased consciousness compared with progressive mobilization of level I.

Time-lapse electrical geophysical monitoring of amendment-based biostimulation

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Johnson, Timothy C.; Versteeg, Roelof J.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Major, William; Lane, John W.

2015-01-01

Biostimulation is increasingly used to accelerate microbial remediation of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants. Effective application of biostimulation requires successful emplacement of amendment in the contaminant target zone. Verification of remediation performance requires postemplacement assessment and contaminant monitoring. Sampling-based approaches are expensive and provide low-density spatial and temporal information. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is an effective geophysical method for determining temporal changes in subsurface electrical conductivity. Because remedial amendments and biostimulation-related biogeochemical processes often change subsurface electrical conductivity, ERT can complement and enhance sampling-based approaches for assessing emplacement and monitoring biostimulation-based remediation.Field studies demonstrating the ability of time-lapse ERT to monitor amendment emplacement and behavior were performed during a biostimulation remediation effort conducted at the Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Yard, in Brandywine, Maryland, United States. Geochemical fluid sampling was used to calibrate a petrophysical relation in order to predict groundwater indicators of amendment distribution. The petrophysical relations were field validated by comparing predictions to sequestered fluid sample results, thus demonstrating the potential of electrical geophysics for quantitative assessment of amendment-related geochemical properties. Crosshole radar zero-offset profile and borehole geophysical logging were also performed to augment the data set and validate interpretation.In addition to delineating amendment transport in the first 10 months after emplacement, the time-lapse ERT results show later changes in bulk electrical properties interpreted as mineral precipitation. Results support the use of more cost-effective surface-based ERT in conjunction with limited field sampling to improve spatial

Near-surface temperature lapse rates in a mountainous catchment in the Chilean Andes

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Ayala; Schauwecker, S.; Pellicciotti, F.; McPhee, J. P.

2011-12-01

In mountainous areas, and in the Chilean Andes in particular, the irregular and sparse distribution of recording stations resolves insufficiently the variability of climatic factors such as precipitation, temperature and relative humidity. Assumptions about air temperature variability in space and time have a strong effect on the performance of hydrologic models that represent snow processes such as accumulation and ablation. These processes have large diurnal variations, and assumptions that average over longer time periods (days, weeks or months) may reduce the predictive capacity of these models under different climatic conditions from those for which they were calibrated. They also introduce large uncertainties when such models are used to predict processes with strong subdiurnal variability such as snowmelt dynamics. In many applications and modeling exercises, temperature is assumed to decrease linearly with elevation, using the free-air moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALR: 0.0065°C/m). Little evidence is provided for this assumption, however, and recent studies have shown that use of lapse rates that are uniform in space and constant in time is not appropriate. To explore the validity of this approach, near-surface (2 m) lapse rates were calculated and analyzed at different temporal resolution, based on a new data set of spatially distributed temperature sensors setup in a high elevation catchment of the dry Andes of Central Chile (approx. 33°S). Five minutes temperature data were collected between January 2011 and April 2011 in the Ojos de Agua catchment, using two Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) and 13 T-loggers (Hobo H8 Pro Temp with external data logger), ranging in altitude from 2230 to 3590 m.s.l.. The entire catchment was snow free during our experiment. We use this unique data set to understand the main controls over temperature variability in time and space, and test whether lapse rates can be used to describe the spatial variations of air

Inter and intra-observer variability of time-lapse annotations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundvall Germeys, Linda Karin M; Ingerslev, Hans Jakob; Knudsen, Ulla Breth

. This provides the basis for further investigation of embryo assessment and selection by time-lapse imaging in prospective trials. Study funding/competing interest(s): Research at the Fertility Clinic was funded by an unrestricted grant from Ferring and MSD. The authors have no competing interests to declare....

Bacteria as a target of human milk and myeloma IgA

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Přibylová, Jaroslava; Moldoveanu, Z.; Mestecky, J.; Tlaskalová, Helena

2009-01-01

Roč. 39, - (2009), s. 760-760 ISSN 0014-2980. [European Congress of Immunology /2./. 13.09.2009-16.09.2009, Berlin] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : human milk * myeloma IgA Subject RIV: EC - Immunology

Recognition of a 30,000 MW antigen of Giardia muris trophozoites by intestinal IgA from Giardia-infected mice.

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Heyworth, M F; Pappo, J

1990-08-01

The principal aims of this work were (i) to identify the molecular weight (MW) of Giardia muris trophozoite antigens that are recognized by IgA in small intestinal secretions from G. muris-infected mice, and (ii) to determine whether mouse intestinal Giardia-specific IgA is directed against trophozoite surfaces. BALB/c mice were infected with G. muris cysts, and intestinal secretions were harvested from these mice at various times after the start of Giardia infection, and from uninfected mice. Flow cytometry showed that intestinal IgA from G. muris-infected mice, but not from uninfected mice, became bound to trophozoite surfaces in vitro. Western blotting of trophozoite proteins with mouse intestinal secretions showed that IgA from Giardia-infected mice reacted specifically with a broad protein band of approximately 30,000 MW. This finding suggests that one or more trophozoite proteins of approximately 30,000 MW are targets for intestinal antibody in mice infected with G. muris.

Metabolic changes during B cell differentiation for the production of intestinal IgA antibody.

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Kunisawa, Jun

2017-04-01

To sustain the bio-energetic demands of growth, proliferation, and effector functions, the metabolism of immune cells changes dramatically in response to immunologic stimuli. In this review, I focus on B cell metabolism, especially regarding the production of intestinal IgA antibody. Accumulating evidence has implicated not only host-derived factors (e.g., cytokines) but also gut environmental factors, including the possible involvement of commensal bacteria and diet, in the control of B cell metabolism during intestinal IgA antibody production. These findings yield new insights into the regulation of immunosurveillance and homeostasis in the gut.

Clinical efficacy of anti-glycopeptidolipid-core IgA test for diagnosing Mycobacterium avium complex infection in lung.

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Numata, Takanori; Araya, Jun; Yoshii, Yutaka; Shimizu, Kenichiro; Hara, Hiromichi; Nakayama, Katsutoshi; Kuwano, Kazuyoshi

2015-11-01

It is difficult to verify the bacteriological diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. The anti-glycopeptidolipid (GPL)-core IgA antibody test was recently developed as a diagnostic method for MAC pulmonary disease. Only a few studies evaluate its clinical efficacy. We conducted retrospective evaluations of clinical characteristics of patients suspected of MAC infection to explore the usefulness of the anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test. We retrospectively evaluated 296 patients who were suspected to have MAC infection and underwent anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test between March 2013 and July 2014 in Jikei University hospital. A total of 29 patients were diagnosed with 'definite MAC' based on the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria with multiple identifications of MAC. On the other hand, 106 patients were diagnosed with other pulmonary diseases than MAC. The sensitivity and specificity of anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test for MAC diagnosis were 58.6% and 98.1%, respectively. The definite MAC group showed no significant differences in strains, treatment history or number of segments involved. The duration of MAC disease in the positive-antibody group was significantly longer than in the negative-antibody group (P = 0.046). A significant increase in the false-negative rate was observed in patients with malignant disease (P = 0.029). The anti-GPL-core IgA antibody test demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of MAC infection especially in patients without malignant diseases. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Diagnosis and follow-up of genital chlamydial infection by direct methods and by detection of serum IgG, IgA and secretory IgA

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Fresse A

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a high-risk population by direct and indirect methods and to evaluate the diagnosis of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA. Patients and Methods: Urethral or endocervical specimens from 78 patients (48 females and 30 males were examined by cell culture, direct fluorescence assay, PCR Cobas Amplicor (Roche Molecular Diagnostics, and sIgA was detected by the recombinant lipopolysaccharide (LPS-enzyme-linked immunoassay (rELISA. Serum from each patient was also obtained and analysed for the presence of IgG and IgA antibody by in-house microimmunofluorescence (MIF and by the rELISA method (Medac, Hamburg, Germany. Results: The overall C. trachomatis prevalence determined by direct methods was 28%. The detection of sIgA antibodies was significantly higher in the group of patients with a positive direct detection (50% than in the group of negative direct detection (10.7%. The Chlamydia-specific IgA antibodies were detected by the rELISA in 40.9 and 53.6% of group I (positive direct detection and group II patients (negative direct detection, respectively. The species-specific IgA antibodies were detected by the MIF method in 18.2 and 16.1% of group I and II patients, respectively. Chlamydia genus-specific IgG antibodies were detected by the rELISA in 86.4 and 83.9% of group I and group II patients and, C. trachomatis specific IgG were present in 81.8 and 73.2% of group I and group II patients, respectively, as assessed by the MIF test. Conclusion: Combining the positive direct methods and/or positive sIgA antibody results from cervical or urethral specimens had an indication of current C. trachomatis infection.

"Iga päev..." : [luuletused] / Doris Kareva

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kareva, Doris, 1958-

2001-01-01

Tekst eesti ja inglise k. D. Kareva lühibiograafia eesti ja inglise k. lk. 175. Sisu: "Iga päev..." = "Every day..." ; "Ma nägin unes - Saatan kõneles..." = "I dream that I heard Satan speak..." ; "Viib sünnieelsest unest surmaunne..." = "Rainbow-coloured confusion bears us..." ; "Vaadeldes vikerkaarlevat maailma..." = "Viewing the rainbowing world..." ; "Ei jõua kirjutada puhtandit..." = "No time to write the final draft..." ; "Põletatud luuletused..." = ""Burnt poems..." ; Fraktalia ; Müsteerium 1-5 = Enigma 1-5 ; "Jumal juhtub..." = "God happens..." ; Moira 1-7 = Wishing well 1-7 ; Concerto strumenti e voce

Application of a linear finite-frequency theory to time-lapse crosswell tomography in ultrasonic and numerical experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spetzler, J.; Sijacic, D.; Wolf, K.H.A.A.

2007-01-01

Time-lapse seismic monitoring is the geophysical discipline whereby multiple data sets recorded at the same location but at different times are used to locate and quantify temporal changes in the elastic parameters of the subsurface. We validate a time-lapse monitoring method by crosswell tomography

Serum IgG and IgA levels in polio and non-polio acute flaccid paralysis cases in western Uttar Pradesh, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohanty, Madhu C; Nalavade, Uma P; Deshpande, Jagadish M

2015-03-08

IgG and IgA immunocompetence of children with wild poliovirus poliomyelitis and non-polio acute flaccid paralysis. 932 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, reported in 2008-2009, were tested for presence of polio and non-polio enteroviruses according to the WHO standards. Serum IgA and IgG levels were determined by sandwich ELISA. Mean (SD) IgA levels [0.87 (0.62)g/L; n=28] of virologically confirmed poliomyelitis cases were lower than those of virus negative [1.21 (0.83)g/L; n=612] and non-polio Enterovirus positive [1.22 (0.79)g/L; n=240] cases of acute flaccid paralysis. No significant difference was observed in the concentration of IgG among these groups. IgA plays an important role in protection against poliomyelitis.

The efficacy of musical emotions provoked by Mozart's music for the reconciliation of cognitive dissonance.

Science.gov (United States)

Masataka, Nobuo; Perlovsky, Leonid

2012-01-01

Debates on the origin and function of music have a long history. While some scientists argue that music itself plays no adaptive role in human evolution, others suggest that music clearly has an evolutionary role, and point to music's universality. A recent hypothesis suggested that a fundamental function of music has been to help mitigating cognitive dissonance, which is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting cognitions simultaneously. It usually leads to devaluation of conflicting knowledge. Here we provide experimental confirmation of this hypothesis using a classical paradigm known to create cognitive dissonance. Results of our experiment reveal that the exposure to Mozart's music exerted a strongly positive influence upon the performance of young children and served as basis by which they were enabled to reconcile the cognitive dissonance.

Allergen-specific IgG and IgA in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in a model of experimental feline asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, C R; Byerly, J R; Decile, K C; Berghaus, R D; Walby, W F; Schelegle, E S; Hyde, D M; Gershwin, L J

2003-12-15

Allergic asthma, a Th2 cell driven response to inhaled allergens, has classically been thought of as predominantly mediated by IgE antibodies. To investigate the role of other immunoglobulin classes (e.g., IgG and IgA) in the immunopathogenesis of allergic asthma, levels of these allergen-specific immunoglobulins were measured in serum and mucosal fluids. Bermuda grass allergen (BGA)-specific IgG and IgA ELISAs in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were developed and optimized in an experimental model of BGA-induced feline asthma. Levels of BGA-specific IgG and IgA significantly increased over time in serum and BALF after allergen sensitization. Additionally, these elevated levels of BGA-specific IgG and IgA were seen in conjunction with the development of an asthmatic phenotype indicated by positive intradermal skin tests, enhanced airways hyperreactivity, and increased eosinophil percentages in the BALF.

In Acute IgA Nephropathy, Proteinuria and Creatinine Are in the Spot, but Podocyturia Operates in Silence: Any Place for Amiloride?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Trimarchi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available IgA nephropathy is the most frequent cause of primary glomerulonephritis, portends erratic patterns of clinical presentation, and lacks specific treatment. In general, it slowly progresses to end-stage renal disease. The clinical course and the response to therapy are usually assessed with proteinuria and serum creatinine. Validated biomarkers have not been identified yet. In this report, we present a case of acute renal injury with proteinuria and microscopic hematuria in a young male. A kidney biopsy disclosed IgA nephropathy. Podocyturia was significantly elevated compared to normal subjects. Proteinuria, renal function, and podocyturia improved promptly after steroids and these variables remained normal after one year of follow-up, when steroids had already been discontinued and patient continued on valsartan and amiloride. Our report demonstrates that podocyturia is critically elevated during an acute episode of IgA nephropathy, and its occurrence may explain the grim long-term prognosis of this entity. Whether podocyturia could be employed in IgA nephropathy as a trustable biomarker for treatment assessment or even for early diagnosis of IgA nephropathy relapses should be further investigated.

Evaluation of salivary glucose, IgA and flow rate in diabetic patients: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakianian Vaziri, P; Vahedi, M; Mortazavi, H; Abdollahzadeh, Sh; Hajilooi, M

2010-01-01

An association between diabetes mellitus and alterations in the oral cavity has been noted. In this study, we evaluated differences between salivary IgA, glucose and flow rate in diabetic patients compared with healthy controls. Forty patients with type 1 diabetes, 40 patients with type 2 diabetes and 40 healthy controls were selected. Whole unstimulated saliva samples were collected by the standard method and the salivary flow rate was determined. Nephelometric and Pars method were used to measure salivary IgA and salivary glucose concentrations, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square and t test. There were no significant differences in salivary IgA and glucose concentrations between type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients and their matched control subjects (P>0.05). Salivary flow rate was significantly lower in diabetic patients (Pdiabetic patients than the controls. Determination of salivary constituents may be useful in the description and management of oral findings in diabetic patients.

Raised serum IgA to common cell envelope antigens supports enterobacterial inductive contribution to pathogenesis of secondary ankylosing spondylitis.

Science.gov (United States)

van Bohemen, C G; Weterings, E; Nabbe, A J; Mulder, C J; Goei The, H S; Zanen, H C

1987-04-01

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is closely associated with the histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27. Pathogenesis of AS is thought to involve interactions between B27 and certain enterobacterial antigens. However, enterobacterial involvement is uncertain and contested by some. The present paper demonstrates raised serum IgA to a common enterobacterial heat modifiable major outer membrane protein (h-momp; Mr 35,000) in active AS (N = 25; IgA = 1485 +/- 20) compared with controls, who were hospital patients without known arthropathies or gastro-intestinal disease (N = 12; IgA = 548 +/- 59). Serum IgG and IgM did not differ statistically. Raised serum IgA to h-momp might indicate enterobacterial antigenic stimulation from the gastro-intestinal tract and thus support an inductive contribution of enterobacterial antigens to the pathogenesis of secondary AS. It does not necessarily imply direct involvement in the pathogenesis of primary AS. H-momp appears to be a convenient tool for serological studies of AS and at present is likely to be more suitable than other bacterial antigens.

Comparison of mucosal lining fluid sampling methods and influenza-specific IgA detection assays for use in human studies of influenza immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

de Silva, Thushan I; Gould, Victoria; Mohammed, Nuredin I; Cope, Alethea; Meijer, Adam; Zutt, Ilse; Reimerink, Johan; Kampmann, Beate; Hoschler, Katja; Zambon, Maria; Tregoning, John S

2017-10-01

We need greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying protection against influenza virus to develop more effective vaccines. To do this, we need better, more reproducible methods of sampling the nasal mucosa. The aim of the current study was to compare levels of influenza virus A subtype-specific IgA collected using three different methods of nasal sampling. Samples were collected from healthy adult volunteers before and after LAIV immunization by nasal wash, flocked swabs and Synthetic Absorptive Matrix (SAM) strips. Influenza A virus subtype-specific IgA levels were measured by haemagglutinin binding ELISA or haemagglutinin binding microarray and the functional response was assessed by microneutralization. Nasosorption using SAM strips lead to the recovery of a more concentrated sample of material, with a significantly higher level of total and influenza H1-specific IgA. However, an equivalent percentage of specific IgA was observed with all sampling methods when normalized to the total IgA. Responses measured using a recently developed antibody microarray platform, which allows evaluation of binding to multiple influenza strains simultaneously with small sample volumes, were compared to ELISA. There was a good correlation between ELISA and microarray values. Material recovered from SAM strips was weakly neutralizing when used in an in vitro assay, with a modest correlation between the level of IgA measured by ELISA and neutralization, but a greater correlation between microarray-measured IgA and neutralizing activity. In conclusion we have tested three different methods of nasal sampling and show that flocked swabs and novel SAM strips are appropriate alternatives to traditional nasal washes for assessment of mucosal influenza humoral immunity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical exercise, salivary IgA and mood states of elderly people

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Martins

2008-01-01

Full Text Available It is generally accepted that the aging process is associated with immunosenescence. On the other hand, physical activity has been consistently associated with positive states of affection and mood which also implies gains on psychological well-being. However, more studies are needed to support the benefit effect of exercise on specific population groups like the elderly. The purpose of the present work is to study the functional fitness, mood states and salivary IgA chronic adaptations after a physical exercise program. 28 subjects aged between 65 and 95 years old participated in this study. The experimental group exercised during 16 weeks, 3 times per week. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the data. The results showed positive changes on the functional fitness that reinforce the trainability principle of the older person. The data shows also an improvement in mood states and chronic positive effects on salivary IgA after the exercise program.

Combined IL-12 receptor and IgA deficiency in an adult man intestinally infested by an unknown, non-cultivable mycobacterium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schejbel, L; Rasmussen, E M; Kemp, Helle Bruunsgaard

2011-01-01

deficiencies could promote illness. Even though the IgA deficiency in itself does not predispose to mycobacterial disease, the lack of secreted IgA may have disturbed the intestinal homoeostasis and increased the susceptibility to the low-virulent mycobacterium that the patient was not able to clear because...

Prevalence of antigliadin IgA antibodies in psoriasis vulgaris and response of seropositive patients to a gluten-free diet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kolchak NA

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nikolai A Kolchak,1 Maria K Tetarnikova,2 Maria S Theodoropoulou,3 Alexandra P Michalopoulou,4 Demetrios S Theodoropoulos5 1Department of Hematology, Omsk State Medical Academy, Omsk, Russia; 2Dermatology Private Practice, Chelyabinsk, Russia; 3Department of Pharmacy, Trikala General Hospital, Trikala, Greece; 4Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, School of Philosophy, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece; 5Allergy Associates of La Crosse, Onalaska, WI, USA Introduction: The course of psoriasis relies on a variety of metabolic and immunological parameters. Identification of underlying pro-inflammatory conditions and their control is desired for optimal management. Background: Increased prevalence of serum markers for celiac disease has been reported among patients with psoriasis. The likelihood of occult celiac disease in a subpopulation of patients has been postulated and gluten-free diets have been reported to be effective. Patients and methods: The prevalence of gliadin IgA antibodies was assessed among patients with psoriasis in an urban population. The clinical effects of a strict gluten-free diet were followed. Results: Over a 2-year period, 97 patients with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index greater than 2.4 were recruited from a population followed in a dermatology clinic. Gliadin IgA antibodies were assessed in all participants and in 91 controls. Elevated gliadin IgA antibodies were found in 13 patients (14% and two controls (2%. Values in five patients were assessed as greater than 30.0 U/mL or “strong positive” according to the manufacturer of the assay. All 13 patients were placed on a strict gluten-free diet without any other modifications in their ongoing treatment of psoriasis. Improvement of psoriatic lesions was observed in all patients with positive gliadin IgA antibodies but the decline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score and the scaling down of pharmaceutical treatment was more pronounced in the five

Impact of densitized lapse slicings on evolutions of a wobbling black hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sperhake, Ulrich; Smith, Kenneth L.; Kelly, Bernard; Laguna, Pablo; Shoemaker, Deirdre

2004-01-01

We present long-term stable and convergent evolutions of an excised wobbling black hole. Our results clearly demonstrate that the use of a densitized lapse function extends the lifetime of simulations dramatically. We also show the improvement in the stability of single static black holes when an algebraic densitized lapse condition is applied. In addition, we introduce a computationally inexpensive approach for tracking the location of the singularity suitable for mildly distorted black holes. The method is based on investigating the fall-off behavior and asymmetry of appropriate grid variables. This simple tracking method allows one to adjust the location of the excision region to follow the coordinate motion of the singularity

Time-Lapse Electrical Geophysical Monitoring of Amendment-Based Biostimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Timothy C; Versteeg, Roelof J; Day-Lewis, Frederick D; Major, William; Lane, John W

2015-01-01

Biostimulation is increasingly used to accelerate microbial remediation of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants. Effective application of biostimulation requires successful emplacement of amendment in the contaminant target zone. Verification of remediation performance requires postemplacement assessment and contaminant monitoring. Sampling-based approaches are expensive and provide low-density spatial and temporal information. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is an effective geophysical method for determining temporal changes in subsurface electrical conductivity. Because remedial amendments and biostimulation-related biogeochemical processes often change subsurface electrical conductivity, ERT can complement and enhance sampling-based approaches for assessing emplacement and monitoring biostimulation-based remediation. Field studies demonstrating the ability of time-lapse ERT to monitor amendment emplacement and behavior were performed during a biostimulation remediation effort conducted at the Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Yard, in Brandywine, Maryland, United States. Geochemical fluid sampling was used to calibrate a petrophysical relation in order to predict groundwater indicators of amendment distribution. The petrophysical relations were field validated by comparing predictions to sequestered fluid sample results, thus demonstrating the potential of electrical geophysics for quantitative assessment of amendment-related geochemical properties. Crosshole radar zero-offset profile and borehole geophysical logging were also performed to augment the data set and validate interpretation. In addition to delineating amendment transport in the first 10 months after emplacement, the time-lapse ERT results show later changes in bulk electrical properties interpreted as mineral precipitation. Results support the use of more cost-effective surface-based ERT in conjunction with limited field sampling to improve spatial

Slope Environmental Lapse Rate (SELR of Temperature in the Monsoon Regime of the Western Himalaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renoj J. Thayyen

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The interplay of moisture, temperature, and precipitation forced through the orographic processes sustain and regulate the Himalayan cryospheric system. However, factors influencing the Slope Environmental Lapse Rate (SELR of temperature along the Himalayan mountain slopes and an appropriate modeling solution remain as a key knowledge gaps. The present study evaulates the SELR variations in the monsoon regime of the western Himalaya and proposes a modeling solution for the valley scale SELR assessment. SELR of selected station pairs in the Sutlej and Beas basins ranging between the elevation of 662–3,130 m a.s.l. and that of Garhwal Himalaya between 770 and 3,820 m a.s.l. were assessed in this study. Results suggest that the moisture–temperature interplay is not only forcing the seasonal variations, but also the elevation-depended variability of the temperature SELR. Temperature lapse rate constrianed to the nival–glacier regime is found to be comparable to the saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR and lower than the valley scale SELR. The study also suggests that the bi-modal pattern of the annual temperature lapse rates earlier observed in the Nepal Himalaya is extended up to upper Ganga, Sutlej, and Beas basins in the western Himalaya. This seasonal variability of SELR is found to be closly linked with the seasonal variations in the lifting condensation levels (LCLs over the region. Inter-annual variation in SELR of the nival–glacier regime are found to be significant while that of the valley scale SELR are more stable. We propose a simple preliminary but robust model for deriving the valley scale SELR of monsoon regime modifying the equation governing pseudo adiabatic lapse rate. The SELR modeling solution is achieved by deriving monthly SELR indices using the data of two station pairs in the Sutlej and Beas basins during the 1986–2005 period through K-fold cross validation. The model sucessfully captures seasonal SELR variations

AVIDITY EVALUATION OF LOCAL IgA ANTIBODIES IN PERSONS IMMUNIZED WITH LIVE INFLUENZA VACCINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Donina

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. At present, immunogenicity evaluation of influenza vaccines is performed by quantitative assessment of increased serum antibodies. It was, however, shown that the degree of human defense against influenza is mostly related to their qualitative characteristics, i.e., avidity (functional activity. Leading role of local immunity is demonstrated in protection against influenza. Such immunity is mediated by IgA antibodies from mucosal airways. Meanwhile, the avidity issues for local antibodies still remain open.In present study, an attempt was undertaken to evaluate post-vaccination local immunological memory for influenza A virus, according to IgA antibodies from upper respiratory secretions. Two techniques were used to evaluate antibody avidity, that were previously applied for studying this phenomenon with serum imunoglobulins, i.e., a dynamic test (measurement of antigen-antibody reaction rates, and a test with urea, a chaotropic agent (avidity is determined as a strength of antigen-antibody complex. A total of 202 persons (18 to 20 years old were enrolled into the study.With both tests, a broad range of individual avidity values was observed for the antibodies. A significant cohort (up to 30 per cent of persons immunized with live influenza vaccine, showed sharply increased avidity of secretory IgA antibodies by both methods, along with accumulation of these immunoglobulins after vaccination. A reverse relationship is revealed between avidity levels of these antibodies before vaccination, and increase of this parameter post-immunization. The data present convincing arguments for specific renewal of local humoral immunological memory, as induced by live influenza vaccine. The study substantiates a necessity for application of the both tests in parallel, when determining avidity of secretory IgA antibodies. (Med. Immunol., vol. 10, N 4-5, pp 423-430.

