HapMap scanning of novel human minor histocompatibility antigens.

PubMed

Kamei, Michi; Nannya, Yasuhito; Torikai, Hiroki; Kawase, Takakazu; Taura, Kenjiro; Inamoto, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Taro; Yazaki, Makoto; Morishima, Satoko; Tsujimura, Kunio; Miyamura, Koichi; Ito, Tetsuya; Togari, Hajime; Riddell, Stanley R; Kodera, Yoshihisa; Morishima, Yasuo; Takahashi, Toshitada; Kuzushima, Kiyotaka; Ogawa, Seishi; Akatsuka, Yoshiki

2009-05-21

Minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) are molecular targets of allo-immunity associated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and involved in graft-versus-host disease, but they also have beneficial antitumor activity. mHags are typically defined by host SNPs that are not shared by the donor and are immunologically recognized by cytotoxic T cells isolated from post-HSCT patients. However, the number of molecularly identified mHags is still too small to allow prospective studies of their clinical importance in transplantation medicine, mostly due to the lack of an efficient method for isolation. Here we show that when combined with conventional immunologic assays, the large data set from the International HapMap Project can be directly used for genetic mapping of novel mHags. Based on the immunologically determined mHag status in HapMap panels, a target mHag locus can be uniquely mapped through whole genome association scanning taking advantage of the unprecedented resolution and power obtained with more than 3 000 000 markers. The feasibility of our approach could be supported by extensive simulations and further confirmed by actually isolating 2 novel mHags as well as 1 previously identified example. The HapMap data set represents an invaluable resource for investigating human variation, with obvious applications in genetic mapping of clinically relevant human traits.

An Image Analysis Method for the Precise Selection and Quantitation of Fluorescently Labeled Cellular Constituents

PubMed Central

Agley, Chibeza C.; Velloso, Cristiana P.; Lazarus, Norman R.

2012-01-01

The accurate measurement of the morphological characteristics of cells with nonuniform conformations presents difficulties. We report here a straightforward method using immunofluorescent staining and the commercially available imaging program Adobe Photoshop, which allows objective and precise information to be gathered on irregularly shaped cells. We have applied this measurement technique to the analysis of human muscle cells and their immunologically marked intracellular constituents, as these cells are prone to adopting a highly branched phenotype in culture. Use of this method can be used to overcome many of the long-standing limitations of conventional approaches for quantifying muscle cell size in vitro. In addition, wider applications of Photoshop as a quantitative and semiquantitative tool in immunocytochemistry are explored. PMID:22511600

Development of analytical methods for multiplex bio-assay with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

PubMed Central

Ornatsky, Olga I.; Kinach, Robert; Bandura, Dmitry R.; Lou, Xudong; Tanner, Scott D.; Baranov, Vladimir I.; Nitz, Mark; Winnik, Mitchell A.

2008-01-01

Advances in the development of highly multiplexed bio-analytical assays with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection are discussed. Use of novel reagents specifically designed for immunological methods utilizing elemental analysis is presented. The major steps of method development, including selection of elements for tags, validation of tagged reagents, and examples of multiplexed assays, are considered in detail. The paper further describes experimental protocols for elemental tagging of antibodies, immunostaining of live and fixed human leukemia cells, and preparation of samples for ICP-MS analysis. Quantitative analysis of surface antigens on model cell lines using a cocktail of seven lanthanide labeled antibodies demonstrated high specificity and concordance with conventional immunophenotyping. PMID:19122859

In situ photoimmunotherapy for melanoma: preliminary clinical results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naylor, Mark F.; Nordquist, Robert E.; Teauge, T. Kent; Perry, Lisa A.; Chen, Wei R.

2006-02-01

Although melanoma accounts for only 4% of skin cancer cases, it causes 79% of all skin cancer deaths. Patients with metastatic melanoma have a poor prognosis, and long term survival is only about 5% [1, 2]. Conventional therapies such as surgery and radiation therapy usually do not cure stage III or stage IV melanoma, while traditional chemotherapy is primarily palliative. Over the last decade we have been developing new methods for treating solid tumors like melanoma, first in animal models and now in humans. We present here preliminary results from a new technique that utilizes a combination of laser stimulation and drug therapy to stimulate brisk immunological responses in cases of advanced melanoma with cutaneous metastases. A high-power, near-infrared diode laser (805 nm) is used to kill tumors in situ and a topical toll-like receptor agonist (imiquimod cream, 5%) is used to intensify the resulting immunological response. This is essentially an in situ, tumor vaccine approach to treating solid tumors.

Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy: recent advances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Cheng; Nitta, Nao; Ozeki, Yasuyuki; Goda, Keisuke

2018-06-01

Flow cytometry is an indispensable method for valuable applications in numerous fields such as immunology, pathology, pharmacology, molecular biology, and marine biology. Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy is superior to conventional flow cytometry methods for its capability to acquire high-quality images of single cells at a high-throughput exceeding 10,000 cells per second. This makes it possible to extract copious information from cellular images for accurate cell detection and analysis with the assistance of machine learning. Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy has proven its effectivity in various applications, including microalga-based biofuel production, evaluation of thrombotic disorders, as well as drug screening and discovery. In this review, we discuss the principles and recent advances of optofluidic time-stretch microscopy.

Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy: recent advances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Cheng; Nitta, Nao; Ozeki, Yasuyuki; Goda, Keisuke

2018-04-01

Flow cytometry is an indispensable method for valuable applications in numerous fields such as immunology, pathology, pharmacology, molecular biology, and marine biology. Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy is superior to conventional flow cytometry methods for its capability to acquire high-quality images of single cells at a high-throughput exceeding 10,000 cells per second. This makes it possible to extract copious information from cellular images for accurate cell detection and analysis with the assistance of machine learning. Optofluidic time-stretch microscopy has proven its effectivity in various applications, including microalga-based biofuel production, evaluation of