[Contribution of the detection of IgA antibodies to the laboratory diagnosis of mumps in the population with a high vaccination coverage].

Science.gov (United States)

Limberková, R; Smíšková, D; Havlíčková, M; Herrmannová, K; Lexová, P; Malý, M

2015-03-01

Serological diagnosis of epidemic mumps can be difficult in vaccinated persons, particularly due to the absence of specific IgM antibodies. The aim was to find whether adding the detection of IgA antibodies to the currently used routine serological diagnosis of mumps (detection of IgM and IgG antibodies in an acute serum sample) would make the serological diagnosis of mumps more effective in a population with a high vaccination coverage. At the same time, ELISA kits for the detection of early IgA and IgM antibodies against the mumps virus were compared and statistical analysis of the results was performed. Sixty-four acute sera from patients with laboratory confirmed diagnosis of mumps were included in the study. Clinical specimens were collected at the onset of clinical symptoms. To test the sera, the MASTAZYME ELISA Mumps IgA kit (MAST DIAGNOSTICA, Germany) with the MASTSORB sorbent (RF and IgG) and Enzygnost Anti-Parotitis-Virus/IgM kit (Siemens, Germany) were used. A panel of 121 acute sera with no epidemiological link to mumps virus served as specificity controls for the IgA assay. The epidemiological data were derived from the EPIDAT system. The level of agreement was assessed using the McNemara test and Cohen's coefficient kappa. The Stata 9.2 software (Stata Corp LP, College Station, USA) was used for statistical analysis. The detection of IgA and IgM antibodies against the mumps virus yielded concordant results in 50/64 acute sera, 32 positive and 18 negative, i.e. an agreement of 78.12 %. Of the remaining 14 samples, 13 were only IgA positive and one was only IgM positive. The controls showed non-specific IgA positivity in 5/121 samples which indicates a 96% specificity. The absence of specific IgM antibodies against mumps virus is relatively often seen in vaccinated indivi-duals; nevertheless, the test is routinely used in patients with suspected active infection. The test for IgA antibodies, which is not routinely performed, significantly increased the

Complement factor H-related proteins in IgA nephropathy-sometimes a gentle nudge does the trick.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurman, Joshua M; Laskowski, Jennifer

2017-10-01

Complement activation probably contributes to glomerular inflammation and damage in IgA nephropathy. In this issue, 2 groups report that levels of factor H-related protein 1 are elevated in patients with IgA nephropathy and correlate with disease progression. These studies provide new evidence that the complement cascade is important to the pathogenesis of this disease. These results also suggest that factor H-related protein 1 levels may be useful for identifying those patients at high risk of disease progression. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The human intestinal IgA response; burning questions.

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Jo eSpencer

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that generate the human intestinal IgA response is fundamentally important if effective mucosal vaccination is to be successful and broadly applied. There have been several major advances in this field recently that have allowed us to feel optimistic that this will be achieved. However, there are still many unanswered questions. These questions have been used as a scaffold for this review that considers findings at the current leading edge alongside the many uncertainties in this field.

Placental transfer of maternally-derived IgA precludes the use of guthrie card eluates as a screening tool for primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephan Borte

Full Text Available There is a need for neonatal screening tools to improve the long-term clinical outcome of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID. Recently, a PCR-based screening method for both TRECs and KRECs using Guthrie card samples has been developed. However, the applicability of these excision circle assays is limited to patients with severe T or B cell lymphopenia (SCID, XLA and A-T, whereas the most common forms of PID are not detected. Absence of serum IgA is seen in a major fraction of patients with immunological defects. As serum IgA in newborns is considered to be of fetal origin, eluates from routinely collected dried blood spot samples might thus be suitable for identification of children with PID. To assess the applicability of such screening assays, stored Guthrie card samples were obtained from 47 patients with various forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (SCID, XLA, A-T, HIGM and IgAD, 20 individuals with normal serum IgA levels born to IgA-deficient mothers and 51 matched healthy newborns. Surprisingly, normal serum IgA levels were found in all SCID, XLA, A-T and HIGM patients and, additionally, in all those IgAD patients born to IgA-sufficient mothers. Conversely, no serum IgA was found in any of the 16 IgAD patients born by IgA-deficient mothers. Moreover, half of the IgA-sufficient individuals born by IgA-deficient mothers also lacked IgA at birth whereas no IgA-deficient individuals were found among the controls. IgA in neonatal dried blood samples thus appears to be of both maternal and fetal origin and precludes its use as a reliable marker for neonatal screening of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Placental transfer of maternally-derived IgA precludes the use of guthrie card eluates as a screening tool for primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Borte, Stephan; Janzi, Magdalena; Pan-Hammarström, Qiang; von Döbeln, Ulrika; Nordvall, Lennart; Winiarski, Jacek; Fasth, Anders; Hammarström, Lennart

2012-01-01

There is a need for neonatal screening tools to improve the long-term clinical outcome of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Recently, a PCR-based screening method for both TRECs and KRECs using Guthrie card samples has been developed. However, the applicability of these excision circle assays is limited to patients with severe T or B cell lymphopenia (SCID, XLA and A-T), whereas the most common forms of PID are not detected. Absence of serum IgA is seen in a major fraction of patients with immunological defects. As serum IgA in newborns is considered to be of fetal origin, eluates from routinely collected dried blood spot samples might thus be suitable for identification of children with PID. To assess the applicability of such screening assays, stored Guthrie card samples were obtained from 47 patients with various forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (SCID, XLA, A-T, HIGM and IgAD), 20 individuals with normal serum IgA levels born to IgA-deficient mothers and 51 matched healthy newborns. Surprisingly, normal serum IgA levels were found in all SCID, XLA, A-T and HIGM patients and, additionally, in all those IgAD patients born to IgA-sufficient mothers. Conversely, no serum IgA was found in any of the 16 IgAD patients born by IgA-deficient mothers. Moreover, half of the IgA-sufficient individuals born by IgA-deficient mothers also lacked IgA at birth whereas no IgA-deficient individuals were found among the controls. IgA in neonatal dried blood samples thus appears to be of both maternal and fetal origin and precludes its use as a reliable marker for neonatal screening of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Predictive modeling of addiction lapses in a mobile health application.

Science.gov (United States)

Chih, Ming-Yuan; Patton, Timothy; McTavish, Fiona M; Isham, Andrew J; Judkins-Fisher, Chris L; Atwood, Amy K; Gustafson, David H

2014-01-01

The chronically relapsing nature of alcoholism leads to substantial personal, family, and societal costs. Addiction-comprehensive health enhancement support system (A-CHESS) is a smartphone application that aims to reduce relapse. To offer targeted support to patients who are at risk of lapses within the coming week, a Bayesian network model to predict such events was constructed using responses on 2,934 weekly surveys (called the Weekly Check-in) from 152 alcohol-dependent individuals who recently completed residential treatment. The Weekly Check-in is a self-monitoring service, provided in A-CHESS, to track patients' recovery progress. The model showed good predictability, with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.829 in the 10-fold cross-validation and 0.912 in the external validation. The sensitivity/specificity table assists the tradeoff decisions necessary to apply the model in practice. This study moves us closer to the goal of providing lapse prediction so that patients might receive more targeted and timely support. © 2013.

B and W model boiler tests: effect of temperature on IGA rate. Initial and post-1878 operating conditions of the model boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

The Babcock and Wilcox (B and W) model boiler operated with 10 ppm weekly injections of NaOH for 41,900 hours (4.8 years). The model boiler operating conditions are given. Tube No. 24 failed by caustic intergranular attack/stress corrosion cracking (IGA/SCC) at the steam-water zone. IGA defect depths on tube 24 is compared at different locations, which also have different temperature conditions. The specific locations are: steam/water zone, drilled baffle plate, and lower tube sheet crevice. In all locations caustic will concentrate (although to different concentration levels). Nevertheless, an effect of temperature on IGA rate can be estimated. The degree of attack relative to the location and environment is shown. SEM fractographs illustrate the completely intergranular failure of Tube 24. A summary of the estimated results is presented. These results show the estimated IGA rate as a function of primary/secondary temperature and estimated caustic concentration. Details of the failure analysis of the model boiler can be found in the final report Destructive Examination of Babcock and Wilcox's Model Boiler for Intergranular Attack (IGA) on Tubes, EPRI S302-6, J.L.; Barna and L.W. Sarver

Sit still and pay attention: Using the Wii Balance-Board to detect lapses in concentration in children during psychophysical testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Pete R

2018-05-16

During psychophysical testing, a loss of concentration can cause observers to answer incorrectly, even when the stimulus is clearly perceptible. Such lapses limit the accuracy and speed of many psychophysical measurements. This study evaluates an automated technique for detecting lapses based on body movement (postural instability). Thirty-five children (8-11 years of age) and 34 adults performed a typical psychophysical task (orientation discrimination) while seated on a Wii Fit Balance Board: a gaming device that measures center of pressure (CoP). Incorrect responses on suprathreshold catch trials provided the "reference standard" measure of when lapses in concentration occurred. Children exhibited significantly greater variability in CoP on lapse trials, indicating that postural instability provides a feasible, real-time index of concentration. Limitations and potential applications of this method are discussed.

Time-Lapse Monitoring of Subsurface Fluid Flow using Parsimonious Seismic Interferometry

KAUST Repository

Hanafy, Sherif

2017-04-21

A typical small-scale seismic survey (such as 240 shot gathers) takes at least 16 working hours to be completed, which is a major obstacle in case of time-lapse monitoring experiments. This is especially true if the subject that needs to be monitored is rapidly changing. In this work, we will discuss how to decrease the recording time from 16 working hours to less than one hour of recording. Here, the virtual data has the same accuracy as the conventional data. We validate the efficacy of parsimonious seismic interferometry with the time-lapse mentoring idea with field examples, where we were able to record 30 different data sets within a 2-hour period. The recorded data are then processed to generate 30 snapshots that shows the spread of water from the ground surface down to a few meters.

Potent neutralizing serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) in human immunodeficiency virus type 2-exposed IgG-seronegative individuals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lizeng, Q; Nilsson, C; Sourial, S

2004-01-01

Links Potent neutralizing serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) in human immunodeficiency virus type 2-exposed IgG-seronegative individuals.Lizeng Q, Nilsson C, Sourial S, Andersson S, Larsen O, Aaby P, Ehnlund M, Bjorling E. Research Center, South Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. The mechanisms behind...... the resistance to human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection are still not fully understood. In the present study, we explored the HIV-2-specific humoral serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) immune response in HIV-2-exposed IgG-seronegative (EGSN) individuals. Serum samples from heterosexual EGSN individuals...... and their known HIV-2-infected partners, as well as controls originating from Guinea-Bissau in Africa, were studied. Antibody reactivity to native and recombinant envelope glycoproteins was investigated, and the capacity of purified serum IgA to neutralize HIV-2(SBL6669) was tested. Our results showed that 16...

Role of macrophages and oxygen radicals in IgA induced lung injury in the rat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, K.J.; Ward, P.A.; Kunkel, R.G.; Wilson, B.S.

1986-01-01

Acute lung injury in the rat has been induced by the instillation of affinity-purified mouse monoclonal IgA antibody with specific reactivity to dinitrophenol (DNP) coupled to albumin. This model of lung injury requires an intact complement system but not neutrophils, and evidence suggests that pulmonary macrophages are the critical effector cell. Macrophages retrievable from the lungs of the IgA immune complex treated rats are considerably increased in number as compared to control animals which received only the antibody. In addition these cells show evidence of activation in vivo with greater spontaneous generation of the superoxide anion (O 2 - ) as well as significantly enhanced O 2 - response in the presence of a second stimulus. Inhibition studies in vivo suggest that the lung injury is mediated by oxygen radical generation by the pulmonary macrophages. Pretreatment of rats with superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, the iron chelator deferoxamine or the hydroxyl radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) all markedly suppressed the development of the lung injury. In summary, these studies suggest that IgA immune complex injury in the rat lung is mediated by oxygen radical formation from pulmonary macrophages

Biomarkers for IgA nephropathy on the basis of multi-hit pathogenesis.

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Suzuki, Hitoshi

2018-05-08

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most prevalent glomerular disease worldwide and is associated with a poor prognosis. Development of curative treatment strategies and approaches for early diagnosis is necessary. Renal biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. However, reliable biomarkers are needed for the noninvasive diagnosis of this disease and to more fully delineate the risk of progression. With regard to the pathogenesis of IgAN, the multi-hit hypothesis, including production of galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1; Hit 1), IgG or IgA autoantibodies that recognize Gd-IgA1 (Hit 2), and their subsequent immune complexes formation (Hit 3) and glomerular deposition (Hit 4), has been widely supported by many studies. Although the prognostic values of several biomarkers have been discussed, we recently developed a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic method by measuring serum levels of Gd-IgA1 and Gd-IgA1-containing immune complexes. In addition, urinary Gd-IgA1 may represent a disease-specific biomarker for IgAN. We also confirmed that there is a significant correlation between serum levels of these effector molecules and disease activity, suggesting that each can be considered a practical surrogate marker of therapeutic response. Thus, these disease-oriented specific serum and urine biomarkers may be useful for screening of potential IgAN with isolated hematuria, earlier diagnosis, disease activity, and eventually, response to treatment. In this review, we discuss these concepts, with a focus on potential clinical applications of these biomarkers.

Duration of secretory IgM and IgA antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus in a community study in Guinea-Bissau

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stensballe, L G; Kofoed, P E; Nante, E J

2000-01-01

phase of infection. A secondary response may be more likely in children with low IgM responses in the acute phase (RR = 2.08 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-4.70)). The IgA response was highest on days 28 and 42 after antigen detection, 72% having a detectable IgA response within the first 1.5 mo...... of these children had a simultaneous IgM-positive response. When 29 of the children were tested after an epidemic when they were 1-3-y-old, >80% again had high IgM (24/29, 82%) and IgA (28/29, 94%) levels. Among samples collected over a 1-y period from infants with LRI in a community morbidity surveillance...

Evaluation of Salivary Glucose, IgA and Flow Rate in Diabetic Patients: A Case-Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Bakianian Vaziri

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: An association between diabetes mellitus and alterations in the oral cavity has been noted. In this study, we evaluated differences between salivary IgA, glucose and flow rate in diabetic patients compared with healthy controls.Materials and Methods: Forty patients with type 1 diabetes, 40 patients with type 2 diabetes and 40 healthy controls were selected. Whole unstimulated saliva samples were collected by the standard method and the salivary flow rate was determined. Nephelometricand Pars method were used to measure salivary IgA and salivary glucose concentrations,respectively. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square and t test.Results: There were no significant differences in salivary IgA and glucose concentrations between type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients and their matched control subjects (P>0.05.Salivary flow rate was significantly lower in diabetic patients (P<0.05. In addition,DMFT was higher in diabetic patients than the controls.Conclusion: Determination of salivary constituents may be useful in the description and management of oral findings in diabetic patients.

Relationship between the IgA antibody response against Streptococcus mutans GbpB and severity of dental caries in childhood.

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Colombo, Natália Helena; Pereira, Jesse Augusto; da Silva, Márjully Eduardo Rodrigues; Ribas, Laís Fernanda Fonseca; Parisotto, Thaís Manzano; Mattos-Graner, Renata de Oliveira; Smith, Daniel J; Duque, Cristiane

2016-07-01

Explore the associations between the severity of dental caries in childhood, mutans streptococci (MS) levels and IgA antibody response against Streptococcus mutans GbpB. Moreover, other caries-related etiological factors were also investigated. 36-60 month-old children were grouped into Caries-Free (CF, n=19), Early Childhood Caries (ECC, n=17) and Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC, n=21). Data from socio-economic-cultural status, oral hygiene habits and dietary patterns were obtained from a questionnaire and a food-frequency diary filled out by parents. Saliva was collected from children for microbiological analysis and detection of salivary IgA antibody reactive with S. mutans GbpB in western blot. S-ECC children had reduced family income compared to those with ECC and CF. There was difference between CF and caries groups (ECC and S-ECC) in MS counts. Positive correlations between salivary IgA antibody response against GbpB and MS counts were found when the entire population was evaluated. When children with high MS counts were compared, S-ECC group showed significantly lower IgA antibody levels to GbpB compared to CF group. This finding was not observed for the ECC group. This study suggests that children with S-ECC have reduced salivary IgA immune responses to S. mutans GbpB, potentially compromising their ability to modify MS infection and its cariogenic potential. Furthermore, a reduced family income and high levels of MS were also associated with S-ECC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unscented Kalman filter assimilation of time-lapse self-potential data for monitoring solute transport

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yi-an; Liu, Lanbo; Zhu, Xiaoxiong

2017-08-01

Monitoring the extent and evolution of contaminant plumes in local and regional groundwater systems from existing landfills is critical in contamination control and remediation. The self-potential survey is an efficient and economical nondestructive geophysical technique that can be used to investigate underground contaminant plumes. Based on the unscented transform, we have built a Kalman filtering cycle to conduct time-lapse data assimilation for monitoring the transport of solute based on the solute transport experiment using a bench-scale physical model. The data assimilation was formed by modeling the evolution based on the random walk model and observation correcting based on the self-potential forward. Thus, monitoring self-potential data can be inverted by the data assimilation technique. As a result, we can reconstruct the dynamic process of the contaminant plume instead of using traditional frame-to-frame static inversion, which may cause inversion artifacts. The data assimilation inversion algorithm was evaluated through noise-added synthetic time-lapse self-potential data. The result of the numerical experiment shows validity, accuracy and tolerance to the noise of the dynamic inversion. To validate the proposed algorithm, we conducted a scaled-down sandbox self-potential observation experiment to generate time-lapse data that closely mimics the real-world contaminant monitoring setup. The results of physical experiments support the idea that the data assimilation method is a potentially useful approach for characterizing the transport of contamination plumes using the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) data assimilation technique applied to field time-lapse self-potential data.

IgA and neutralizing antibodies to influenza a virus in human milk: a randomized trial of antenatal influenza immunization.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlaudecker, Elizabeth P; Steinhoff, Mark C; Omer, Saad B; McNeal, Monica M; Roy, Eliza; Arifeen, Shams E; Dodd, Caitlin N; Raqib, Rubhana; Breiman, Robert F; Zaman, K

2013-01-01

Antenatal immunization of mothers with influenza vaccine increases serum antibodies and reduces the rates of influenza illness in mothers and their infants. We report the effect of antenatal immunization on the levels of specific anti-influenza IgA levels in human breast milk. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00142389; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00142389). The Mother's Gift study was a prospective, blinded, randomized controlled trial that assigned 340 pregnant Bangladeshi mothers to receive either trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine, or 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during the third trimester. We evaluated breast milk at birth, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months, and serum at 10 weeks and 12 months. Milk and serum specimens from 57 subjects were assayed for specific IgA antibody to influenza A/New Caledonia (H1N1) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a virus neutralization assay, and for total IgA using ELISA. Influenza-specific IgA levels in breast milk were significantly higher in influenza vaccinees than in pneumococcal controls for at least 6 months postpartum (p = 0.04). Geometric mean concentrations ranged from 8.0 to 91.1 ELISA units/ml in vaccinees, versus 2.3 to 13.7 ELISA units/mL in controls. Virus neutralization titers in milk were 1.2 to 3 fold greater in vaccinees, and correlated with influenza-specific IgA levels (r = 0.86). Greater exclusivity of breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life significantly decreased the expected number of respiratory illness with fever episodes in infants of influenza-vaccinated mothers (p = 0.0042) but not in infants of pneumococcal-vaccinated mothers (p = 0.4154). The sustained high levels of actively produced anti-influenza IgA in breast milk and the decreased infant episodes of respiratory illness with fever suggest that breastfeeding may provide local mucosal protection for the infant for at least 6 months. Studies are needed to determine the

Eosinophils may play regionally disparate roles in influencing IgA(+) plasma cell numbers during large and small intestinal inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Forman, Ruth; Bramhall, Michael; Logunova, Larisa; Svensson-Frej, Marcus; Cruickshank, Sheena M; Else, Kathryn J

2016-05-31

Eosinophils are innate immune cells present in the intestine during steady state conditions. An intestinal eosinophilia is a hallmark of many infections and an accumulation of eosinophils is also observed in the intestine during inflammatory disorders. Classically the function of eosinophils has been associated with tissue destruction, due to the release of cytotoxic granule contents. However, recent evidence has demonstrated that the eosinophil plays a more diverse role in the immune system than previously acknowledged, including shaping adaptive immune responses and providing plasma cell survival factors during the steady state. Importantly, it is known that there are regional differences in the underlying immunology of the small and large intestine, but whether there are differences in context of the intestinal eosinophil in the steady state or inflammation is not known. Our data demonstrates that there are fewer IgA(+) plasma cells in the small intestine of eosinophil-deficient ΔdblGATA-1 mice compared to eosinophil-sufficient wild-type mice, with the difference becoming significant post-infection with Toxoplasma gondii. Remarkably, and in complete contrast, the absence of eosinophils in the inflamed large intestine does not impact on IgA(+) cell numbers during steady state, and is associated with a significant increase in IgA(+) cells post-infection with Trichuris muris compared to wild-type mice. Thus, the intestinal eosinophil appears to be less important in sustaining the IgA(+) cell pool in the large intestine compared to the small intestine, and in fact, our data suggests eosinophils play an inhibitory role. The dichotomy in the influence of the eosinophil over small and large intestinal IgA(+) cells did not depend on differences in plasma cell growth factors, recruitment potential or proliferation within the different regions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). We demonstrate for the first time that there are regional differences in the requirement of

A rare case of Addison's disease, hepatitis, thyreoiditis, positive IgG anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies and partial IgA deficiency.

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Baleva, Marta P; Mihaylova, Snejina; Yankova, Petja; Atanasova, Iliana; Nikolova-Vlahova, Milena; Naumova, Elissaveta

2016-01-01

Selective IgA deficiency (IgAD) is the most prevalent type of primary immune deficiencies, but partial IgA deficiency is even more common. Addison's disease is a rare condition associated with primary adrenal insufficiency due to infection or autoimmune destruction of the adrenals. The association between IgA deficiency and Addison's disease is very rare. We observed a 22-year-old male patient with marked darkening of the skin, especially on the palms and areolae, jaundice on the skin and sclera, astheno-adynamia, hypotension (80/50 mm Hg), and pain in the right hypochondrium. The laboratory investigations revealed increased serum levels of total and indirect bilirubin, AST, ALT, GGT and LDH, negative HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM, anti-HCV and anti-HAV IgM, very low serum IgA levels (0.16 g/l) with normal IgG and IgM, negative ANA, ANCA, AMA, LKM-1, anti-GAD-60, anti-IA-2, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, a mild increase in anti-TPO antibodies titer, a marked increase in IgG anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies, with no typical changes in cellular immunity, negative T-SPOT-TB test, HLA - A*01; B*08; DRB1*03; DQB1*02, karyotype - 46, XY. We present a rare case of partial IgA deficiency with Addison's disease, hepatitis, thyroiditis and positive anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies. IgAD and some autoimmune disorders share several predisposing HLA genes, thus explaining the increased prevalence of IgAD in certain patient groups.

Inversion of time-domain induced polarization data based on time-lapse concept

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Bitnarae; Nam, Myung Jin; Kim, Hee Joon

2018-05-01

Induced polarization (IP) surveys, measuring overvoltage phenomena of the medium, are widely and increasingly performed not only for exploration of mineral resources but also for engineering applications. Among several IP survey methods such as time-domain, frequency-domain and spectral IP surveys, this study introduces a noble inversion method for time-domain IP data to recover the chargeability structure of target medium. The inversion method employs the concept of 4D inversion of time-lapse resistivity data sets, considering the fact that measured voltage in time-domain IP survey is distorted by IP effects to increase from the instantaneous voltage measured at the moment the source current injection starts. Even though the increase is saturated very fast, we can consider the saturated and instantaneous voltages as a time-lapse data set. The 4D inversion method is one of the most powerful method for inverting time-lapse resistivity data sets. Using the developed IP inversion algorithm, we invert not only synthetic but also field IP data to show the effectiveness of the proposed method by comparing the recovered chargeability models with those from linear inversion that was used for the inversion of the field data in a previous study. Numerical results confirm that the proposed inversion method generates reliable chargeability models even though the anomalous bodies have large IP effects.

Joint inversion of time-lapse VSP data for monitoring CO2 injection at the Farnsworth EOR field in Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, M.; Gao, K.; Balch, R. S.; Huang, L.

2016-12-01

During the Development Phase (Phase III) of the U.S. Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP), time-lapse 3D vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data were acquired to monitor CO2 injection/migration at the Farnsworth Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) field, in partnership with the industrial partner Chaparral Energy. The project is to inject a million tons of carbon dioxide into the target formation, the deep oil-bearing Morrow Formation in the Farnsworth Unit EOR field. Quantitative time-lapse seismic monitoring has the potential to track CO2 movement in geologic carbon storage sites. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has recently developed new full-waveform inversion methods to jointly invert time-lapse seismic data for changes in elastic and anisotropic parameters in target monitoring regions such as a CO2 reservoir. We apply our new joint inversion methods to time-lapse VSP data acquired at the Farnsworth EOR filed, and present some preliminary results showing geophysical properties changes in the reservoir.

Highway driving safety the day after using sleep medication: the direction of lapses and excursions out-of-lane in drowsy drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Verster, Joris C; Mooren, Loes; Bervoets, Adriana C; Roth, Thomas

2017-10-24

The primary outcome measure of the on-road driving test is the Standard Deviation of Lateral Position. However, other outcome measures, such as lapses and excursions out-of-lane, also need to be considered as they may be related to crash risk. The aim of this study was to determine the direction of lapses and excursions out-of-lane (i.e. towards/into the adjacent traffic lane or towards/into the road shoulder). In total, data from 240 driving tests were re-analysed, and 628 lapses and 401 excursions out-of-lane were identified. The analyses revealed that lapses were made equally frequently over left (49.4%) and over right (43.3%). In contrast, excursions out-of-lane were almost exclusively directed over right into the (safer) road shoulder (97.3%). These findings suggest that drivers are unaware of having lapses, whereas excursions out-of-lane are events where the driver is aware of loss of vehicle control. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Sleep Research Society.

Elucidating heterogeneity of IgA1 hinge-region O-glycosylation by use of MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry: role of cysteine alkylation during sample processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Franc, Vojtěch; Řehulka, Pavel; Raus, Martin; Stulík, Jiří; Novak, Jan; Renfrow, Matthew B; Šebela, Marek

2013-10-30

Determining disease-associated changes in protein glycosylation provides a better understanding of pathogenesis. This work focuses on human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), where aberrant O-glycosylation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Normal IgA1 hinge region carries 3 to 6 O-glycans consisting of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal); both sugars may be sialylated. In IgAN patients, some O-glycans on a fraction of IgA1 molecules are Gal-deficient. Here we describe a sample preparation protocol with optimized cysteine alkylation of a Gal-deficient polymeric IgA1 myeloma protein prior to in-gel digestion and analysis of the digest by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry (MS). Following a novel strategy, IgA1 hinge-region O-glycopeptides were fractionated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using a microgradient device and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF tandem MS (MS/MS). The acquired MS/MS spectra were interpreted manually and by means of our own software. This allowed assigning up to six O-glycosylation sites and demonstration, for the first time, of the distribution of isomeric O-glycoforms having the same molecular mass, but a different glycosylation pattern. The most abundant Gal-deficient O-glycoforms were GalNAc4Gal3 and GalNAc5Gal4 with one Gal-deficient site and GalNAc5Gal3 and GalNAc4Gal2 with two Gal-deficient sites. The most frequent Gal-deficient sites were at Ser230 and/or Thr236. In this work, we studied the O-glycosylation in the hinge region of human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1). Aberrant glycosylation of the protein plays a key role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy. Thus identification of the O-glycan composition of IgA1 is important for a deeper understanding of the disease mechanism, biomarker discovery and validation, and implementation and monitoring of disease-specific therapies. We developed a new procedure for elucidating the heterogeneity of IgA1 O-glycosylation. After running a polyacrylamide gel

Shared IgG Infection Signatures vs. Hemorrhage-Restricted IgA Clusters in Human Dengue: A Phenotype of Differential Class-Switch via TGFβ1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chung-Hao Huang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Phenotypic manifestations of infectious diseases are closely related to individual immune responses. Methods to extract information from patients’ own immune reactions would be of great use for both diagnosis and treatment. Dengue fever is one of the diseases that clinical aggravations could occur paradoxically after humoral immunity appears. This property makes dengue fever an excellent disease model to explore. A principal component analyses (PCAs-based framework derived from a prior vaccination study was developed. The framework was verified by successful demonstrations of known IgG signatures from a Mexico Dengue data set. Afterward the pipeline was tested upon de novo IgG and IgA libraries of Dengue patients from southern Taiwan. We discovered four infection signatures within IgG repertoires, two of which were identical to previous reports. However, it was IgA but not IgG that could differentiate hemorrhagic from non-hemorrhagic patients. IgA repertoires were found more diversified among bleeders, from whom seven signature clusters were characterized. The expressions of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1 and accordingly mediated class-switch activity of IgA were distinct only among the PCA-segregated bleeding group. In sum, intercontinental sharing of IgG signatures in dengue fever was demonstrated via a unified working flow. Differential regulation of IgA class-switch with associated diversity expansion plus existences of hemorrhage-restricted clusters were shown. The ability of the framework to find common IgG signatures would implicate applications to infections even from unknown pathogens. The clusters within IgA repertoires could offer perspectives to other IgA-related bleeding disorders such as Henoch-Schönlein purpura or IgA nephropathy. Substantiated grounds for IgA-specific effector function via TGFβ1-mediated class-switch would be a new factor to consider for infectious diseases.

Time-lapse seismic - repeatability versus usefulness and 2D versus 3D

Science.gov (United States)

Landro, M.

2017-12-01

Time-lapse seismic has developed rapidly over the past decades, especially for monitoring of oil and gas reservoirs and subsurface storage of CO2. I will review and discuss some of the critical enabling factors for the commercial success of this technology. It was early realized that how well we are able to repeat our seismic experiment is crucial. However, it is always a question of detectability versus repeatability. For marine seismic, there are several factors limiting the repeatability: Weather conditions, positioning of sources and receivers and so on. I will discuss recent improvements in both acquisition and processing methods over the last decade. It is well known that repeated 3D seismic data is the most accurate tool for reservoir monitoring purposes. However, several examples show that 2D seismic data may be used for monitoring purposes despite lower repeatability. I will use examples from an underground blow out in the North Sea, and repeated 2D seismic lines acquired before and after the Tohoku earthquake in 2011 to illustrate this. A major challenge when using repeated 2D seismic for subsurface monitoring purposes is the lack of 3D calibration points and significantly less amount of data. For marine seismic acquisition, feathering issues and crossline dip effects become more critical compared to 3D seismic acquisition. Furthermore, the uncertainties arising from a non-ideal 2D seismic acquisition are hard to assess, since the 3D subsurface geometry has not been mapped. One way to shed more light on this challenge is to use 3D time lapse seismic modeling testing various crossline dips or geometries. Other ways are to use alternative data sources, such as bathymetry, time lapse gravity or electromagnetic data. The end result for all time-lapse monitoring projects is an interpretation associated with uncertainties, and for the 2D case these uncertainties are often large. The purpose of this talk is to discuss how to reduces and control these

Attention lapses in children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

De la Torre, Gabriel G; Martin, Alba; Cervantes, Elizabeth; Guil, Rocio; Mestre, Jose M

2017-08-01

Attentional lapses are usually defined as temporary and often brief shifts of attention away from some primary task to unrelated internal information processing. This study addressed the incidence of attention lapses and differences in attentional functioning in 30 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 26 healthy children, and 29 children with spina bifida myelomeningocele and hydrocephalus (SBH). Assessments were conducted using computerized tonic and phasic attention tests, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Trail Making Test Form B (TMT-B). The group with SBH differed from normal controls on cognitive measures of attention and executive functions. The ADHD group obtained lower scores than the SBH group and healthy children. ANOVA results showed that there was an effect of shunt revisions and shunt-related infections on neuropsychological performance. Lapses of attention together with reaction time may thus represent important factors for the understanding of cognitive deficits in SBH.

The Mucosal Adjuvant Cholera Toxin B Instructs Non-Mucosal Dendritic Cells to Promote IgA Production Via Retinoic Acid and TGF-β

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.K. Gloudemans (Anouk); M. Plantinga (Maud); M. Guilliams (Martin); M.A. Willart (Monique); A. Ozir-Fazalalikhan (Arifa); A. van der Ham (Alwin); L. Boon (Louis); N.L. Harris (Nicola); H. Hammad (Hamida); H.C. Hoogsteden (Henk); M. Yazdanbakhsh (Maria); R.W. Hendriks (Rudi); B.N.M. Lambrecht (Bart); H.H. Smits (Hermelijn)

2013-01-01

textabstractIt is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), and how T cell-dependent (TD) or -independent (TI) pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing

Lapse in embryo transfer training does not negatively affect clinical pregnancy rates for reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellows.

Science.gov (United States)

Kresowik, Jessica; Sparks, Amy; Duran, Eyup H; Shah, Divya K

2015-03-01

To compare rates of clinical pregnancy (CPR) and live birth (LBR) following embryo transfer (ET) performed by reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) fellows before and after a prolonged lapse in clinical training due to an 18-month research rotation. Retrospective cohort study. Not applicable. All women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and IVF-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles with ET performed by REI fellows from August 2003 to July 2012. Eighteen-month lapse in clinical training of REI fellows. CPR and LBR before and after the lapse in clinical training were calculated and compared per fellow and as a composite group. Alternating logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds of clinical pregnancy and live birth following transfers performed before and after the lapse in training. Unadjusted odds of clinical pregnancy and live birth were similar between the two time periods both for individual fellows and for the composite group. Alternate logistic regression analysis revealed no significant difference in CPR (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-1.07) or LBR (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.94-1.18) after the lapse in training compared with before. A research rotation is common in REI fellowship training programs. This prolonged departure from clinical training does not appear to negatively affect pregnancy outcome following fellow ET. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rock Slope Monitoring from 4D Time-Lapse Structure from Motion Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kromer, Ryan; Abellan, Antonio; Chyz, Alex; Hutchinson, Jean

2017-04-01

Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry has become an important tool for studying earth surface processes because of its flexibility, ease of use, low cost and its capability of producing high quality 3-D surface models. A major benefit of SfM is that model accuracy is fit for purpose and surveys can be designed to meet a large range of spatial and temporal scales. In the Earth sciences, research in time-lapse SfM photogrammetry or videogrammetry is an area that is difficult to undertake due to complexities in acquiring, processing and managing large 4D datasets and represents an area with significant advancement potential (Eltner et al. 2016). In this study, we investigate the potential of 4D time-lapse SfM to monitor unstable rock slopes. We tested an array of statically mounted cameras collecting time-lapse photos of a limestone rock slope located along a highway in Canada. Our setup consisted of 8 DSLR cameras with 50 mm prime lenses spaced 2-3 m apart at a distance of 10 m from the slope. The portion of the rock slope monitored was 20 m wide and 6 m high. We collected data in four phases, each having 50 photographs taken simultaneously by each camera. The first phase of photographs was taken of the stable slope. In each successive phase, we gradually moved small, discrete blocks within the rock slope by 5-15 mm, simulating pre-failure deformation of rockfall. During the last phase we also removed discrete rock blocks, simulating rockfall. We used Agisoft Photoscan's 4D processing functionality and timeline tools to create 3D point clouds from the time-lapse photographs. These tools have the benefit of attaining better accuracy photo alignments as a greater number of photos are used. For change detection, we used the 4D filtering and calibration technique proposed by Kromer et al. (2015), which takes advantage of high degrees of spatial and temporal point redundancy to decrease measurement uncertainty. Preliminary results show that it is possible to attain

Clinical significance of determination of changes of serum IL-6, hs-CRP and saliva secretory IgA levels after treatment in patients with periodontitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Tongwu

2009-01-01

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of changes of serum IL-6, hs-CRP and saliva secretory IgA levels after treatment in patients with periodontitis. Methods: Serum IL-6, saliva secretory IgA (with RIA) and serum hs-CRP (with immuno-tarbility method) levels were measured in 42 patients with periodontitis both before and after treatment as well as in 35 controls. Results: Before treatment serum IL-6, hs-CRP and saliva secretory IgA levels in the patients wree significantly higher than those in controls (P 0.05). However, the saliva secreatory IgA levels were still significantly higher than those in controls (P<0.05). Conclusion: There was disturbance of immunomodulation in patients with periodontitis as expressed by the changes of cytokines levels in the course of the diseases. (authors)

Time-Lapse Monitoring of Subsurface Fluid Flow using Parsimonious Seismic Interferometry

KAUST Repository

Hanafy, Sherif; Li, Jing; Schuster, Gerard T.

2017-01-01

of parsimonious seismic interferometry with the time-lapse mentoring idea with field examples, where we were able to record 30 different data sets within a 2-hour period. The recorded data are then processed to generate 30 snapshots that shows the spread of water

Intramuscular Priming and Intranasal Boosting Induce Strong Genital Immunity Through Secretory IgA in Minipigs Infected with Chlamydia trachomatis

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzen, Emma; Follmann, Frank; Bøje, Sarah; Erneholm, Karin; Olsen, Anja Weinreich; Agerholm, Jørgen Steen; Jungersen, Gregers; Andersen, Peter

2015-01-01

International efforts in developing a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis have highlighted the need for novel immunization strategies for the induction of genital immunity. In this study, we evaluated an intramuscular (IM) prime/intranasal boost vaccination strategy in a Göttingen Minipig model with a reproductive system very similar to humans. The vaccine was composed of C. trachomatis subunit antigens formulated in the Th1/Th17 promoting CAF01 adjuvant. IM priming immunizations with CAF01 induced a significant cell-mediated interferon gamma and interleukin 17A response and a significant systemic high-titered neutralizing IgG response. Following genital challenge, intranasally boosted groups mounted an accelerated, highly significant genital IgA response that correlated with enhanced bacterial clearance on day 3 post infection. By detecting antigen-specific secretory component (SC), we showed that the genital IgA was locally produced in the genital mucosa. The highly significant inverse correlation between the vaginal IgA SC response and the chlamydial load suggests that IgA in the minipig model is involved in protection against C. trachomatis. This is important both for our understanding of protective immunity and future vaccination strategies against C. trachomatis and genital pathogens in general. PMID:26734002

A Study on Clinical and Pathologic Features in Lupus Nephritis with Mainly IgA Deposits and a Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Hongyan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To study the clinical and pathologic features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE that has atypical lupus nephritis (LN with mainly IgA deposits. Methods. We searched the SLE patients who had nephritis with mainly IgA deposits in our hospital and selected the information including clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatments, and prognosis. Results. From January 2009 to June 2012, 5 patients were definitely diagnosed as SLE according to both 1982 and 2009 ACR classification criteria. But renal biopsy showed that all cases had mainly IgA deposits and were free of IgG, C1q, and fibrinogen-related antigen deposits under immunofluorescent microscopy, which did not match with typical LN. There were 2 males and 3 females, aging from 31 to 64 years and with an average of years. The 5 cases had multiple-system involvements, mainly the renal system. Compared to primary IgAN, the atypical LN showed some differences: older than primary IgAN, more women than men, no previous infection history, lower incidence of serum IgA elevation, and ACL positive rate as high as 100%. Conclusion. Nephritis with mainly IgAN deposits, as an atypical LN, may be a special subtype of SLE.

Large Scale Generation and Characterization of Anti-Human IgA Monoclonal Antibody in Ascitic Fluid of Balb/c Mice

OpenAIRE

Fatemeh Ezzatifar; Jafar Majidi; Behzad Baradaran; Leili Aghebati Maleki; Jalal Abdolalizadeh; Mehdi Yousefi

2015-01-01

Purpose: Monoclonal antibodies are potentially powerful tools used in biomedical research, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases and cancers. The monoclonal antibody against Human IgA can be used as a diagnostic application to detect infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to improve an appropriate protocol for large-scale production of mAbs against IgA. Methods: For large-scale production of the monoclonal antibody, hybridoma cells that produce monoclonal antibodies again...

The Comparison of Salivary IgA and IgE Levels in Children with Breast- and Formula- Feeding During Infancy Period

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Jafarzadeh

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Oral local immune factors may play a protective role against oral diseases and defend against microbial agents. Salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA is a major factor for the local host defence against caries and periodontal disease. The aims of this study were to determine the concentrations of salivary IgA and IgE levels in breast-fed and formula-fed children in infancy period.Methods and Materials: Totally, 80 healthy 5 years old children were included in the study. According to type of feeding in infancy period, the children divided into two groups: 50 breast-fed and 30 formula-fed. One milliliter of saliva was collected from each participant, centrifuged, and stored at -70 C. The salivary IgA and IgE concentrations were measured, using ELISA technique.Results: In breast-fed children, the salivary IgA level (39.6 mg/l ± 17.3 was significantly higher than that in formula-fed children (26.9 mg/l ± 14 (P=0.0001. However, the salivary IgE level was significantly lower in breast-fed children, comparing with formula fed ones (5.01 IU/ml ± 19.70 vs. 11.74 IU/ml ± 39.40 (P=0.047.Discussion: These results suggest that breast feeding enhances salivary IgA level in the early period of life which may contribute in oral cavity immunity. Higher salivary IgE level observed in formula-fed subjects may have a potential role in development of allergic or inflammatory reactions.

Oral immunization with rotavirus VP7 expressed in transgenic potatoes induced high titers of mucosal neutralizing IgA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yuzhang; Li Jintao; Mou Zhirong; Fei Lei; Ni Bing; Geng Miao; Jia Zhengcai; Zhou Wei; Zou Liyun; Tang Yan

2003-01-01

Rotaviruses (RV) are a common cause of severe diarrhea in young children, resulting in nearly one million deaths worldwide annually. Rotavirus VP7 was the rotavirus neutralizing protein. Previous study reported that VP7 DNA vaccine can induce high levels of IgG in mice but cannot protect mice against challenge (Choi, A.H., Basu, M., Rae, M.N., McNeal, M.M., Ward, R.L., 1998. Virology 250, 230-240). We found that rotavirus VP7 could maintain its neutralizing immunity when it was transformed into the potato genome. Mice immunized with the transformed tubers successfully elicited serum IgG and mucosal IgA specific for VP7. The mucosal IgA titer was as high as 1000, while serum IgG titer was only 600. Neutralizing assays indicated that IgA could neutralize rotavirus. These results indicate the potential usefulness of plants for production and delivery of edible rotavirus vaccines

Idiopathic linear IgA bullous dermatosis: prognostic factors based on a case series of 72 adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Gottlieb, J; Ingen-Housz-Oro, S; Alexandre, M; Grootenboer-Mignot, S; Aucouturier, F; Sbidian, E; Tancrede, E; Schneider, P; Regnier, E; Picard-Dahan, C; Begon, E; Pauwels, C; Cury, K; Hüe, S; Bernardeschi, C; Ortonne, N; Caux, F; Wolkenstein, P; Chosidow, O; Prost-Squarcioni, C

2017-07-01

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is a clinically and immunologically heterogeneous, subepidermal, autoimmune bullous disease (AIBD), for which the long-term evolution is poorly described. To investigate the clinical and immunological characteristics, follow-up and prognostic factors of adult idiopathic LABD. This retrospective study, conducted in our AIBD referral centre, included adults, diagnosed between 1995 and 2012, with idiopathic LABD, defined as pure or predominant IgA deposits by direct immunofluorescence. Clinical, histological and immunological findings were collected from charts. Standard histology was systematically reviewed, and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on salt-split skin (SSS) and immunoblots (IBs) on amniotic membrane extracts using anti-IgA secondary antibodies were performed, when biopsies and sera obtained at diagnosis were available. Prognostic factors for complete remission (CR) were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. Of the 72 patients included (median age 54 years), 60% had mucous membrane (MM) involvement. IgA IIF on SSS was positive for 21 of 35 patients tested; 15 had epidermal and dermal labellings. Immunoelectron microscopy performed on the biopsies of 31 patients labelled lamina lucida (LL) (26%), lamina densa (23%), anchoring-fibril zone (AFz) (19%) and LL+AFz (23%). Of the 34 IgA IBs, 22 were positive, mostly for LAD-1/LABD97 (44%) and full-length BP180 (33%). The median follow-up was 39 months. Overall, 24 patients (36%) achieved sustained CR, 19 (29%) relapsed and 35% had chronic disease. CR was significantly associated with age > 70 years or no MM involvement. No prognostic immunological factor was identified. Patients with LABD who are < 70 years old and have MM involvement are at risk for chronic evolution. © 2017 British Association of Dermatologists.

Active tuberculosis patients have high levels of IgA anti-alpha-crystallin and isocitrate lyase proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Talavera-Paulín, M; García-Morales, L; Ruíz-Sánchez, B P; Caamal-Ley, Á D; Hernández-Solis, A; Ramírez-Casanova, E; Cicero-Sabido, R; Espitia, C; Helguera-Repetto, C; González-Y-Merchand, J A; Flores-Mejía, R; Estrada-Parra, S; Estrada-García, I; Chacón-Salinas, R; Wong-Baeza, I; Serafín-López, J

2016-12-01

Mexico City, Mexico. To identify proteins synthetised by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in hypoxic culture, which resemble more closely a granuloma environment than aerobic culture, and to determine if they are recognised by antibodies from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Soluble extracts from M. tuberculosis H37Rv cultured under aerobic or hypoxic conditions were analysed using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and proteins over-expressed under hypoxia were identified by mass spectrometry. The presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA and IgM antibodies against these proteins was determined in the serum of 42 patients with active PTB and 42 healthy controls. We selected three M. tuberculosis H37Rv proteins (alpha-crystallin protein [Acr, Rv2031c], universal stress protein Rv2623 and isocitrate lyase [ICL, RV0467]) that were over-expressed under hypoxia. Titres of anti-Acr and anti-ICL IgA antibodies were higher in patients than in healthy controls, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.71 for anti-ICL IgA antibodies. ICL could be used in combination with other M. tuberculosis antigens to improve the sensitivity and specificity of current serological TB diagnostic methods.

Vanemate töötamine välismaal - kuidas see mõjutab lapse elu : laste ja spetsialistide tõlgendused / Helen Pärna, Karmen Lai, Taimi Tulva

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Pärna, Helen, 1983-

2008-01-01

Artikkel tugineb Helen Pärna magistriuurimusele. Ülevaade uurimustulemustest, mis puudutavad välismaale tööle läinud lapsevanemate lapse toimetulekut argieluga ning arutletakse selle üle, kuidas lapse lahusolek vanematest võib mõjutada lapse ja vanema vahelisi suhteid

Human milk containing specific secretory IgA inhibits binding of Giardia lamblia to nylon and glass surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Samra, H K; Ganguly, N K; Mahajan, R C

1991-06-01

The effects of human milk, containing specific secretory IgA, on the adherence of Giardia lamblia trophozoites in the presence and in the absence of intestinal mucus in vitro were studied. It was found that the trophozoites treated with breast milk, containing specific secretory IgA to G. lamblia, showed a significant decrease (p less than 0.01) in adherence to nylon fibre columns and glass surfaces than did trophozoites treated with milk containing no SIgA antibodies. The adherence to glass surfaces was significantly more (p less than 0.01) in the presence of intestinal mucus than when the mucus was absent. Milk that did not contain specific secretory SIgA to G. lamblia did not decrease the adherence to glass surfaces either in the presence or in the absence of mucus. The fluorescence study revealed the binding of specific secretory IgA on the trophozoite surface. The results suggest that binding of SIgA antibodies in milk to G. lamblia trophozoites inhibits parasite adherence, thus protecting against this infection in breast-fed babies.

Assessment of Time-Lapse in Visible and Thermal Face Recognition

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Farokhi, Sajad; Shamsuddin, Siti Mariyam; Flusser, Jan; Sheikh, Usman Ullah

2012-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 1 (2012), s. 181-186 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP103/11/1552 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : face recognition * moment invariants * Zernike moments Subject RIV: JD - Computer Applications, Robotics http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2012/ZOI/flusser-assessment of time-lapse in visible and thermal face recognition -j.pdf

Inter-laboratory agreement on embryo classification and clinical decision: Conventional morphological assessment vs. time lapse.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Granados, Luis; Serrano, María; González-Utor, Antonio; Ortíz, Nereyda; Badajoz, Vicente; Olaya, Enrique; Prados, Nicolás; Boada, Montse; Castilla, Jose A

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine inter-laboratory variability on embryo assessment using time-lapse platform and conventional morphological assessment. This study compares the data obtained from a pilot study of external quality control (EQC) of time lapse, performed in 2014, with the classical EQC of the Spanish Society for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR) performed in 2013 and 2014. In total, 24 laboratories (8 using EmbryoScope™, 15 using Primo Vision™ and one with both platforms) took part in the pilot study. The clinics that used EmbryoScope™ analysed 31 embryos and those using Primo Vision™ analysed 35. The classical EQC was implemented by 39 clinics, based on an analysis of 25 embryos per year. Both groups were required to evaluate various qualitative morphological variables (cell fragmentation, the presence of vacuoles, blastomere asymmetry and multinucleation), to classify the embryos in accordance with ASEBIR criteria and to stipulate the clinical decision taken. In the EQC time-lapse pilot study, the groups were asked to determine, as well as the above characteristics, the embryo development times, the number, opposition and size of pronuclei, the direct division of 1 into 3 cells and/or of 3 into 5 cells and false divisions. The degree of agreement was determined by calculating the intra-class correlation coefficients and the coefficient of variation for the quantitative variables and the Gwet index for the qualitative variables. For both EmbryoScope™ and Primo Vision™, two periods of greater inter-laboratory variability were observed in the times of embryo development events. One peak of variability was recorded among the laboratories addressing the first embryo events (extrusion of the second polar body and the appearance of pronuclei); the second peak took place between the times corresponding to the 8-cell and morula stages. In most of the qualitative variables analysed regarding embryo development, there was almost

Inter-laboratory agreement on embryo classification and clinical decision: Conventional morphological assessment vs. time lapse.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Martínez-Granados

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine inter-laboratory variability on embryo assessment using time-lapse platform and conventional morphological assessment. This study compares the data obtained from a pilot study of external quality control (EQC of time lapse, performed in 2014, with the classical EQC of the Spanish Society for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR performed in 2013 and 2014. In total, 24 laboratories (8 using EmbryoScope™, 15 using Primo Vision™ and one with both platforms took part in the pilot study. The clinics that used EmbryoScope™ analysed 31 embryos and those using Primo Vision™ analysed 35. The classical EQC was implemented by 39 clinics, based on an analysis of 25 embryos per year. Both groups were required to evaluate various qualitative morphological variables (cell fragmentation, the presence of vacuoles, blastomere asymmetry and multinucleation, to classify the embryos in accordance with ASEBIR criteria and to stipulate the clinical decision taken. In the EQC time-lapse pilot study, the groups were asked to determine, as well as the above characteristics, the embryo development times, the number, opposition and size of pronuclei, the direct division of 1 into 3 cells and/or of 3 into 5 cells and false divisions. The degree of agreement was determined by calculating the intra-class correlation coefficients and the coefficient of variation for the quantitative variables and the Gwet index for the qualitative variables. For both EmbryoScope™ and Primo Vision™, two periods of greater inter-laboratory variability were observed in the times of embryo development events. One peak of variability was recorded among the laboratories addressing the first embryo events (extrusion of the second polar body and the appearance of pronuclei; the second peak took place between the times corresponding to the 8-cell and morula stages. In most of the qualitative variables analysed regarding embryo development, there

Capturing tissue repair in zebrafish larvae with time-lapse brightfield stereomicroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lisse, Thomas S; Brochu, Elizabeth A; Rieger, Sandra

2015-01-31

The zebrafish larval tail fin is ideal for studying tissue regeneration due to the simple architecture of the larval fin-fold, which comprises of two layers of skin that enclose undifferentiated mesenchyme, and because the larval tail fin regenerates rapidly within 2-3 days. Using this system, we demonstrate a method for capturing the repair dynamics of the amputated tail fin with time-lapse video brightfield stereomicroscopy. We demonstrate that fin amputation triggers a contraction of the amputation wound and extrusion of cells around the wound margin, leading to their subsequent clearance. Fin regeneration proceeds from proximal to distal direction after a short delay. In addition, developmental growth of the larva can be observed during all stages. The presented method provides an opportunity for observing and analyzing whole tissue-scale behaviors such as fin development and growth in a simple microscope setting, which is easily adaptable to any stereomicroscope with time-lapse capabilities.

A Modular and Affordable Time-Lapse Imaging and Incubation System Based on 3D-Printed Parts, a Smartphone, and Off-The-Shelf Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández Vera, Rodrigo; Schwan, Emil; Fatsis-Kavalopoulos, Nikos; Kreuger, Johan

2016-01-01

Time-lapse imaging is a powerful tool for studying cellular dynamics and cell behavior over long periods of time to acquire detailed functional information. However, commercially available time-lapse imaging systems are expensive and this has limited a broader implementation of this technique in low-resource environments. Further, the availability of time-lapse imaging systems often present workflow bottlenecks in well-funded institutions. To address these limitations we have designed a modular and affordable time-lapse imaging and incubation system (ATLIS). The ATLIS enables the transformation of simple inverted microscopes into live cell imaging systems using custom-designed 3D-printed parts, a smartphone, and off-the-shelf electronic components. We demonstrate that the ATLIS provides stable environmental conditions to support normal cell behavior during live imaging experiments in both traditional and evaporation-sensitive microfluidic cell culture systems. Thus, the system presented here has the potential to increase the accessibility of time-lapse microscopy of living cells for the wider research community.

A Modular and Affordable Time-Lapse Imaging and Incubation System Based on 3D-Printed Parts, a Smartphone, and Off-The-Shelf Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Schwan, Emil; Fatsis-Kavalopoulos, Nikos; Kreuger, Johan

2016-01-01

Time-lapse imaging is a powerful tool for studying cellular dynamics and cell behavior over long periods of time to acquire detailed functional information. However, commercially available time-lapse imaging systems are expensive and this has limited a broader implementation of this technique in low-resource environments. Further, the availability of time-lapse imaging systems often present workflow bottlenecks in well-funded institutions. To address these limitations we have designed a modular and affordable time-lapse imaging and incubation system (ATLIS). The ATLIS enables the transformation of simple inverted microscopes into live cell imaging systems using custom-designed 3D-printed parts, a smartphone, and off-the-shelf electronic components. We demonstrate that the ATLIS provides stable environmental conditions to support normal cell behavior during live imaging experiments in both traditional and evaporation-sensitive microfluidic cell culture systems. Thus, the system presented here has the potential to increase the accessibility of time-lapse microscopy of living cells for the wider research community. PMID:28002463

Time lapse seismic observations and effects of reservoir compressibility at Teal South oil field

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Nayyer

One of the original ocean-bottom time-lapse seismic studies was performed at the Teal South oil field in the Gulf of Mexico during the late 1990's. This work reexamines some aspects of previous work using modern analysis techniques to provide improved quantitative interpretations. Using three-dimensional volume visualization of legacy data and the two phases of post-production time-lapse data, I provide additional insight into the fluid migration pathways and the pressure communication between different reservoirs, separated by faults. This work supports a conclusion from previous studies that production from one reservoir caused regional pressure decline that in turn resulted in liberation of gas from multiple surrounding unproduced reservoirs. I also provide an explanation for unusual time-lapse changes in amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) data related to the compaction of the producing reservoir which, in turn, changed an isotropic medium to an anisotropic medium. In the first part of this work, I examine regional changes in seismic response due to the production of oil and gas from one reservoir. The previous studies primarily used two post-production ocean-bottom surveys (Phase I and Phase II), and not the legacy streamer data, due to the unavailability of legacy prestack data and very different acquisition parameters. In order to incorporate the legacy data in the present study, all three post-stack data sets were cross-equalized and examined using instantaneous amplitude and energy volumes. This approach appears quite effective and helps to suppress changes unrelated to production while emphasizing those large-amplitude changes that are related to production in this noisy (by current standards) suite of data. I examine the multiple data sets first by using the instantaneous amplitude and energy attributes, and then also examine specific apparent time-lapse changes through direct comparisons of seismic traces. In so doing, I identify time-delays that, when

Probabilistic 3-D time-lapse inversion of magnetotelluric data: application to an enhanced geothermal system

Science.gov (United States)

Rosas-Carbajal, M.; Linde, N.; Peacock, J.; Zyserman, F. I.; Kalscheuer, T.; Thiel, S.

2015-12-01

Surface-based monitoring of mass transfer caused by injections and extractions in deep boreholes is crucial to maximize oil, gas and geothermal production. Inductive electromagnetic methods, such as magnetotellurics, are appealing for these applications due to their large penetration depths and sensitivity to changes in fluid conductivity and fracture connectivity. In this work, we propose a 3-D Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion of time-lapse magnetotelluric data to image mass transfer following a saline fluid injection. The inversion estimates the posterior probability density function of the resulting plume, and thereby quantifies model uncertainty. To decrease computation times, we base the parametrization on a reduced Legendre moment decomposition of the plume. A synthetic test shows that our methodology is effective when the electrical resistivity structure prior to the injection is well known. The centre of mass and spread of the plume are well retrieved. We then apply our inversion strategy to an injection experiment in an enhanced geothermal system at Paralana, South Australia, and compare it to a 3-D deterministic time-lapse inversion. The latter retrieves resistivity changes that are more shallow than the actual injection interval, whereas the probabilistic inversion retrieves plumes that are located at the correct depths and oriented in a preferential north-south direction. To explain the time-lapse data, the inversion requires unrealistically large resistivity changes with respect to the base model. We suggest that this is partly explained by unaccounted subsurface heterogeneities in the base model from which time-lapse changes are inferred.

Probabilistic 3-D time-lapse inversion of magnetotelluric data: Application to an enhanced geothermal system

Science.gov (United States)

Rosas-Carbajal, Marina; Linde, Nicolas; Peacock, Jared R.; Zyserman, F. I.; Kalscheuer, Thomas; Thiel, Stephan

2015-01-01

Surface-based monitoring of mass transfer caused by injections and extractions in deep boreholes is crucial to maximize oil, gas and geothermal production. Inductive electromagnetic methods, such as magnetotellurics, are appealing for these applications due to their large penetration depths and sensitivity to changes in fluid conductivity and fracture connectivity. In this work, we propose a 3-D Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion of time-lapse magnetotelluric data to image mass transfer following a saline fluid injection. The inversion estimates the posterior probability density function of the resulting plume, and thereby quantifies model uncertainty. To decrease computation times, we base the parametrization on a reduced Legendre moment decomposition of the plume. A synthetic test shows that our methodology is effective when the electrical resistivity structure prior to the injection is well known. The centre of mass and spread of the plume are well retrieved.We then apply our inversion strategy to an injection experiment in an enhanced geothermal system at Paralana, South Australia, and compare it to a 3-D deterministic time-lapse inversion. The latter retrieves resistivity changes that are more shallow than the actual injection interval, whereas the probabilistic inversion retrieves plumes that are located at the correct depths and oriented in a preferential north-south direction. To explain the time-lapse data, the inversion requires unrealistically large resistivity changes with respect to the base model. We suggest that this is partly explained by unaccounted subsurface heterogeneities in the base model from which time-lapse changes are inferred.

Eesti välisminister jätab ELis ainsana Rice'iga kohtumata / Toomas Sildam

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Sildam, Toomas, 1961-

2005-01-01

Seoses Rein Langi ametisse astumisega 22. veebr., ei jõua ta EL-i välisministrite kohtumisele USA välisministri Condoleezza Rice'iga ega NATO Nõukogu istungile. Lisa: Kaks nädalat välisministrita

Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo Inversion of Time-Lapse Geophysical Data To Characterize the Vadose Zone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scholer, Marie; Irving, James; Zibar, Majken Caroline Looms

Geophysical methods have the potential to provide valuable information on hydrological properties in the unsaturated zone. In particular, time-lapse geophysical data, when coupled with a hydrological model and inverted stochastically, may allow for the effective estimation of subsurface hydraulic...... parameters and their corresponding uncertainties. In this study, we use a Bayesian Markov-chain-Monte-Carlo (MCMC) inversion approach to investigate how much information regarding vadose zone hydraulic properties can be retrieved from time-lapse crosshole GPR data collected at the Arrenaes field site...

Financial Barriers and Lapses in Treatment and Care of HIV-Infected Adults in a Southern State in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Wohl, David A; Kuwahara, Rita K; Javadi, Kamran; Kirby, Christine; Rosen, David L; Napravnik, Sonia; Farel, Claire

2017-11-01

Antiretroviral (ARV) adherence has largely been considered from the perspective of an individual's behavior with less attention given to potential structural causes for lapses in treatment, such as the cost of medications and care. HIV medication expense is typically covered by third party payers. However, private insurance premiums and deductibles may rise, or policies terminated such as with a change in employment. Likewise, a patient's eligibility for publicly funded coverage like state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) or Medicaid can also be lost. We conducted a one-time survey of a sample of 300 patients receiving HIV care at a single large academic center in the south of United States to examine lapses in HIV therapy due to financial reasons. We found that during the prior year, financial issues including medication cost or coverage led to a lapse in ARVs in 10% (n = 31) of participants. However, of the 42% (n = 125) participants who had been enrolled in ADAP at any time during the prior year, 21% (n = 26) reported an ARV lapse due to problems with ADAP or medication cost. Respondents cited ADAP's required semi-annual renewal process and other administrative issues as the cause of ARV lapses. The median duration of missed ARVs was 2 weeks (range of financial burdens to care by respondents. In conclusion, although conducted at a single medical center and one state, this study suggests that a significant minority of HIV-infected patients encounter financial barriers to ARV access, and this is paradoxically more common among those enrolled in the state ADAP. Streamlining, supporting, and simplifying ADAP renewal procedures will likely reduce lapses in ARV adherence and persistence.

Atmospheric Surface Layer Characterization: Preliminary Desert Lapse Rate Study 22-25 August 2000

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Elliott, Doyle

2003-01-01

Results of the August 2000 Desert Lapse Rate (DLR) Experiment are presented. The DLR Experiment was performed to document the night-to-day transition effects on the desert Atmospheric Surface Layer (ASL...

HIV-i võib nakatunud olla iga sajas täiskasvanud eestlane / Marika Raiski

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Raiski, Marika

2005-01-01

Vt. ka Nädaline 27. sept., lk. 7. Vastavalt Maailma Terviseorganisatsiooni (WHO) ja UNAIDS-i hinnangule on Eestis hulgaliselt registreerimata HIV-juhte ning tegelikult võib HIV-nakatunuid olla juba iga sajas täiskasvanud Eesti elanik

Bilateral Testicular Infarction from IgA Vasculitis of the Spermatic Cords

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazen Toushan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A 51-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presented to the emergency room with increasing bilateral leg pain, rash, and scrotal swelling with pain. Skin biopsy from his thigh revealed IgA-associated vasculitis. Due to hematuria, a renal biopsy was performed and showed an IgA glomerulonephritis with focal fibrinoid necrosis and neutrophil accumulation. Bilateral orchiectomies were performed in two separate procedures ten and thirteen days after the renal biopsy, as a result of uncontrolled abscess formation in testicles. Microscopically, both testicles revealed large abscess formation destroying almost the entire testicular parenchyma without tumor cells. Spermatic cord margins were further scrutinized microscopically to show bilateral vasculitis in many small size vessels, confirmed by positive endothelial staining for IgA. Some of the affected arteries revealed central organizing thrombi with recanalization features, highly suggestive of vasculitis-associated thrombi formation, resulting in testicular ischemic infarction and abscess formation. We conclude that this adult patient developed a severe form of Henoch-Schönlein purpura, with vasculitis affecting multiple organs, including the most serious and unusual complication of bilateral testicular infarction.

Phase Field Modeling Using PetIGA

KAUST Repository

Vignal, Philippe

2013-06-01

Phase field modeling has become a widely used framework in the computational material science community. Its ability to model different problems by defining appropriate phase field parameters and relating it to a free energy functional makes it highly versatile. Thermodynamically consistent partial differential equations can then be generated by assuming dissipative dynamics, and setting up the problem as one of minimizing this free energy. The equations are nonetheless challenging to solve, and having a highly efficient and parallel framework to solve them is necessary. In this work, a brief review on phase field models is given, followed by a short analysis of the Phase Field Crystal Model solved with Isogeometric Analysis us- ing PetIGA. We end with an introduction to a new modeling concept, where free energy functions are built with a periodic equilibrium structure in mind.

Evaluating four-dimensional time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography for monitoring DNAPL source zone remediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, Christopher; Gerhard, Jason I; Karaoulis, Marios; Tsourlos, Panagiotis; Giannopoulos, Antonios

2014-07-01

Practical, non-invasive tools do not currently exist for mapping the remediation of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) exhibits significant potential but has not yet become a practitioner's tool due to challenges in interpreting the survey results at real sites. This study explores the effectiveness of recently developed four-dimensional (4D, i.e., 3D space plus time) time-lapse surface ERT to monitor DNAPL source zone remediation. A laboratory experiment demonstrated the approach for mapping a changing NAPL distribution over time. A recently developed DNAPL-ERT numerical model was then employed to independently simulate the experiment, providing confidence that the DNAPL-ERT model is a reliable tool for simulating real systems. The numerical model was then used to evaluate the potential for this approach at the field scale. Four DNAPL source zones, exhibiting a range of complexity, were initially simulated, followed by modeled time-lapse ERT monitoring of complete DNAPL remediation by enhanced dissolution. 4D ERT inversion provided estimates of the regions of the source zone experiencing mass reduction with time. Results show that 4D time-lapse ERT has significant potential to map both the outline and the center of mass of the evolving treated portion of the source zone to within a few meters in each direction. In addition, the technique can provide a reasonable, albeit conservative, estimate of the DNAPL volume remediated with time: 25% underestimation in the upper 2m and up to 50% underestimation at late time between 2 and 4m depth. The technique is less reliable for identifying cleanup of DNAPL stringers outside the main DNAPL body. Overall, this study demonstrates that 4D time-lapse ERT has potential for mapping where and how quickly DNAPL mass changes in real time during site remediation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-lapse electrical surveys to locate infiltration zones in weathered hard rock tropical areas

Science.gov (United States)

Wubda, M.; Descloitres, M.; Yalo, N.; Ribolzi, O.; Vouillamoz, J. M.; Boukari, M.; Hector, B.; Séguis, L.

2017-07-01

In West Africa, infiltration and groundwater recharge processes in hard rock areas are depending on climatic, surface and subsurface conditions, and are poorly documented. Part of the reason is that identification, location and monitoring of these processes is still a challenge. Here, we explore the potential for time-lapse electrical surveys to bring additional information on these processes for two different climate situations: a semi-arid Sahelian site (north of Burkina and a humid Sudanian site (north of Benin), respectively focusing on indirect (localized) and direct (diffuse) recharge processes. The methodology is based on surveys in dry season and rainy season on typical pond or gully using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and frequency electromagnetic (FEM) apparent conductivity mapping. The results show that in the Sahelian zone an indirect recharge occurs as expected, but infiltration doesn't takes place at the center of the pond to the aquifer, but occurs laterally in the banks. In Sudanian zone, the ERT survey shows a direct recharge process as expected, but also a complicated behavior of groundwater dilution, as well as the role of hardpans for fast infiltration. These processes are ascertained by groundwater monitoring in adjacent observing wells. At last, FEM time lapse mapping is found to be difficult to quantitatively interpreted due to the non-uniqueness of the model, clearly evidenced comparing FEM result to auger holes monitoring. Finally, we found that time-lapse ERT can be an efficient way to track infiltration processes across ponds and gullies in both climatic conditions, the Sahelian setting providing results easier to interpret, due to significant resistivity contrasts between dry and rain seasons. Both methods can be used for efficient implementation of punctual sensors for complementary studies. However, FEM time-lapse mapping remains difficult to practice without external information that renders this method less attractive for

Large Scale Generation and Characterization of Anti-Human IgA Monoclonal Antibody in Ascitic Fluid of Balb/c Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Ezzatifar, Fatemeh; Majidi, Jafar; Baradaran, Behzad; Aghebati Maleki, Leili; Abdolalizadeh, Jalal; Yousefi, Mehdi

2015-01-01

Purpose: Monoclonal antibodies are potentially powerful tools used in biomedical research, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases and cancers. The monoclonal antibody against Human IgA can be used as a diagnostic application to detect infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to improve an appropriate protocol for large-scale production of mAbs against IgA. Methods: For large-scale production of the monoclonal antibody, hybridoma cells that produce monoclonal antibodies against Human IgA were injected intraperitoneally into Balb/c mice that were previously primed with 0.5 ml Pristane. After ten days, ascitic fluid was harvested from the peritoneum of each mouse. The ELISA method was carried out for evaluation of the titration of produced mAbs. The ascitic fluid was investigated in terms of class and subclass by a mouse mAb isotyping kit. MAb was purified from the ascitic fluid by ion exchange chromatography. The purity of the monoclonal antibody was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, and the purified monoclonal antibody was conjugated with HRP. Results: Monoclonal antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity against Human IgA were prepared by hybridoma technology. The subclass of antibody was IgG1 and its light chain was the kappa type. Conclusion: This conjugated monoclonal antibody could have applications in designing ELISA kits in order to diagnose different infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis and H. Pylori. PMID:25789225

Large Scale Generation and Characterization of Anti-Human IgA Monoclonal Antibody in Ascitic Fluid of Balb/c Mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Ezzatifar

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Monoclonal antibodies are potentially powerful tools used in biomedical research, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases and cancers. The monoclonal antibody against Human IgA can be used as a diagnostic application to detect infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to improve an appropriate protocol for large-scale production of mAbs against IgA. Methods: For large-scale production of the monoclonal antibody, hybridoma cells that produce monoclonal antibodies against Human IgA were injected intraperitoneally into Balb/c mice that were previously primed with 0.5 ml Pristane. After ten days, ascitic fluid was harvested from the peritoneum of each mouse. The ELISA method was carried out for evaluation of the titration of produced mAbs. The ascitic fluid was investigated in terms of class and subclass by a mouse mAb isotyping kit. MAb was purified from the ascitic fluid by ion exchange chromatography. The purity of the monoclonal antibody was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, and the purified monoclonal antibody was conjugated with HRP. Results: Monoclonal antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity against Human IgA were prepared by hybridoma technology. The subclass of antibody was IgG1 and its light chain was the kappa type. Conclusion: This conjugated monoclonal antibody could have applications in designing ELISA kits in order to diagnose different infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis and H. Pylori.

A single intranasal immunization with a subunit vaccine formulation induces higher mucosal IgA production than live respiratory syncytial virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garg, Ravendra; Theaker, Michael; Martinez, Elisa C.; Drunen Littel-van den Hurk, Sylvia van

2016-01-01

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes serious respiratory illness in infants and elderly. RSV infection induces short-lived immunity, which leaves people prone to re-infection. In contrast, the RSV fusion (F) protein formulated with a novel adjuvant (∆F/TriAdj) elicits long term protective immunity. A comparison of RSV-immunized mice to mice vaccinated with a single dose of ∆F/TriAdj showed no difference in IgG1 and IgG2a production; however, local IgA secreting memory B cell development and B cell IgA production were significantly lower in RSV vaccinated mice than in ∆F/TriAdj-immunized mice. This indicates a potential reason as to why long-term immunity is not induced by RSV infection. The comparison also revealed that germinal center lymphocyte populations were higher in ∆F/TriAdj-vaccinated mice. Furthermore, ∆F/TriAdj induced higher gene expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), as well as IL-6, IL-21, TGF-β cytokines, which are key players in IgA class switch recombination, ultimately leading to a sustained long-term memory response. - Highlights: •Immune responses to adjuvanted RSV F protein, ∆F/TriAdj, and RSV were compared. •∆F/TriAdj stimulates more local IgA production than RSV. •∆F/TriAdj induces more local IgA secreting memory B cells than RSV. •Germinal center lymphocyte populations are higher in ∆F/TriAdj-vaccinated mice. •∆F/TriAdj induces higher gene expression of AID, IL-6, IL-21, and TGF-β than RSV.

A single intranasal immunization with a subunit vaccine formulation induces higher mucosal IgA production than live respiratory syncytial virus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garg, Ravendra [VIDO-InterVac, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3 (Canada); Theaker, Michael [Microbiology & Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3 (Canada); Martinez, Elisa C. [VIDO-InterVac, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3 (Canada); Microbiology & Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada SK S7N 5E3 (Canada); Drunen Littel-van den Hurk, Sylvia van, E-mail: sylvia.vandenhurk@usask.ca [VIDO-InterVac, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3 (Canada); Microbiology & Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3 (Canada)

2016-12-15

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes serious respiratory illness in infants and elderly. RSV infection induces short-lived immunity, which leaves people prone to re-infection. In contrast, the RSV fusion (F) protein formulated with a novel adjuvant (∆F/TriAdj) elicits long term protective immunity. A comparison of RSV-immunized mice to mice vaccinated with a single dose of ∆F/TriAdj showed no difference in IgG1 and IgG2a production; however, local IgA secreting memory B cell development and B cell IgA production were significantly lower in RSV vaccinated mice than in ∆F/TriAdj-immunized mice. This indicates a potential reason as to why long-term immunity is not induced by RSV infection. The comparison also revealed that germinal center lymphocyte populations were higher in ∆F/TriAdj-vaccinated mice. Furthermore, ∆F/TriAdj induced higher gene expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), as well as IL-6, IL-21, TGF-β cytokines, which are key players in IgA class switch recombination, ultimately leading to a sustained long-term memory response. - Highlights: •Immune responses to adjuvanted RSV F protein, ∆F/TriAdj, and RSV were compared. •∆F/TriAdj stimulates more local IgA production than RSV. •∆F/TriAdj induces more local IgA secreting memory B cells than RSV. •Germinal center lymphocyte populations are higher in ∆F/TriAdj-vaccinated mice. •∆F/TriAdj induces higher gene expression of AID, IL-6, IL-21, and TGF-β than RSV.

Low-dose oral tolerance due to antigen in the diet suppresses differentially the cholera toxin-adjuvantized IgE, IgA and IgG response

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Hanne Risager; Kjær, Tanja; Frøkiær, Hanne

2003-01-01

Background: Cholera toxin (CT) is used as a mucosal adjuvant amongst other applications for studying food allergy because oral administration of antigen with CT induces an antigen-specific type 2 response, including IgE and IgA production. Priorly established oral tolerance due to antigen...... soy-trypsin inhibitor (KSTI) (F0 mice) and mice fed a soy-free diet (F2 mice) were orally immunized with KSTI and CT. KSTI-specific serum IgG1, IgG2a, IgA and IgE and fecal IgA were monitored. KSTI-stimulated cell proliferation and interleukin (IL)-6 production were determined. Results: The anti...... immunizations. However, cell proliferation and IL-6 production were clearly suppressed even after five immunizations. Conclusions: Priorly established low-dose oral tolerance considerably suppressed the CT-adjuvantized KSTI-specific IgE, IgA and cellular immune response but only weakly and transiently the Ig...

The gut-kidney axis in IgA nephropathy: role of microbiota and diet on genetic predisposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppo, Rosanna

2018-01-01

Recent data suggest that gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) plays a major role in the development of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN). A genome-wide association study showed that most loci associated with the risk of IgAN are also associated with immune-mediated inflammatory bowel diseases, maintenance of the intestinal barrier and regulation of response to gut pathogens. Studies involving experimental models have demonstrated a pivotal role of intestinal microbiota in the development of IgAN in mice producing high levels of IgA and in transgenic mice overexpressing BAFF, a B-cell factor crucial for IgA synthesis, indicating the role of genetic background, B-cell activity, GALT intestinal immunity and diet. The effect of diet was suggested by pilot studies carried out 30 years ago which showed that a gluten-rich diet induced IgAN in mice and that some patients benefited from a gluten-free diet. A recent experimental model in mice expressing human IgA1 and Fc alpha receptor CD89 reported clinical and histological improvement after a gluten-free diet. Clinical observations have elicited new interest in GALT hyper-reactivity in IgAN patients. In a pilot study, a reduction in proteinuria was attained using an enteric controlled-release formulation of the corticosteroid budesonide targeted to the Peyer's patches at the ileocecal junction. This formulation was tested in the placebo-controlled NEFIGAN phase 2b trial, with a reduction in proteinuria after 9 months of treatment together with stabilization of renal function in patients with persistent proteinuria. In conclusion, the gut-kidney axis modulated by microbiota and diet is a promising target for focused treatment of IgAN in genetically predisposed patients at risk of progression.

Purification and Characterisation of Immunoglobulins from the Australian Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto) Using Anti-Fab Affinity Chromatography Reveals the Low Abundance of IgA

Science.gov (United States)

Shiell, Brian J.; Beddome, Gary; Cowled, Christopher; Peck, Grantley R.; Huang, Jing; Grimley, Samantha L.; Baker, Michelle L.; Michalski, Wojtek P.

2013-01-01

There is now an overwhelming body of evidence that implicates bats in the dissemination of a long list of emerging and re-emerging viral agents, often causing illnesses or death in both animals and humans. Despite this, there is a paucity of information regarding the immunological mechanisms by which bats coexist with highly pathogenic viruses. Immunoglobulins are major components of the adaptive immune system. Early studies found bats may have quantitatively lower antibody responses to model antigens compared to conventional laboratory animals. To further understand the antibody response of bats, the present study purified and characterised the major immunoglobulin classes from healthy black flying foxes, Pteropus alecto. We employed a novel strategy, where IgG was initially purified and used to generate anti-Fab specific antibodies. Immobilised anti-Fab specific antibodies were then used to capture other immunoglobulins from IgG depleted serum. While high quantities of IgM were successfully isolated from serum, IgA was not. Only trace quantities of IgA were detected in the serum by mass spectrometry. Immobilised ligands specific to IgA (Jacalin, Peptide M and staphylococcal superantigen-like protein) also failed to capture P. alecto IgA from serum. IgM was the second most abundant serum antibody after IgG. A survey of mucosal secretions found IgG was the dominant antibody class rather than IgA. Our study demonstrates healthy P. alecto bats have markedly less serum IgA than expected. Higher quantities of IgG in mucosal secretions may be compensation for this low abundance or lack of IgA. Knowledge and reagents developed within this study can be used in the future to examine class-specific antibody response within this important viral host. PMID:23308125

Purification and characterisation of immunoglobulins from the Australian black flying fox (Pteropus alecto using anti-fab affinity chromatography reveals the low abundance of IgA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James W Wynne

Full Text Available There is now an overwhelming body of evidence that implicates bats in the dissemination of a long list of emerging and re-emerging viral agents, often causing illnesses or death in both animals and humans. Despite this, there is a paucity of information regarding the immunological mechanisms by which bats coexist with highly pathogenic viruses. Immunoglobulins are major components of the adaptive immune system. Early studies found bats may have quantitatively lower antibody responses to model antigens compared to conventional laboratory animals. To further understand the antibody response of bats, the present study purified and characterised the major immunoglobulin classes from healthy black flying foxes, Pteropus alecto. We employed a novel strategy, where IgG was initially purified and used to generate anti-Fab specific antibodies. Immobilised anti-Fab specific antibodies were then used to capture other immunoglobulins from IgG depleted serum. While high quantities of IgM were successfully isolated from serum, IgA was not. Only trace quantities of IgA were detected in the serum by mass spectrometry. Immobilised ligands specific to IgA (Jacalin, Peptide M and staphylococcal superantigen-like protein also failed to capture P. alecto IgA from serum. IgM was the second most abundant serum antibody after IgG. A survey of mucosal secretions found IgG was the dominant antibody class rather than IgA. Our study demonstrates healthy P. alecto bats have markedly less serum IgA than expected. Higher quantities of IgG in mucosal secretions may be compensation for this low abundance or lack of IgA. Knowledge and reagents developed within this study can be used in the future to examine class-specific antibody response within this important viral host.

Arabidopsis GCP3-interacting protein 1/MOZART 1 is an integral component of the γ-tubulin-containing microtubule nucleating complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Masayoshi; Yagi, Noriyoshi; Kato, Takehide; Fujita, Satoshi; Kawashima, Noriyuki; Ehrhardt, David W; Hashimoto, Takashi

2012-07-01

Microtubules in eukaryotic cells are nucleated from ring-shaped complexes that contain γ-tubulin and a family of homologous γ-tubulin complex proteins (GCPs), but the subunit composition of the complexes can vary among fungi, animals and plants. Arabidopsis GCP3-interacting protein 1 (GIP1), a small protein with no homology to the GCP family, interacts with GCP3 in vitro, and is a plant homolog of vertebrate mitotic-spindle organizing protein associated with a ring of γ-tubulin 1 (MOZART1), a recently identified component of the γ-tubulin complex in human cell lines. In this study, we characterized two closely related Arabidopsis GIP1s: GIP1a and GIP1b. Single mutants of gip1a and gip1b were indistinguishable from wild-type plants, but their double mutant was embryonic lethal, and showed impaired development of male gametophytes. Functional fusions of GIP1a with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used to purify GIP1a-containing complexes from Arabidopsis plants, which contained all the subunits (except NEDD1) previously identified in the Arabidopsis γ-tubulin complexes. GIP1a and GIP1b interacted specifically with Arabidopsis GCP3 in yeast. GFP-GIP1a labeled mitotic microtubule arrays in a pattern largely consistent with, but partly distinct from, the localization of the γ-tubulin complex containing GCP2 or GCP3 in planta. In interphase cortical arrays, the labeled complexes were preferentially recruited to existing microtubules, from which new microtubules were efficiently nucleated. However, in contrast to complexes labeled with tagged GCP2 or GCP3, their recruitment to cortical areas with no microtubules was rarely observed. These results indicate that GIP1/MOZART1 is an integral component of a subset of the Arabidopsis γ-tubulin complexes. © 2012 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A necessidade da imunofluorescência direta no diagnóstico da dermatose bolhosa por IgA The need for direct immunofluorescence in the diagnosis of IgA bullous dermatosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Chang

2012-02-01

Full Text Available A dermatose bolhosa por imunoglobulina da classe A linear (DbIgA do adulto é uma doença autoimune rara caracterizada por formação de bolhas subepidérmicas e depósito linear de imunoglobulina da classe A (IgA na zona da membrana basal (ZMB. Por possuir aspectos clínicos e histológicos semelhantes a outras dermatoses bolhosas, principalmente a dermatite herpetiforme e o penfigoide bolhoso, faz-se necessária a realização de imunofluorescência direta para confirmação diagnóstica. Apresenta-se então, neste artigo, relato de caso ilustrando essa necessidade.Linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis (DbIgA of adults is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by subepidermal blistering and linear deposits of immunoglobulin A (IgA in the basement membrane zone (BMZ. Owing to the fact it presents clinical and histological aspects similar to other bullous dermatosis, mainly dermatitis herpetiformis and bullous pemphigoid, direct immunofluorescence is required to confirm diagnosis. In this article, we describe a case that illustrates this need.

Evaluation of natural regulatory T cells in subjects with selective IgA deficiency: from senior idea to novel opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Soheili, Habib; Abolhassani, Hassan; Arandi, Narges; Khazaei, Hossein Ali; Shahinpour, Shervin; Hirbod-Mobarakeh, Armin; Rezaei, Nima; Aghamohammadi, Asghar

2013-01-01

Selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) is the most common primary immunodeficiency disorder, which is characterized by significantly decreased serum levels of IgA. Abnormalities of CD4+CD25(high)forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ regulatory T cells (T(reg)) have been shown in association with autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. In order to evaluate the relationship between autoimmunity and T(reg) in SIgAD, we studied 26 IgA-deficient patients (aged 4-17 years) with serum IgA levels 2.36%. Autoimmunity was recorded in 9 patients (53.3%) of G1 and only 1 patient of G2, respectively (p = 0.034). Although a defect in class switching recombination was observed in 40% of the patients in G1, none of the G2 patients had such a defect (p = 0.028). This study showed decreased proportions of T(reg) in SIgAD patients, particularly in those with signs of chronic inflammation. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgA and IgM) and acute phase ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results indicate that USS or pregnancy changes different aspects of humoral immunity, thus the co-existence of pregnancy and S. haematobium infection may ... Résultats et conclusions: IgG, IgA et IgM étaient remarquablement élevés chez les femmes enceintes atteintes de la schistose urinaire par rapport aux femmes ...

IgA antibodies against β2 glycoprotein I in hemodialysis patients are an independent risk factor for mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Serrano, Antonio; García, Florencio; Serrano, Manuel; Ramírez, Elisa; Alfaro, F Javier; Lora, David; de la Cámara, Agustín Gómez; Paz-Artal, Estela; Praga, Manuel; Morales, Jose M

2012-06-01

Cardiovascular complications are the most important cause of death in patients on dialysis with end-stage renal disease. Antibodies reacting with β-glycoprotein I seem to play a pathogenic role in antiphospholipid syndrome and stroke and are involved in the origin of atherosclerosis. Here we evaluated the presence of anticardiolipin and anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies together with other vascular risk factors and their relationship with mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in a cohort of 124 hemodialysis patients prospectively followed for 2 years. Of these, 41 patients were significantly positive for IgA anti-β-glycoprotein I, and the remaining had normal values. At 24 months, overall and cardiovascular mortality and thrombotic events were all significantly higher in patients with high anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression modeling found that age, hypoalbuminemia, use of dialysis catheters, and IgA β-glycoprotein I antibodies were independent risk factors for death. Thus, IgA antibodies to β-glycoprotein I are detrimental to the clinical outcome of hemodialysis patients.

Exploiting the airwave for time-lapse reservoir monitoring with CSEM on land

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wirianto, M.; Mulder, W.A.; Slob, E.C.

2011-01-01

In the application of controlled source electromagnetics for reservoir monitoring on land, repeatability errors in the source will mask the time-lapse signal due to hydrocarbon production when recording surface data close to the source. We demonstrate that at larger distances, the airwave will still

Effects of relaxation on anxiety and salivary IgA levels in puerperae Los efectos del relajamiento sobre el estado de ansiedad y en los niveles de IgA en la saliva de mujeres en puerperio Efeitos do relaxamento na ansiedade e nos níveis de IgA salivar de puérperas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cândida Caniçali Primo

2008-02-01

Full Text Available This experimental study aimed to evaluate the effect of relaxation techniques on anxiety levels, and the relation between anxiety and the concentration of Immunoglobulin A. The study was carried out in a maternity hospital in a city of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The sample was composed of 60 puerperae. The information on the variables: age, education, marital status, type of childbirth, and parity were collected with a specific form; the trait and state of anxiety were based on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI/IDATE; and the level of salivary IgA was obtained through immunoturbidimetry. The application of the Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, and Pearson's correlation statistical tests showed a significant reduction in the levels of the state of anxiety in the experimental group (p = 0.01; there was no correlation between the trait and state variables of anxiety and the salivary IgA level; both groups (experimental and control showed trait and state of medium-intensity anxiety.Este estudio experimental tiene como objetivos evaluar los efectos de la técnica de relajamiento en los niveles de ansiedad y la relación que existe entre la ansiedad y la concentración de Inmunoglobulina A. El estudio fue realizado en una maternidad, en un municipio del Estado de Espíritu Santo, en Brasil. La muestra estaba constituida por 60 puérperas. Las informaciones referentes a las variables: edad, grado de instrucción, estado civil, tipo de parto y número de hijos, fueron recolectadas por medio de un formulario específico; el trazo y el estado de ansiedad tuvieron como base el Inventario de Ansiedad Trazo y Estado (IDATE, y el nivel de IgA de la saliva a través de la inmunoturbidimetría. La aplicación de las pruebas estadísticas Mann-Whytney, Wilcoxon y la correlación de Pearson mostraron: una disminución significativa de los niveles del estado de ansiedad en el grupo experimental (p= 0,01 y la ausencia de correlación entre las variables

Definition of "banner clouds" based on time lapse movies

OpenAIRE

Schween , J. H.; Kuettner , J.; Reinert , D.; Reuder , J.; Wirth , V.

2007-01-01

International audience; Banner clouds appear on the leeward side of a mountain and resemble a banner or a flag. This article provides a comprehensive definition of "banner clouds". It is based primarily on an extensive collection of time lapse movies, but previous attempts at an explanation of this phenomenon are also taken into account. The following ingredients are considered essential: the cloud must be attached to the mountain but not appear on the windward side; the cloud must originate ...

Optimization of a Time-Lapse Gravity Network for Carbon Sequestration

Science.gov (United States)

Appriou, D.; Strickland, C. E.; Ruprecht Yonkofski, C. M.

2017-12-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate what could be a comprehensive and optimal state of the art gravity monitoring network that would meet the UIC class VI regulation and insure that 90% of the CO2 injected remain underground. Time-lapse gravity surveys have a long history of effective applications of monitoring temporal density changes in the subsurface. For decades, gravity measurements have been used for a wide range of applications. The interest of time-lapse gravity surveys for monitoring carbon sequestration sites started recently. The success of their deployment in such sites depends upon a combination of favorable conditions, such as the reservoir geometry, depth, thickness, density change over time induced by the CO2 injection and the location of the instrument. In most cases, the density changes induced by the CO2 plume in the subsurface are not detectable from the surface but the use of borehole gravimeters can provide excellent results. In the framework of the National Assessment and Risk Partnership (NRAP) funded by the Department of Energy, the evaluation of the effectiveness of the gravity monitoring of a CO2 storage site has been assessed using multiple synthetic scenarios implemented on a community model developed for the Kimberlina site (e.g., fault leakage scenarios, borehole leakage). The Kimberlina carbon sequestration project was a pilot project located in southern San Joaquin Valley, California, aimed to safely inject 250,000 t CO2/yr for four years. Although the project was cancelled in 2012, the site characterization efforts resulted in the development of a geologic model. In this study, we present the results of the time-lapse gravity monitoring applied on different multiphase flow and reactive transport models developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (i.e., no leakage, permeable fault zone, wellbore leakage). Our monitoring approach considers an ideal network, consisting of multiple vertical and horizontal instrumented

Vähihaiged lapsed jäädvustasid halli haiglaelu piltidele / Madis Filippov

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Filippov, Madis

2011-01-01

Tallinna Lastehaigla onkoloogiaosakonnas ravitavate laste fotoringi näitus "Pildid teevad head" Sokos Hotel Viru konverentsikeskuses. Natalja Rogova, Kristen Saar ja Ralf Põllukivi räägivad oma fotodest ja elust haiglas. Samal teemal "Uus pilk elule: vähihaiged lapsed avasid fotonäituse" lk. 1

Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) response to three music stimuli (Mozart--"Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," Anonymous--"Romanza," Bach--"Violin Concerto No. 1") and white noise under recirculating water conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Papoutsoglou, Sofronios E; Karakatsouli, Nafsika; Psarrou, Anna; Apostolidou, Sofia; Papoutsoglou, Eustratios S; Batzina, Alkisti; Leondaritis, Georgios; Sakellaridis, N

2015-02-01

This study presents the results of the response of Sparus aurata to three different musical stimuli, derived from the transmission (4 h per day, 5 days per week) of particular music pieces by Mozart, Romanza and Bach (140 dB(rms) re 1 μPa), compared to the same transmission level of white noise, while the underwater ambient noise in all the experimental tanks was 121 dB(rms) re 1 μPa. Using recirculating sea water facilities, 10 groups, 2 for each treatment, of 20 specimens of 11.2 ± 0.02 g (S.E.), were reared for 94 days, under 150 ± 10 l× 12L-12D, and were fed an artificial diet three times per day. Fish body weight showed significant differences after 55 days, while its maximum level was observed after the 69th day until the end of the experiment, the highest value demonstrated in Mozart (M) groups, followed by those of Romanza (R), Bach (B), control (C) and white noise (WN). SGR (M = B), %WG (M = B) and FCR (all groups fed same % b.w.) were also improved for M group. Brain neurotransmitters results exhibited significant differences in DA-dopamine, (M > B), 5HIAA (C > B), 5HIAA:5HT (WN > R), DOPAC (M > B), DOPAC:DA and (DOPAC + HVA):DA, (C > M), while no significant differences were observed in 5HT, NA, HVA and HVA:DA. No differences were observed in biometric measurements, protease activity, % fatty acids of fillet, visceral fat and liver, while differences were observed regarding carbohydrase activity and the amount (mg/g w.w.) of some fatty acids in liver, fillet and visceral fat. In conclusion, present results confirm those reported for S. aurata, concerning the observed relaxing influence--due to its brain neurotransmitters action--of the transmission of Mozart music (compared to R and B), which resulted in the achievement of maximum growth rate, body weight and improved FCR. This conclusion definitely supports the musical "understanding" and sensitivity of S. aurata to music stimuli as well as suggesting a specific effect of white noise.

Niveles de inmunoglobulinas IgA e IgM en recién nacidos y correlación con infección congénita

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Rafael Ferrer Montoya

1998-03-01

Full Text Available Se realizó un estudio analítico y prospectivo en 600 recién nacidos, de los niveles sanguíneos de IgM e IgA y su relación con el riesgo de infección congénita. Se encontró elevada la IgM en 10 neonatos (1,7 % y la IgA en 18 (3 %. Se halló una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística de IgM e IgA elevadas en los neonatos cuyas madres tuvieron líquido amniótico caliente y/o fétido, ruptura de las membranas de más de 24 horas y fiebre intraparto. También hubo una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística de las Igs elevadas en neonatos con bronconeumonía y sepsis generalizada congénita. De los cultivos bacteriológicos existió una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística en el hemocultivo y exudado faríngeo y las Igs elevadas y el residuo gástrico con la IgM elevada. Las bacterias grampositivas y gramnegativas aisladas en los neonatos tuvieron buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística, excepto para la IgA en las bacterias gramnegativas. Los 4 neonatos fallecidos por infección congénita tuvieron IgM elevadas.A prospective analytical study of IgM and IgA inmunoglobulin levels of 600 neonates and their correlation with congenital infection risks was made. 10 neonates (1.7 % presented a high IgM level whereas 18 (3 % had a raised IgA level. A good correlation (OR and statistical significance of raised IgA and IgM levels were found in newborns of mothers who had had hot and/or fetid amniotic fluid; ruptured membranes for over 24 hours and intralabor fever. Good correlation and statistical significance of high Igs were also present in neonates affected by bronchopneumonia and general congenital sepsis. As to the bacteriological cultures, good correlation and statistical significance was found in hemoculture and pharyngeal exudate, as well as raised Igs levels, and gastric residues with high IgM level. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria isolated from newborns presented good correlation

Frequent Detection of Anti-Tubercular-Glycolipid-IgG and -IgA Antibodies in Healthcare Workers with Latent Tuberculosis Infection in the Philippines

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Umme Ruman Siddiqi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Anti-tubercular-glycolipid-IgG (TBGL-IgG and -IgA (TBGL-IgA antibodies, and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT were compared in healthcare workers (HCWs, n=31 and asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-carriers (HIV-AC, n=56 in Manila. In HCWs, 48%, 51%, and 19% were positive in QFT, TBGL-IgG, and -IgA, respectively. The TBGL-IgG positivity was significantly higher (P=0.02 in QFT-positive than QFT-negative HCWs. Both TBGL-IgG- and -IgA-positive cases were only found in QFT-positive HCWs (27%. The plasma IFN-γ levels positively correlated with TBGL-IgA titers (r=0.74, P=0.005, but not TBGL-IgG titers in this group, indicating that mucosal immunity is involved in LTBI in immunocompetent individuals. The QFT positivity in HIV-AC was 31% in those with CD4+ cell counts >350/μL and 12.5% in low CD4 group (<350/μL. 59 % and 29% were positive for TBGL-IgG and -IgA, respectively, in HIV-AC, but no association was found between QFT and TBGL assays. TBGL-IgG-positive rates in QFT-positive and QFT-negative HIV-AC were 61% and 58%, and those of TBGL-IgA were 23% and 30%, respectively. The titers of TBGL-IgA were associated with serum IgA (P=0.02 in HIV-AC. Elevations of TBGL-IgG and -IgA were related to latent tuberculosis infection in HCWs, but careful interpretation is necessary in HIV-AC.

Radioimmunoassay of IgM, IgG, and IgA brucella antibodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrett, D.; Nielson, K.H.; White, R.G.; Payne, D.J.H.

1977-01-01

A radioimmunoassay (R.I.A.) has been devised to measure the serum antibody against Brucella abortus in each of the immunoglobulin classes IgM, IgG, and IgA. This test was applied to 46 sera from individuals with various clinical types of brucellosis, and the results were compared with the results of conventional direct and indirect agglutination and complement-fixation tests. The R.I.A. provided a highly sensitive primary-type assay which avoided the difficulties with blocking or non-agglutinating antibody, and thus has many advantages in the diagnosis of acute and chronic stages of brucella infection in man. The R.I.A. was successful in detection of antibody in many instances in which conventional serological tests were negative, and such antibody could (if IgM) be associated with acute or (if IgG or IgA) with chronic cases of brucellosis. One case in which B.abortus was isolated by blood culture but which failed to yield antibody by conventional tests, nevertheless showed substantial levels of IgM and IgG antibody by R.I.A. In other cases the R.I.A. test helped to eliminate the diagnosis of brucellosis by revealing absent or low antibody levels. (author)

Structural differences among serum IgA proteins of chimpanzee, rhesus monkey and rat origin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Endo, T.; Radl, J.; Mestecky, J.

1997-01-01

Asparagine-linked sugar chains were quantitatively released from chimpanzee, Rhesus monkey and rat IgA proteins as oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis, converted to radioactive oligosaccharides by reduction with NaB3H4, and separated into neutral and two acidic fractions by paper electrophoresis. The

Seismic time-lapse imaging using Interferometric least-squares migration

KAUST Repository

Sinha, Mrinal

2016-09-06

One of the problems with 4D surveys is that the environmental conditions change over time so that the experiment is insufficiently repeatable. To mitigate this problem, we propose the use of interferometric least-squares migration (ILSM) to estimate the migration image for the baseline and monitor surveys. Here, a known reflector is used as the reference reflector for ILSM. Results with synthetic and field data show that ILSM can eliminate artifacts caused by non-repeatability in time-lapse surveys.

Seismic time-lapse imaging using Interferometric least-squares migration

KAUST Repository

Sinha, Mrinal; Schuster, Gerard T.

2016-01-01

One of the problems with 4D surveys is that the environmental conditions change over time so that the experiment is insufficiently repeatable. To mitigate this problem, we propose the use of interferometric least-squares migration (ILSM) to estimate the migration image for the baseline and monitor surveys. Here, a known reflector is used as the reference reflector for ILSM. Results with synthetic and field data show that ILSM can eliminate artifacts caused by non-repeatability in time-lapse surveys.

Lapsed kapsapõldudel mehe eest väljas / Anne Oja

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Oja, Anne, 1970-

2006-01-01

Kadarbiku talu peremees Ants Pak kasutab oma põldudel 8-12-aastaste laste tööd. Vt. samas: Vanemad tohivad lapsi tööle panna vaid oma tallu ja pereettevõttesse. Vt. samas Gert D Hankewitz interv. talu peremehe Ants Pakìga: Vanem ise sokutab lapse meile. Kommenteerivad Alar Tamm, Tarmo Kriis, Mailis Reps, Juhan Salum, Janno Järve, Aivo Tamm, Dmitri Jegorov ja Liivi Lents

Anal lymphogranuloma venereum infection screening with IgA anti-Chlamydia trachomatis-specific major outer membrane protein serology.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Henry J C; Smelov, Vitaly; Ouburg, Sander; Pleijster, Jolein; Geskus, Ronald B; Speksnijder, Arjen G C L; Fennema, Johannes S A; Morré, Servaas A

2010-12-01

Anal lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) infections, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis biovar L (Ct+/LGV+), are endemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Anal non-LGV biovar Ct infections (Ct+/LGV-) can be eradicated with 1 week doxycycline, whereas Ct+/LGV+ infections require 3-week doxycycline. To differentiate Ct+/LGV+ from Ct+/LGV- infections, biovar-specific Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) are standard, but also expensive and laborious. A chlamydia-specific serological assay could serve as an alternative test. MSM were screened for anal Ct+/LGV+ and Ct+/LGV- infections with a commercial nonspecific NAAT and an in house biovar L-specific NAAT. Serum samples were evaluated with chlamydia-specific anti-Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) and antilipopolysaccharide assays of IgA and IgG classes. Asymptomatic patients were identified as: (1) no anal complaints or (2) no microscopic inflammation (i.e., <10 leucocytes per high power field in anal smears). The best differentiating assay was subsequently evaluated in 100 Ct+/LGV+ and 100 Ct+/LGV- MSM using different cut-off points. The anti-MOMP IgA assay was the most accurate to differentiate Ct+/LGV+ (n = 42) from Ct+/LGV- (n = 19) with 85.7% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.2-93.3) and 84.2% specificity (95% CI, 62.4-94.5), even among asymptomatic patients. In a population comprising 98 Ct+/LGV+ and 105 Ct+/LGV- patients, the anti-MOMP IgA assay scored most accurate when the cut-off point was set to 2.0 with 75.5% (95% CI, 65.8-83.6) sensitivity and 74.3% (95% CI, 64.8-82.3) specificity. The IgA anti-MOMP assay can identify a considerable proportion of the (asymptomatic) anal LGV infections correctly. Yet, biovar L-specific NAAT are still the preferred diagnostic tests in clinical settings.

Duration of secretory IgM and IgA antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus in a community study in Guinea-Bissau

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stensballe, L G; Kofoed, P E; Nante, E J

2000-01-01

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is probably the single major cause of lower respiratory infection (LRI) among infants worldwide. Its relative importance may be underestimated, as the diagnosis is based on antigen detection and antigen may only be detectable in the early phase of infection. We...... phase of infection. A secondary response may be more likely in children with low IgM responses in the acute phase (RR = 2.08 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-4.70)). The IgA response was highest on days 28 and 42 after antigen detection, 72% having a detectable IgA response within the first 1.5 mo...... have therefore assessed the duration of secretory IgM and IgA antibody responses and whether assays for these antibodies can be used to improve the diagnosing of RSV-associated infections. During two RSV epidemics in Guinea-Bissau, 32 RSV antigen-positive children with LRI were followed with sequential...

Time-lapse refraction seismic tomography for the detection of ground ice degradation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Hilbich

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The ice content of the subsurface is a major factor controlling the natural hazard potential of permafrost degradation in alpine terrain. Monitoring of changes in ice content is therefore similarly important as temperature monitoring in mountain permafrost. Although electrical resistivity tomography monitoring (ERTM proved to be a valuable tool for the observation of ice degradation, results are often ambiguous or contaminated by inversion artefacts. In theory, the sensitivity of P-wave velocity of seismic waves to phase changes between unfrozen water and ice is similar to the sensitivity of electric resistivity. Provided that the general conditions (lithology, stratigraphy, state of weathering, pore space remain unchanged over the observation period, temporal changes in the observed travel times of repeated seismic measurements should indicate changes in the ice and water content within the pores and fractures of the subsurface material. In this paper, a time-lapse refraction seismic tomography (TLST approach is applied as an independent method to ERTM at two test sites in the Swiss Alps. The approach was tested and validated based on a the comparison of time-lapse seismograms and analysis of reproducibility of the seismic signal, b the analysis of time-lapse travel time curves with respect to shifts in travel times and changes in P-wave velocities, and c the comparison of inverted tomograms including the quantification of velocity changes. Results show a high potential of the TLST approach concerning the detection of altered subsurface conditions caused by freezing and thawing processes. For velocity changes on the order of 3000 m/s even an unambiguous identification of significant ice loss is possible.

TLM-Tracker: software for cell segmentation, tracking and lineage analysis in time-lapse microscopy movies.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Johannes; Leupold, Stefan; Biegler, Ilona; Biedendieck, Rebekka; Münch, Richard; Jahn, Dieter

2012-09-01

Time-lapse imaging in combination with fluorescence microscopy techniques enable the investigation of gene regulatory circuits and uncovered phenomena like culture heterogeneity. In this context, computational image processing for the analysis of single cell behaviour plays an increasing role in systems biology and mathematical modelling approaches. Consequently, we developed a software package with graphical user interface for the analysis of single bacterial cell behaviour. A new software called TLM-Tracker allows for the flexible and user-friendly interpretation for the segmentation, tracking and lineage analysis of microbial cells in time-lapse movies. The software package, including manual, tutorial video and examples, is available as Matlab code or executable binaries at http://www.tlmtracker.tu-bs.de.

Intravenous IgA complexed with antigen reduces primary antibody response to the antigen and anaphylaxis upon antigen re-exposure by inhibiting Th1 and Th2 activation in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaki, Kouya; Miyatake, Kenji; Nakashima, Takayuki; Morioka, Ayumi; Yamamoto, Midori; Ishibashi, Yuki; Ito, Ayaka; Kuranishi, Ayu; Yoshino, Shin

2014-10-01

Serum IgG, IgE and IgM have been shown to enhance the primary antibody responses upon exposure to the soluble antigens recognized by those antibodies. However, how IgA affects these responses remains unknown. We investigated the effects of intravenously administered monoclonal IgA on the immune responses in mice. DBA/1J mice were immunized with ovalbumin in the presence or absence of anti-ovalbumin monoclonal IgA. The Th1 and Th2 immune responses to ovalbumin and the anaphylaxis induced by re-exposure to ovalbumin were measured. IgA complexed with antigen attenuated the primary antibody responses to the antigen in mice, in contrast to IgG2b and IgE. The primary antibody responses, i.e. the de novo synthesis of anti-ovalbumin IgG2a, IgG1 and IgE in the serum, and the subsequent anaphylaxis induced with re-exposure to ovalbumin were reduced by the co-injection of anti-ovalbumin monoclonal IgA at ovalbumin immunization. The Th1, Th2 and Tr1 cytokines interferon-γ, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10, respectively, released from ovalbumin-restimulated cultured splenocytes collected from allergic mice were also reduced by the treatment. The induction of interferon-γ and interleukin-4 secretion by splenocytes from ovalbumin-immunized mice stimulated in vitro with ovalbumin was also significantly reduced by the antigen complexed with anti-ovalbumin IgA. These data suggest that the direct inhibition of Th1 and Th2 activation by anti-ovalbumin monoclonal IgA participates in the inhibition of the primary antibody responses. IgA plays important immunosuppressive roles under physiological and pathological conditions and is a promising candidate drug for the treatment of immune disorders.

Lacrimal secretory IgA in active posterior uveitis induced by Toxoplasma gondii.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Maria Isabel; Cordeiro, Francisco; Ferreira, Silvana; Ximenes, Ricardo; Oréfice, Fernando; Malagueño, Elizabeth

2004-12-01

It is quite difficult to diagnose active toxoplasmosis in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. Active posterior uveitis presumably due to Toxoplasma gondii infection (APUPT) is seldom produced during a prime-infection; hence most patients do not show high IgM antibodies. High levels of IgA have been described in active toxoplasmosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible association between APUPT and the specific anti-parasite sIgA in tears. The study was carried out as case-control. Tears of 25 clinically confirmed APUPT patients and 50 healthy control subjects were analyzed. All were IgG seropositive. Specific sIgA was determined by ELISA assay using T. gondii RH strain crude extract. Anti-T. gondii sIgA was found in 84% of the cases and in 22% of the control subjects. The intensity of the reaction was higher in APUPT cases (P = 0.007). There was strong association between APUPT patients and lacrimal sIgA (odds-ratio 18.61, P = 0.0001). ELISA test sensitivity was 84% and specificity 78%. Our data suggest that anti-T.gondii secretory IgA found in tears may become an important marker for active ocular toxoplasmosis.

Prevalence of IgA Antibodies to Endomysium and Tissue Transglutaminase in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen R Gillett

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The association between celiac disease and primary biliary cirrhosis has been described in several case reports and small screening studies, with varying prevalence rates. Stored sera from 378 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were tested for immunoglobulin (Ig A endomysium and tissue transglutaminase antibodies. Ten patients were positive for both antibodies (2.6%; five of these patients had had small bowel biopsies confirming celiac disease. A further 44 patients (11.6% had raised titres of IgA tissue transglutaminase antibody but were negative for IgA endomysium antibody. The increased prevalence of celiac-related antibodies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis suggests that the two conditions are associated, although the reason for the association remains unclear. Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis should be considered to be at high risk for celiac disease. Although liver biochemistry does not improve when these patients are fed a gluten-free diet, the complications of untreated celiac disease warrant the identification and treatment of the condition in this population.

Iga neljas Eestimaa laps elab allpool vaesuspiiri / Elle Kull

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kull, Elle, 1952-

2007-01-01

Ilmunud ka: Lääne Elu, 25. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Valgamaalane, 25. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Lõunaleht, 25. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Sakala, 26. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Den za Dnjom, 26. jaan. 2007, lk. 18; Meie Maa, 26. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Nädaline, 30. jaan. 2007, lk. 4; Vooremaa, 30. jaan. 2007, lk. 2; Järva Teataja, 1. veebr. 2007, lk. 2. Yorki ülikooli ja UNICEF-i laste heaoluindeksi uuring paigutab Eesti lapsed EL-i 25 riigi seas eelviimasele kohale. Parlamendiliige tõstatab Eesti perepoliitika valupunktid

Exploring the use patterns of a mobile health application for alcohol addiction before the initial lapse after detoxification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chih, Ming-Yuan

2014-01-01

How patients used Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS)1, a mobile health intervention, while quitting drinking is worthy exploring. This study is to explore A-CHESS use patterns prior to the initial lapse reported after discharge from inpatient detoxification programs. 142 patients with alcohol addiction from two treatment agencies in the U.S. were included. A comprehensive set of A-CHESS use measures were developed based on a three-level system use framework and three A-CHESS service categories. In latent profile analyses, three A-CHESS system use patterns-inactive, passive, and active users-were found. Compared to the passive users (with the highest chance of the initial lapse), the active users (with the lowest chance of such behavior) participated more in online social activities, used more sessions, viewed more pages, and used A-CHESS longer. However, the chances of the initial lapse between A-CHESS user profiles were not statistically different. Implications of this finding were provided.

IgE, IgG4 and IgA specific to Bet v 1-related food allergens do not predict oral allergy syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Guhsl, E E; Hofstetter, G; Lengger, N; Hemmer, W; Ebner, C; Fröschl, R; Bublin, M; Lupinek, C; Breiteneder, H; Radauer, C

2015-01-01

Birch pollen-associated plant food allergy is caused by Bet v 1-specific IgE, but presence of cross-reactive IgE to related allergens does not predict food allergy. The role of other immunoglobulin isotypes in the birch pollen-plant food syndrome has not been investigated in detail. Bet v 1-sensitized birch pollen-allergic patients (n = 35) were diagnosed for food allergy by standardized interviews, skin prick tests, prick-to-prick tests and ImmunoCAP. Concentrations of allergen-specific IgE, IgG1, IgG4 and IgA to seven Bet v 1-related food allergens were determined by ELISA. Bet v 1, Cor a 1, Mal d 1 and Pru p 1 bound IgE from all and IgG4 and IgA from the majority of sera. Immunoglobulins to Gly m 4, Vig r 1 and Api g 1.01 were detected in allergy and increased or reduced levels of IgE, IgG1, IgG4 or IgA specific to most Bet v 1-related allergens. Api g 1-specific IgE was significantly (P = 0.01) elevated in celeriac-allergic compared with celeriac-tolerant patients. Likewise, frequencies of IgE (71% vs 15%; P = 0.01) and IgA (86% vs 38%; P = 0.04) binding to Api g 1.01 were increased. Measurements of allergen-specific immunoglobulins are not suitable for diagnosing Bet v 1-mediated plant food allergy to hazelnut and Rosaceae fruits. In contrast, IgE and IgA to the distantly related allergen Api g 1 correlate with allergy to celeriac. © 2014 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The contribution of attentional lapses to individual differences in visual working memory capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Adam, Kirsten C S; Mance, Irida; Fukuda, Keisuke; Vogel, Edward K

2015-08-01

Attentional control and working memory capacity are important cognitive abilities that substantially vary between individuals. Although much is known about how attentional control and working memory capacity relate to each other and to constructs like fluid intelligence, little is known about how trial-by-trial fluctuations in attentional engagement impact trial-by-trial working memory performance. Here, we employ a novel whole-report memory task that allowed us to distinguish between varying levels of attentional engagement in humans performing a working memory task. By characterizing low-performance trials, we can distinguish between models in which working memory performance failures are caused by either (1) complete lapses of attention or (2) variations in attentional control. We found that performance failures increase with set-size and strongly predict working memory capacity. Performance variability was best modeled by an attentional control model of attention, not a lapse model. We examined neural signatures of performance failures by measuring EEG activity while participants performed the whole-report task. The number of items correctly recalled in the memory task was predicted by frontal theta power, with decreased frontal theta power associated with poor performance on the task. In addition, we found that poor performance was not explained by failures of sensory encoding; the P1/N1 response and ocular artifact rates were equivalent for high- and low-performance trials. In all, we propose that attentional lapses alone cannot explain individual differences in working memory performance. Instead, we find that graded fluctuations in attentional control better explain the trial-by-trial differences in working memory that we observe.

Aasta keeleteoks tunnistati "Lapse keelelist arengut toetavad mängud" / Mari Klein

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Klein, Mari, 1979-

2014-01-01

Emakeelepäeval toimus Kuressaares Saaremaa Ühisgümnaasiumis 2013. aasta parima keeleteo konkursi lõpuüritus, kus tunnustati võitjaid. Peaauhinna võitsid Tallinna Ülikooli eesti keele professor Reili Argus ja Rocca al Mare Kooli eelkooliõpetaja Cattre Hein veebimänguga "Lapse keelelist arengut toetavad mängud"

Physical exercise, salivary IgA and mood states of elderly people

OpenAIRE

R. Martins; F. Rosado; M.R. Cunha; M. Martins; A.M. Teixeira

2008-01-01

It is generally accepted that the aging process is associated with immunosenescence. On the other hand, physical activity has been consistently associated with positive states of affection and mood which also implies gains on psychological well-being. However, more studies are needed to support the benefit effect of exercise on specific population groups like the elderly. The purpose of the present work is to study the functional fitness, mood states and salivary IgA chronic adaptations after...

A Typology of University Ethical Lapses: Types, Levels of Seriousness, and Originating Location

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Patricia C.; Chang, Pepe Lee

2007-01-01

Scandals ranging from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) violations to falsified research results have fueled criticism of America's universities. Sports violations, research manipulation, gender discrimination, and other ethical lapses affect an entire institution as they have a spillover effect on its reputation. The results of…

Detecção de imunoglobulinas IgG, IgM e IgA anti-Toxoplasma gondii no soro, líquor e saliva de pacientes com síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida e neurotoxoplasmose Detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG, IgM and IgA immunoglobulins in the serum, cerebrospinal fluid and saliva of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and neurotoxoplasmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aercio Sebastião Borges

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Estudamos 55 pacientes com sindrome da imunodeficiência adquirida (SIDA e neurotoxoplasmose (grupo 1; 37 pacientes com SIDA e comprometimento neurológico por outra etiologia (grupo 2 e 18 indivíduos anti-HIV negativos com manifestações neurológicas (grupo 3, pesquisando IgG, IgA e IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii, no soro, líquor e saliva, utilizando teste ELISA, para fins diagnósticos. O valor preditivo negativo do teste para o encontro de IgG no soro foi 100% e no líquor, 92,4%. Não houve diferença entre os três grupos quanto aos anticorpos IgA neste material. Para IgA, no líquor, o teste alcançou 72,7% de especificidade (pWe studied 55 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS and neurotoxoplasmosis (group 1, 37 patients with AIDS and neurological involvement due to another etiology (group 2 and 18 anti-HIV-negative individuals with neurological manifestations, by searching for anti-T. gondii IgG, IgA and IgM immunoglobulins in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSFand saliva, using ELISA. The negative predictive value of the test for IgG in serum was 100% and in CSF, 92.4%. There was no difference among the three groups studied regarding IgA in serum. For IgA, in CSF the test reached 72.7% specificity (p<0.05. In saliva, only the detection of IgG was found to be correlated with a diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis. We emphasize that the absence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in serum and CSF strongly indicates the absence of a diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis and that specific IgA immunoglobulins in CSF and IgG in saliva may represent two auxiliary markers for the differential diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS.

Examining the information content of time-lapse crosshole GPR data collected under different infiltration conditions to estimate unsaturated soil hydraulic properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scholer, M.; Irving, J.; Zibar, Majken Caroline Looms

2013-01-01

Time-lapse geophysical data acquired during transient hydrological experiments are being increasingly employed to estimate subsurface hydraulic properties at the field scale. In particular, crosshole ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data, collected while water infiltrates into the subsurface either...... by natural or artificial means, have been demonstrated in a number of studies to contain valuable information concerning the hydraulic properties of the unsaturated zone. Previous work in this domain has considered a variety of infiltration conditions and different amounts of time-lapse GPR data...... of time-lapse zero-offset-profile (ZOP) GPR traveltime data, collected under three different infiltration conditions, for the estimation of van Genuchten–Mualem (VGM) parameters in a layered subsurface medium. Specifically, we systematically analyze synthetic and field GPR data acquired under natural...

Time-lapse 3D imaging of calcite precipitation in a microporous column

Science.gov (United States)

Godinho, Jose R. A.; Withers, Philip J.

2018-02-01

Time-lapse X-ray computed tomography is used to image the evolution of calcite precipitation during flow through microporous quartz over the course of 400 h. The growth rate decreases by more than seven times, which is linked to the clogging of flow paths that restricts flow to some regions of the column. Fewer precipitates are observed as a function of column depth, which is found to be related to a differential nucleation density along the sample. A higher nucleation density closer to the inlet implies more crystal volume increase per unit of time without affecting the rate if normalized to the surface area of crystals. Our overall growth rates measured in porous media are orders of magnitude slower than growth rates derived from traditional precipitation experiments on free surfaces. Based on our time-lapse results we hypothesize a scenario where the evolving distribution of precipitates within a pore structure during precipitation progressively modifies the local transport through the pores. Within less permeable regions the saturation index may be lower than along the main flow paths. Therefore, the reactive crystal surfaces within those regions grow at a slower rate than that expected from the bulk fluid composition. Since the amount of reactive surface area within these less permeable regions increases over time, the overall growth rate decreases without a necessary significant change of the bulk fluid composition along more permeable flow paths. In conclusion, the overall growth rates in an evolving porous media expected from bulk fluid compositions alone can be overestimated due to the development of stagnant sub-regions where the reactive surface area is bath by a solution with lower saturation index. In this context we highlight the value of time-lapse 3D studies for understanding the dynamics of mineral precipitation in porous media.

A state-space Bayesian framework for estimating biogeochemical transformations using time-lapse geophysical data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, J.; Hubbard, S.; Williams, K.; Pride, S.; Li, L.; Steefel, C.; Slater, L.

2009-04-15

We develop a state-space Bayesian framework to combine time-lapse geophysical data with other types of information for quantitative estimation of biogeochemical parameters during bioremediation. We consider characteristics of end-products of biogeochemical transformations as state vectors, which evolve under constraints of local environments through evolution equations, and consider time-lapse geophysical data as available observations, which could be linked to the state vectors through petrophysical models. We estimate the state vectors and their associated unknown parameters over time using Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling methods. To demonstrate the use of the state-space approach, we apply it to complex resistivity data collected during laboratory column biostimulation experiments that were poised to precipitate iron and zinc sulfides during sulfate reduction. We develop a petrophysical model based on sphere-shaped cells to link the sulfide precipitate properties to the time-lapse geophysical attributes and estimate volume fraction of the sulfide precipitates, fraction of the dispersed, sulfide-encrusted cells, mean radius of the aggregated clusters, and permeability over the course of the experiments. Results of the case study suggest that the developed state-space approach permits the use of geophysical datasets for providing quantitative estimates of end-product characteristics and hydrological feedbacks associated with biogeochemical transformations. Although tested here on laboratory column experiment datasets, the developed framework provides the foundation needed for quantitative field-scale estimation of biogeochemical parameters over space and time using direct, but often sparse wellbore data with indirect, but more spatially extensive geophysical datasets.

Calixarenes and cations: a time-lapse photography of the big-bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Casnati, Alessandro

2013-08-07

The outstanding cation complexation properties emerging from the pioneering studies on calixarene ligands during a five-year period in the early 1980s triggered a big-bang burst of publications on such macrocycles that is still lasting at a distance of more than 30 years. A time-lapse photography of this timeframe is proposed which allows the readers to pinpoint the contributions of the different research groups.

Attentional Lapses in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Blank Rather Than Wandering Thoughts.

Science.gov (United States)

Van den Driessche, Charlotte; Bastian, Mikaël; Peyre, Hugo; Stordeur, Coline; Acquaviva, Éric; Bahadori, Sara; Delorme, Richard; Sackur, Jérôme

2017-10-01

People with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties sustaining their attention on external tasks. Such attentional lapses have often been characterized as the simple opposite of external sustained attention, but the different types of attentional lapses, and the subjective experiences to which they correspond, remain unspecified. In this study, we showed that unmedicated children (ages 6-12) with ADHD, when probed during a standard go/no-go task, reported more mind blanking (a mental state characterized by the absence of reportable content) than did control participants. This increase in mind blanking happened at the expense of both focused and wandering thoughts. We also found that methylphenidate reverted the level of mind blanking to baseline (i.e., the level of mind blanking reported by control children without ADHD). However, this restoration led to mind wandering more than to focused attention. In a second experiment, we extended these findings to adults who had subclinical ADHD. These results suggest that executive functions impaired in ADHD are required not only to sustain external attention but also to maintain an internal train of thought.

Using a time lapse microgravity model for mapping seawater intrusion around Semarang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Supriyadi,, E-mail: supriyadi@mail.unnes.ac.id; Khumaedi [Physics Department, Semarang State University (UNNES), D7 Building 2nd Floor FMIPA Sekaran Gunungpati (Indonesia); Yusuf, M. [Badan Meteologi Klimatologi Goefisika (BMKG), Jl.Angkasa I No.2 Kemayoran Jakarta Pusat (Indonesia); Agung, W. [Physics Department, Diponegoro University (UNDIP), Jl. Prof. Soedharto, Tembalang, Semarang (Indonesia)

2016-03-11

A modeling of time-lapse microgravity anomaly due to sea water intrusion has been conducted. It used field data of aquifer cross section, aquifer thickness and lithology of research area. Those data were then processed using Grav3D and Surfer. Modeling results indicated that the intrusion of sea water resulting in a time-lapse microgravity anomalies of 0.12 to 0.18 mGal, at soil layer density of 0.15 g/cm{sup 3} to 0.3 g/cm{sup 3} and at depth of 30 to 100 m. These imply that the areas experiencing seawater intrusion were Tanjung Mas, SPBE Bandarharjo, Brass, Old Market Boom and Johar as the microgravity measured there were in the range of 0.12 to 0.18 mGal and the density contrast were at 0.15 g/cm{sup 3} to 0.28 g/cm{sup 3}. Areas that experienced fluid reduction were Puri Anjasmoro, Kenconowungu and Puspowarno with microgravity changes from -0.06 mGal to -0.18 mGal.

Minds "at attention": mindfulness training curbs attentional lapses in military cohorts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amishi P Jha

Full Text Available We investigated the impact of mindfulness training (MT on attentional performance lapses associated with task-unrelated thought (i.e., mind wandering. Periods of persistent and intensive demands may compromise attention and increase off-task thinking. Here, we investigated if MT may mitigate these deleterious effects and promote cognitive resilience in military cohorts enduring a high-demand interval of predeployment training. To better understand which aspects of MT programs are most beneficial, three military cohorts were examined. Two of the three groups were provided MT. One group received an 8-hour, 8-week variant of Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT emphasizing engagement in training exercises (training-focused MT, n = 40, a second group received a didactic-focused variant emphasizing content regarding stress and resilience (didactic-focused MT, n = 40, and the third group served as a no-training control (NTC, n = 24. Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART performance was indexed in all military groups and a no-training civilian group (CIV, n = 45 before (T1 and after (T2 the MT course period. Attentional performance (measured by A', a sensitivity index was lower in NTC vs. CIV at T2, suggesting that performance suffers after enduring a high-demand predeployment interval relative to a similar time period of civilian life. Yet, there were significantly fewer performance lapses in the military cohorts receiving MT relative to NTC, with training-focused MT outperforming didactic-focused MT at T2. From T1 to T2, A' degraded in NTC and didactic-focused MT but remained stable in training-focused MT and CIV. In sum, while protracted periods of high-demand military training may increase attentional performance lapses, practice-focused MT programs akin to training-focused MT may bolster attentional performance more than didactic-focused programs. As such, training-focused MT programs should be further examined in cohorts

Cutaneous expressions of interleukin-6 and neutrophil elastase as well as levels of serum IgA antibodies to gliadin nonapeptides, tissue transglutaminase and epidermal transglutaminase: implications for both autoimmunity and autoinflammation involvement in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gornowicz-Porowska, Justyna; Bowszyc-Dmochowska, Monika; Seraszek-Jaros, Agnieszka; Kaczmarek, Elżbieta; Pietkiewicz, Paweł; Dmochowski, Marian

2014-01-01

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) seems to be a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of partially known origin. In light of its known biological functions and its involvement in tissue pathology in other disease states, particularly in nickel-induced allergic contact dermatitis coexisting with DH, it would appear that the central and peripheral response by neutrophils and their mediators (e.g. neutrophil elastase - NE) in DH may be partially mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6). The aim of the study was to assess the role of IL -6 in DH lesions by examining the relationships between IL -6/NE cutaneous expression and levels of serum anti-nonapeptides of gliadin (npG) IgA, anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) immunoglobulin A (IgA), anti-epidermal transglutaminase (eTG) IgA in DH. In total, 24 DH patients having IgA cutaneous deposition were studied. Immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded sections with quantitative digital morphometry was used to measure the intensity of IL -6 and NE cutaneous expressions. Levels of serum anti-npG IgA, anti-tTG IgA and anti-eTG IgA were evaluated with ELISA. We found no statistically significant correlation between the NE and IL -6 expression intensities. Our results revealed also a lack of correlations between NE/IL -6 expressions and levels of anti-npG IgA, anti-tTG IgA, anti-eTG IgA in DH. However, the IL -6 expression level was significantly lower than that of NE. The lack of correlations suggested no substantial interactions between IL -6, NE, IgA/npG, IgA/tTG or IgA/eTG in DH. Presented results might indicate the heterogenetic nature of DH pathogenesis suggesting further that both autoimmune and autoinflammatory phenomena may be involved in DH cutaneous pathology.

Effect of oxygen concentration on human embryo development evaluated by time-lapse monitoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingerslev, Hans Jakob; Hindkjær, Johnny Juhl; Kirkegaard, Kirstine

2012-01-01

-points for each cell division and blastocyst stages were registered until 120 hours after oocyte retrieval. Only 2PN embryos completing the first cleavage were evaluated. The groups were compared using one-way ANOVA or Kruskall-Wallis test. Estimates are reported as medians with 95% confidence intervals. Time......Introduction: Data from a number of studies indicate -but not unequivocally- that culture of embryos in 5% O2 compared to 20% O2 improves blastocyst formation in humans and various animal species and may yield better pregnancy rates in IVF. The detrimental effects of atmospheric oxygen were...... was to evaluate the influence of oxygen tension on human pre-implantation development using time-lapse monitoring. Materials and methods: Human embryos were cultured to the blastocyst stage in a time-lapse incubator (EmbryoScope™) in 20% O2 (group 1), 20% O2 for 24 hours followed by culture in 5% O2 (group 2...

Attention failures versus misplaced diligence: separating attention lapses from speed-accuracy trade-offs.

Science.gov (United States)

Seli, Paul; Cheyne, James Allan; Smilek, Daniel

2012-03-01

In two studies of a GO-NOGO task assessing sustained attention, we examined the effects of (1) altering speed-accuracy trade-offs through instructions (emphasizing both speed and accuracy or accuracy only) and (2) auditory alerts distributed throughout the task. Instructions emphasizing accuracy reduced errors and changed the distribution of GO trial RTs. Additionally, correlations between errors and increasing RTs produced a U-function; excessively fast and slow RTs accounted for much of the variance of errors. Contrary to previous reports, alerts increased errors and RT variability. The results suggest that (1) standard instructions for sustained attention tasks, emphasizing speed and accuracy equally, produce errors arising from attempts to conform to the misleading requirement for speed, which become conflated with attention-lapse produced errors and (2) auditory alerts have complex, and sometimes deleterious, effects on attention. We argue that instructions emphasizing accuracy provide a more precise assessment of attention lapses in sustained attention tasks. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Freeze core sampling to validate time-lapse resistivity monitoring of the hyporheic zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Toran, Laura; Hughes, Brian; Nyquist, Jonathan; Ryan, Robert

2013-01-01

A freeze core sampler was used to characterize hyporheic zone storage during a stream tracer test. The pore water from the frozen core showed tracer lingered in the hyporheic zone after the tracer had returned to background concentration in collocated well samples. These results confirmed evidence of lingering subsurface tracer seen in time-lapse electrical resistivity tomographs. The pore water exhibited brine exclusion (ion concentrations in ice lower than source water) in a sediment matrix, despite the fast freezing time. Although freeze core sampling provided qualitative evidence of lingering tracer, it proved difficult to quantify tracer concentration because the amount of brine exclusion during freezing could not be accurately determined. Nonetheless, the additional evidence for lingering tracer supports using time-lapse resistivity to detect regions of low fluid mobility within the hyporheic zone that can act as chemically reactive zones of importance in stream health. © 2012, The Author(s). GroundWater © 2012, National Ground Water Association.

Time-lapse three-dimensional inversion of complex conductivity data using an active time constrained (ATC) approach

Science.gov (United States)

Karaoulis, M.; Revil, A.; Werkema, D.D.; Minsley, B.J.; Woodruff, W.F.; Kemna, A.

2011-01-01

Induced polarization (more precisely the magnitude and phase of impedance of the subsurface) is measured using a network of electrodes located at the ground surface or in boreholes. This method yields important information related to the distribution of permeability and contaminants in the shallow subsurface. We propose a new time-lapse 3-D modelling and inversion algorithm to image the evolution of complex conductivity over time. We discretize the subsurface using hexahedron cells. Each cell is assigned a complex resistivity or conductivity value. Using the finite-element approach, we model the in-phase and out-of-phase (quadrature) electrical potentials on the 3-D grid, which are then transformed into apparent complex resistivity. Inhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions are used at the boundary of the domain. The calculation of the Jacobian matrix is based on the principles of reciprocity. The goal of time-lapse inversion is to determine the change in the complex resistivity of each cell of the spatial grid as a function of time. Each model along the time axis is called a 'reference space model'. This approach can be simplified into an inverse problem looking for the optimum of several reference space models using the approximation that the material properties vary linearly in time between two subsequent reference models. Regularizations in both space domain and time domain reduce inversion artefacts and improve the stability of the inversion problem. In addition, the use of the time-lapse equations allows the simultaneous inversion of data obtained at different times in just one inversion step (4-D inversion). The advantages of this new inversion algorithm are demonstrated on synthetic time-lapse data resulting from the simulation of a salt tracer test in a heterogeneous random material described by an anisotropic semi-variogram. ?? 2011 The Authors Geophysical Journal International ?? 2011 RAS.

Interferometric full-waveform inversion of time-lapse data

KAUST Repository

Sinha, Mrinal

2017-08-17

One of the key challenges associated with time-lapse surveys is ensuring the repeatability between the baseline and monitor surveys. Non-repeatability between the surveys is caused by varying environmental conditions over the course of different surveys. To overcome this challenge, we propose the use of interferometric full waveform inversion (IFWI) for inverting the velocity model from data recorded by baseline and monitor surveys. A known reflector is used as the reference reflector for IFWI, and the data are naturally redatumed to this reference reflector using natural reflections as the redatuming operator. This natural redatuming mitigates the artifacts introduced by the repeatability errors that originate above the reference reflector.

Pyoderma gangrenosum associated with subcorneal pustular dermatosis and IgA myeloma.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ahmad, K

2012-01-31

We report a 57-year-old woman with a 12-year history of ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). Five years after the onset of PG, she developed subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD) and biclonal IgA and IgG gammopathy. She developed PG at two bone-marrow biopsy sites, showing pathergy. Finally, she developed multiple myeloma. Although PG and SPD may occur without associated underlying malignancy, these patients should be followed up for any prospective malignancy because of the association between these disorders.

IGA resistance of TT Alloy 690 and concentration behavior of Broached Egg Crate tube support configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, S.; Kusakabe, T.; Yamamoto, H.; Arioka, K.; Ochi, T.

1992-01-01

In order to improve the reliability of the Steam Generator (SG), TT Alloy 690 and BEC (Broached Egg Crate) type tube support plate has been developed. Some tests are carried out to heighten the reliability for these improvements all the more and the following results are obtained. (1) SERT test (Slow Extension Rate Test) made clear that TT690 has less IGA susceptibility in comparison with MA600. (2) The alkaline susceptibility on the occurrence of IGA/SCC on TT690 and MA600 obtained by SERT corresponds to that obtained by Model Boiler test. (3) By model boiler test, superior concentration behaviors for BEC type tube support plate configuration have been recognized in comparison with Drill type. This result is obtained by the joint research of the five utilities (Kansai Epco, Hokkaido Epco, Shikoku Epco, Kyushu Epco, JAPCO) and MHI

Lacrimal secretory IgA in active posterior uveitis induced by Toxoplasma gondii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Isabel Lynch

2004-12-01

Full Text Available It is quite difficult to diagnose active toxoplasmosis in patients with ocular toxoplasmosis. Active posterior uveitis presumably due to Toxoplasma gondii infection (APUPT is seldom produced during a prime-infection; hence most patients do not show high IgM antibodies. High levels of IgA have been described in active toxoplasmosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible association between APUPT and the specific anti-parasite sIgA in tears. The study was carried out as case-control. Tears of 25 clinically confirmed APUPT patients and 50 healthy control subjects were analyzed. All were IgG seropositive. Specific sIgA was determined by ELISA assay using T. gondii RH strain crude extract. Anti-T. gondii sIgA was found in 84% of the cases and in 22% of the control subjects. The intensity of the reaction was higher in APUPT cases (P = 0.007. There was strong association between APUPT patients and lacrimal sIgA (odds-ratio 18.61, P = 0.0001. ELISA test sensitivity was 84% and specificity 78% . Our data suggest that anti-T.gondii secretory IgA found in tears may become an important marker for active ocular toxoplasmosis.

Quantitation of sperm bindable IgA and IgG in seminal fluid.

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, S E; Lynch, D M

1986-05-01

Seminal fluid and serum from 95 infertile males were assayed for sperm bindable immunoglobulins using an indirect ELISA with whole target sperm. The ELISA method was compared to seminal fluid and serum immobilization and agglutination assays (functional assays). In this infertile group, the ELISA assay was positive in 22% of seminal fluids (greater than 1.2 fg IgA/sperm and greater than 0.3 fg IgG/sperm). The seminal fluid antibodies were IgA and had an accompanying elevated IgG component in 78% of patients. There was a 96% correlation between negative seminal fluid functional assays and negative ELISA, and a 95% correlation between positive seminal fluid functional assays and positive ELISA. Positive serum sperm antibody tests were found in 71% of the infertile males with positive seminal fluid sperm antibodies, but 29% of the infertile males with strongly positive IgA seminal fluid sperm antibodies showed normal levels of serum sperm antibodies by either ELISA or functional assays. The ELISA method gives reproducible quantitation of sperm antibodies in seminal fluid and correlates well with accepted functional assays. Comparisons with serum sperm antibody assays suggests that seminal fluid sperm antibody analysis complements the serum analysis of sperm antibodies.

Comparison of IgG and IgA Antibodies Titrations against Helicobacter Pylori in Urban and Rural Populations in Mazandaran Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Owrang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background & objective: The infection caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori is one of the most common bacterial gastrointestinal diseases throughout the world. Based on the role of H. pylori in a variety of diseases such as gastrointestinal and lymphoma, present study is aimed to consider the concentration of IgA and IgG against H. pylori in both rural and urban populations and then its relationship with some demographic characteristics. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, 400 sera samples were collected from both genders at the Sari treatment- health center. After blood collection, the concentration of IgG and IgA against H. pylori was measured by ELISA kit. Results: There was no significant difference in antibodies titration between men and women. Approximately 18.5% of males and 16.5% of females were positive regarding to IgA and 70.2% of men and 66.7% of women were positive regarding to IgG. The mean of antibodies in rural populations (0.87±0.35 was significantly (p<0.001 higher than those in urban populations (0.78±0.41. The mean of antibodies in patients who had a history of gastrointestinal infection was significantly higher than others (p<0.05. Conclusion: Due to the high level of IgA and IgG antibodies in studied populations, especially in rural people, and lack of symptoms in patients, the screen of positive serologic populations can be helpful for the management and control of infections caused by H. pylori.

Detection of specific IgA antibodies against a novel deamidated 8-Mer gliadin peptide in blood plasma samples from celiac patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Vallejo-Diez

Full Text Available We studied whether celiac disease (CD patients produce antibodies against a novel gliadin peptide specifically generated in the duodenum of CD patients by a previously described pattern of CD-specific duodenal proteases. Fingerprinting and ion-trap mass spectrometry of CD-specific duodenal gliadin-degrading protease pattern revealed a new 8-mer gliadin-derived peptide. An ELISA against synthetic deamidated 8-mer peptides (DGP 8-mer was used to study the presence of IgA anti-DGP 8-mer antibodies in plasma samples from 81 children (31 active CD patients (aCD, 17 CD patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD, 10 healthy controls (C and 23 patients with other gastrointestinal pathology (GP and 101 adults (16 aCD, 12 GFD, 27 C and 46 GP-patients. Deamidation of the 8-mer peptide significantly increased the reactivity of the IgA antibodies from CD patients against the peptide. Significant IgA anti-DGP 8-mer antibodies levels were detected in 93.5% of aCD-, 11.8% of GFD- and 4.3% of GP-patients in children. In adults, antibodies were detected in 81.3% of aCD-patients and 8.3% of GFD-patients while were absent in 100% of C- and GP-patients. Duodenal CD-specific gliadin degrading proteases release an 8-mer gliadin peptide that once deamidated is an antigen for specific IgA antibodies in CD patients which may provide a new accurate diagnostic tool in CD.

A time-series method for automated measurement of changes in mitotic and interphase duration from time-lapse movies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederic D Sigoillot

Full Text Available Automated time-lapse microscopy can visualize proliferation of large numbers of individual cells, enabling accurate measurement of the frequency of cell division and the duration of interphase and mitosis. However, extraction of quantitative information by manual inspection of time-lapse movies is too time-consuming to be useful for analysis of large experiments.Here we present an automated time-series approach that can measure changes in the duration of mitosis and interphase in individual cells expressing fluorescent histone 2B. The approach requires analysis of only 2 features, nuclear area and average intensity. Compared to supervised learning approaches, this method reduces processing time and does not require generation of training data sets. We demonstrate that this method is as sensitive as manual analysis in identifying small changes in interphase or mitotic duration induced by drug or siRNA treatment.This approach should facilitate automated analysis of high-throughput time-lapse data sets to identify small molecules or gene products that influence timing of cell division.

On the possibility of time-lapse ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography for bladder cancer grading

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Zhijia; Chen, Bai; Ren, Hugang; Pan, Yingtian

2009-09-01

It has been recently demonstrated that the cellular details of bladder epithelium embedded in speckle noise can be uncovered with time-lapse ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (TL-uOCT) by proper time-lapse frame averaging that takes advantage of cellular micromotion in fresh biological tissue ex vivo. Here, spectral-domain 3-D TL-uOCT is reported to further improve the image fidelity, and new experimental evidence is presented to differentiate normal and cancerous nuclei of rodent bladder epithelia. Results of animal cancer study reveal that despite a slight overestimation (e.g., cancerous (e.g., high-grade DN''~13 μm) urothelia, which may potentially be very useful for enhancing the diagnosis of nonpapillary bladder cancer. More animal study is being conducted to examine the utility to differentiate hyperplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma in situ.

A software solution for recording circadian oscillator features in time-lapse live cell microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sage, Daniel; Unser, Michael; Salmon, Patrick; Dibner, Charna

2010-07-06

Fluorescent and bioluminescent time-lapse microscopy approaches have been successfully used to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying the mammalian circadian oscillator at the single cell level. However, most of the available software and common methods based on intensity-threshold segmentation and frame-to-frame tracking are not applicable in these experiments. This is due to cell movement and dramatic changes in the fluorescent/bioluminescent reporter protein during the circadian cycle, with the lowest expression level very close to the background intensity. At present, the standard approach to analyze data sets obtained from time lapse microscopy is either manual tracking or application of generic image-processing software/dedicated tracking software. To our knowledge, these existing software solutions for manual and automatic tracking have strong limitations in tracking individual cells if their plane shifts. In an attempt to improve existing methodology of time-lapse tracking of a large number of moving cells, we have developed a semi-automatic software package. It extracts the trajectory of the cells by tracking theirs displacements, makes the delineation of cell nucleus or whole cell, and finally yields measurements of various features, like reporter protein expression level or cell displacement. As an example, we present here single cell circadian pattern and motility analysis of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts expressing a fluorescent circadian reporter protein. Using Circadian Gene Express plugin, we performed fast and nonbiased analysis of large fluorescent time lapse microscopy datasets. Our software solution, Circadian Gene Express (CGE), is easy to use and allows precise and semi-automatic tracking of moving cells over longer period of time. In spite of significant circadian variations in protein expression with extremely low expression levels at the valley phase, CGE allows accurate and efficient recording of large number of cell parameters, including

Findings of negligence followed communication lapses in BC aneurysm case

OpenAIRE

Capen, K

1997-01-01

Negligence is sometimes established on the basis of lapses in communication and patient care management that, in hindsight, could have been avoided. A recent BC court case concerned a patient who died because of a ruptured aneurysm. A Supreme Court judge found that some of the physicians involved had failed in their duty to diagnose the patient's condition properly, or failed to communicate to one another significant signs of the patient's illness, and failed to refer him in time to the medic...

Secretory IgA (SIgA: designed for antimicrobial defence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Per eBrandtzaeg

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Prevention of infections by vaccination remains a compelling goal to improve public health. Mucosal vaccines would make immunization procedures easier, be better suited for mass administration, and most efficiently induce immune exclusion -- a term coined for non-inflammatory antibody shielding of internal body surfaces, mediated principally by secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA. The exported antibodies are polymeric, mainly IgA dimers (pIgA, produced by local plasma cells stimulated by antigens that target the mucosae. SIgA was early shown to be complexed with an epithelial glycoprotein -- the secretory component (SC. A common SC-dependent transport mechanism for pIgA and pentameric IgM was then proposed, implying that membrane SC acts as a receptor, now usually called the polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR. From the basolateral surface, pIg-pIgR complexes are taken up by endocytosis and then extruded into the lumen after apical cleavage of the receptor -- bound SC having stabilizing and innate functions in the secretory antibodies. Mice deficient for pIgR show that this is the only receptor responsible for epithelial export of IgA and IgM. These knockout mice show a variety of defects in their mucosal defensce and changes in their intestinal microbiota. In the gut, induction of B cells occurs in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT, particularly the Peyer’s patches and isolated lymphoid follicles, but also in mesenteric lymph nodes. Plasma cell differentiation is accomplished in the lamina propria to which the activated memory/effector B cells home. The airways also receive such cells from nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT but by different homing receptors. This compartmentalization is a challenge for mucosal vaccination, as are the mechanisms used by the mucosal immune system to discriminate between commensal symbionts (mutualism, pathobionts and overt pathogens (elimination.

Metoodika lapse emotsionaalse väärkohtlemise hindamiseks institutsionaalses keskkonnas / Triin Edovald

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Edovald, Triin

2001-01-01

Uurimusest, mille eesmärgiks oli lapse emotsionaalse väärkohtlemise hindamise metoodika kohandamine lastekodu tingimustele. Uurimus viidi läbi ühes Tartu lastekodus, intervjueerides kuut kasvatajat ja vaadeldes kuue lastekodulapse ja tema usalduskasvataja vahelist suhtlemist ja tegevust eesmärgiga sisse viia võimalikud täpsustused ja muutused emotsionaalse väärkohtlemise hindamise metoodikasse kohandades seda lastekodu tingimustele

The time-lapse AVO difference inversion for changes in reservoir parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Longxiao, Zhi; Hanming, Gu; Yan, Li

2016-12-01

The result of conventional time-lapse seismic processing is the difference between the amplitude and the post-stack seismic data. Although stack processing can improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of seismic data, it also causes a considerable loss of important information about the amplitude changes and only gives the qualitative interpretation. To predict the changes in reservoir fluid more precisely and accurately, we also need the quantitative information of the reservoir. To achieve this aim, we develop the method of time-lapse AVO (amplitude versus offset) difference inversion. For the inversion of reservoir changes in elastic parameters, we apply the Gardner equation as the constraint and convert the three-parameter inversion of elastic parameter changes into a two-parameter inversion to make the inversion more stable. For the inversion of variations in the reservoir parameters, we infer the relation between the difference of the reflection coefficient and variations in the reservoir parameters, and then invert reservoir parameter changes directly. The results of the theoretical modeling computation and practical application show that our method can estimate the relative variations in reservoir density, P-wave and S-wave velocity, calculate reservoir changes in water saturation and effective pressure accurately, and then provide reference for the rational exploitation of the reservoir.

Embryo selection: the role of time-lapse monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovacs, Peter

2014-12-15

In vitro fertilization has been available for over 3 decades. Its use is becoming more widespread worldwide, and in the developed world, up to 5% of children have been born following IVF. It is estimated that over 5 million children have been conceived in vitro. In addition to giving hope to infertile couples to have their own family, in vitro fertilization has also introduced risks as well. The risk of multiple gestation and the associated maternal and neonatal morbidity/mortality has increased significantly over the past few decades. While stricter transfer policies have eliminated the majority of the high-order multiples, these changes have not yet had much of an impact on the incidence of twins. A twin pregnancy can be avoided by the transfer of a single embryo only. However, the traditionally used method of morphologic embryo selection is not predictive enough to allow routine single embryo transfer; therefore, new screening tools are needed. Time-lapse embryo monitoring allows continuous, non-invasive embryo observation without the need to remove the embryo from optimal culturing conditions. The extra information on the cleavage pattern, morphologic changes and embryo development dynamics could help us identify embryos with a higher implantation potential. These technologic improvements enable us to objectively select the embryo(s) for transfer based on certain algorithms. In the past 5-6 years, numerous studies have been published that confirmed the safety of time-lapse technology. In addition, various markers have already been identified that are associated with the minimal likelihood of implantation and others that are predictive of blastocyst development, implantation potential, genetic health and pregnancy. Various groups have proposed different algorithms for embryo selection based on mostly retrospective data analysis. However, large prospective trials are needed to study the full benefit of these (and potentially new) algorithms before their

Extracapillary proliferation in IgA nephropathy; recent findings and new ideas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasri, Hamid; Mubarak, Muhammed

2015-01-01

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disorder and is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis (GN) worldwide. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, PubMed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science have been searched. It is a slowly progressing disorder that leads to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in up to 50% of the patients within 25 years of the onset of the disease. IgAN is defined by predominant IgA deposition in the mesangial area on immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy. Its histology varies from mild focal segmental proliferation of mesangial cells to severe diffuse global proliferation with extracapillary proliferation (crescent formation). The Oxford classification, designed in 2009, is a new classification for the evaluation of morphologic lesions of IgAN. This classification, containing four pathology variables, was found to have prognostic implications. The variables included are mesangial hypercellularity (M), endocapillary proliferation (E), segmental glomerulosclerosis (S) and the proportion of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (T). However, crescents were not included in the Oxford classification. In this mini-review, we describe the recent publications about the significance of extracapillary proliferation in IgAN and we conclude that, there is much controversy about the role of extracapillary proliferation as a significant prognostic factor in IgAN. Hence, it is important to re-consider crescents in IgAN patients. Therefore, we suggest further investigations on this aspect of IgAN disease.

Effect of the Various Steps in the Processing of Human Milk in the Concentrations of IgA, IgM, and Lactoferrin.

Science.gov (United States)

Arroyo, Gerardo; Ortiz Barrientos, Kevin Alexander; Lange, Karla; Nave, Federico; Miss Mas, Gabriela; Lam Aguilar, Pamela; Soto Galindo, Miguel Angel

2017-09-01

Human milk immune components are unique and important for the development of the newborn. Milk processing at the Human Milk Banks (HMB), however, causes partial destruction of immune proteins. The objective of this study was to determine the effects that heating during the milk processing procedure at the HMB had on the concentrations of IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin at three critical points in time. Fifty milk samples (150 mL) were collected from voluntary donors at the HMB at the Hospital Nacional Pedro de Bethancourt, located in Antigua Guatemala. Samples from three critical points in time during the milk processing procedure were selected for analysis: freezing/thawing I, freezing/thawing II, and pasteurization. IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin concentrations were determined during each critical point and compared with a baseline concentration. After milk processing, IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin mean concentrations were reduced by 30.0%, 36.0%, and 70.0%, respectively (p milk processing on the immune proteins that were evaluated in this study demonstrated a significant reduction.

Ganglioside-specific IgG and IgA recruit leukocyte effector functions in Guillain-Barre syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorge, N.M. van; Yuki, N.; Koga, M.; Susuki, K.; Jansen, M.D.; Kooten, C. van; Wokke, J.H.; Winkel, J.G.J. van de; Pol, W.L. van der; Berg, L.H. van den

2007-01-01

The capacity of ganglioside-specific autoantibodies to recruit leukocyte effector functions was studied. Serum samples from 87 patients with Guillain–Barré (GBS) or Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), containing GM1-, GQ1b-, or GD1b-specific IgG or IgA, were tested for leukocyte activating capacity.

Characteristics of liquid product from the pyrolysis of waste plastic mixture at low and high temperatures: Influence of lapse time of reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyong-Hwan; Shin, Dae-Hyun

2007-01-01

Pyrolysis of a waste plastic mixture (high-density polyethylene: low-density polyethylene: polypropylene: polystyrene = 3:2:3:1) into a liquid product was carried out in a stirred semi-batch reactor at low (350 deg. C) and high (400 deg. C) temperatures. The effect of lapse time of reaction in the reactor and also degradation temperature on the characteristics of the liquid product from pyrolysis of the mixture was investigated. Liquid products were described by cumulative amount distribution, paraffin, olefin, naphthene and aromatic (PONA) distribution and molecular weight distribution. Their characteristic was quite differed with a lapse time of reaction and also at a low and high degradation temperatures, because of the different physicochemical properties of the plastic types in the mixture. With increase of lapse time of reaction, the order for the main products in PONA components obtained at 350 deg. C was firstly aromatic products and then olefin products, while at 400 deg. C the order was firstly aromatic products, then olefin products and finally paraffin products. The experiments also showed from the molecular weight distribution of liquid PONA components that the paraffin and olefin products had a wide distribution by mainly random scission of polymer, but in the case of olefin products were produced by an end-chain scission mechanism as well as random scission mechanism, as evidenced by much more light olefin products. This phenomenon was evident at a higher degradation temperature. Also, both the light olefin and naphthene products with a molecular weight of around 120, as a main product, showed a similar trend as a function of lapse time, which had a maximum fraction at 343 min (at 350 deg. C) and 83 min (at 400 deg. C). Among PONA components, the highest concentrations of aromatic products were obtained with a molecular weight of around 100 at the fastest lapse time of reaction, regardless of degradation temperature. It was concluded that the

Characteristics of liquid product from the pyrolysis of waste plastic mixture at low and high temperatures: influence of lapse time of reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyong-Hwan; Shin, Dae-Hyun

2007-01-01

Pyrolysis of a waste plastic mixture (high-density polyethylene: low-density polyethylene: polypropylene: polystyrene = 3:2:3:1) into a liquid product was carried out in a stirred semi-batch reactor at low (350 degrees C) and high (400 degrees C) temperatures. The effect of lapse time of reaction in the reactor and also degradation temperature on the characteristics of the liquid product from pyrolysis of the mixture was investigated. Liquid products were described by cumulative amount distribution, paraffin, olefin, naphthene and aromatic (PONA) distribution and molecular weight distribution. Their characteristic was quite differed with a lapse time of reaction and also at a low and high degradation temperatures, because of the different physicochemical properties of the plastic types in the mixture. With increase of lapse time of reaction, the order for the main products in PONA components obtained at 350 degrees C was firstly aromatic products and then olefin products, while at 400 degrees C the order was firstly aromatic products, then olefin products and finally paraffin products. The experiments also showed from the molecular weight distribution of liquid PONA components that the paraffin and olefin products had a wide distribution by mainly random scission of polymer, but in the case of olefin products were produced by an end-chain scission mechanism as well as random scission mechanism, as evidenced by much more light olefin products. This phenomenon was evident at a higher degradation temperature. Also, both the light olefin and naphthene products with a molecular weight of around 120, as a main product, showed a similar trend as a function of lapse time, which had a maximum fraction at 343 min (at 350 degrees C) and 83 min (at 400 degrees C). Among PONA components, the highest concentrations of aromatic products were obtained with a molecular weight of around 100 at the fastest lapse time of reaction, regardless of degradation temperature. It was

Alcaligenes is Commensal Bacteria Habituating in the Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue for the Regulation of Intestinal IgA Responses.

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Kunisawa, Jun; Kiyono, Hiroshi

2012-01-01

Secretory-immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) plays an important role in immunological defense in the intestine. It has been known for a long time that microbial stimulation is required for the development and maintenance of intestinal IgA production. Recent advances in genomic technology have made it possible to detect uncultivable commensal bacteria in the intestine and identify key bacteria in the regulation of innate and acquired mucosal immune responses. In this review, we focus on the immunological function of Peyer's patches (PPs), a major gut-associated lymphoid tissue, in the induction of intestinal IgA responses and the unique immunological interaction of PPs with commensal bacteria, especially Alcaligenes, a unique indigenous bacteria habituating inside PPs.

Development of anti-bovine IgA single chain variable fragment and its application in diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease

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Sridevi, N. V.; Shukra, A. M.; Neelakantam, B.; Anilkumar, J.; Madhanmohan, M.; Rajan, S.; Dev Chandran

2014-01-01

Recombinant antibody fragments like single chain variable fragments (scFvs) represent an attractive yet powerful alternative to immunoglobulins and hold great potential in the development of clinical diagnostic/therapeutic reagents. Structurally, scFvs are the smallest antibody fragments capable of retaining the antigen-binding capacity of whole antibodies and are composed of an immunoglobulin (Ig) variable light (VL) and variable heavy (VH) chain joined by a flexible polypeptide linker. In the present study, we constructed a scFv against bovine IgA from a hybridoma cell line IL-A71 that secretes a monoclonal antibody against bovine IgA using recombinant DNA technology. The scFv was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). The binding activity and specificity of the scFv was established by its non-reactivity toward other classes of immunoglobulins as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot analysis. Kinetic measurement of the scFv indicated that the recombinant antibody fragment had an affinity in picomolar range toward purified IgA. Furthermore, the scFv was used to develop a sensitive ELISA for the detection of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) carrier animals. PMID:24678404

Immunohistochemical analysis of IgA expression differentiates IgG4-related disease from plasma cell-type Castleman disease.

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Manabe, Akihiro; Igawa, Takuro; Takeuchi, Mai; Gion, Yuka; Yoshino, Tadashi; Sato, Yasuharu

2017-03-01

Plasma cell-type Castleman disease (PCD) is often encountered when differentiating IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). Given that serum IgA is often elevated in Castleman disease, we investigated whether IgA expression levels in histological specimens can be used to differentiate between the two diseases. Lymph node lesions obtained from 12 IgG4-RD and 11 PCD patients were analysed by immunohistochemistry with anti-IgG, -IgG4, and -IgA antibodies. In addition to all 12 cases of IgG4-RD, 8/11 cases (72.7 %) of PCD also met the diagnostic criteria of IgG4-RD (serum IgG4 ≥135 mg/dl and IgG4/IgG-positive cells ≥40 %). IgA-positive cells were sparsely and densely distributed in IgG4-RD and PCD cases, respectively. The median number of IgA-positive cells ± SD in all 12 cases of IgG4-RD was 31 ± 37 cells per three high-powered fields (3HPFs) (range 4-118 cells/3HPFs). In contrast, the median number of IgA-positive cells, which was significantly higher in all 11 cases of PCD, was 303 ± 238 cells/3HPFs (range 74-737 cells/3HPFs) (P IgG4-RD.

Analysis of ozone and nitric acid in spring and summer Arctic pollution using aircraft, ground-based, satellite observations and MOZART-4 model: source attribution and partitioning

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C. Wespes

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we analyze tropospheric O₃ together with HNO₃ during the POLARCAT (Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport program, combining observations and model results. Aircraft observations from the NASA ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites and NOAA ARCPAC (Aerosol, Radiation and Cloud Processes affecting Arctic Climate campaigns during spring and summer of 2008 are used together with the Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4 to assist in the interpretation of the observations in terms of the source attribution and transport of O₃ and HNO₃ into the Arctic (north of 60° N. The MOZART-4 simulations reproduce the aircraft observations generally well (within 15%, but some discrepancies in the model are identified and discussed. The observed correlation of O₃ with HNO₃ is exploited to evaluate the MOZART-4 model performance for different air mass types (fresh plumes, free troposphere and stratospheric-contaminated air masses.

Based on model simulations of O₃ and HNO₃ tagged by source type and region, we find that the anthropogenic pollution from the Northern Hemisphere is the dominant source of O₃ and HNO₃ in the Arctic at pressures greater than 400 hPa, and that the stratospheric influence is the principal contribution at pressures less 400 hPa. During the summer, intense Russian fire emissions contribute some amount to the tropospheric columns of both gases over the American sector of the Arctic. North American fire emissions (California and Canada also show an important impact on tropospheric ozone in the Arctic boundary layer.

Additional analysis of tropospheric O₃ measurements from ground-based FTIR and from the IASI satellite sounder made

Conservatism predicts lapses from vegetarian/vegan diets to meat consumption (through lower social justice concerns and social support).

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Hodson, Gordon; Earle, Megan

2018-01-01

Lapses from vegetarian and vegan (i.e., veg*n) food choices to meat consumption are very common, suggesting that sustaining veg*nism is challenging. But little is known about why people return to eating animals after initially deciding to avoid meat consumption. Several potential explanatory factors include personal inconvenience, meat cravings, awkwardness in social settings, or health/nutrition concerns. Here we test the degree to which political ideology predicts lapsing to meat consumption. Past research demonstrates that political ideology predicts present levels of meat consumption, whereby those higher in right-wing ideologies eat more animals, even after controlling for their hedonistic liking of meat (e.g., Dhont & Hodson, 2014). To what extent might political ideology predict whether one has lapsed from veg*n foods back to meat consumption? In a largely representative US community sample (N = 1313) of current and former veg*ns, those higher (vs. lower) in conservatism exhibited significantly greater odds of being a former than current veg*n, even after controlling for age, education, and gender. This ideology-lapsing relation was mediated (i.e., explained) by those higher (vs. lower) in conservatism: (a) adopting a veg*n diet for reasons less centered in justice concerns (animal rights, environment, feeding the poor); and (b) feeling socially unsupported in their endeavor. In contrast, factors such as differential meat craving or lifestyle inconvenience played little mediational role. These findings demonstrate that ideology and justice concerns are particularly relevant to understanding resilience in maintaining veg*n food choices. Implications for understanding why people eat meat, and how to develop intervention strategies, are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Minds “At Attention”: Mindfulness Training Curbs Attentional Lapses in Military Cohorts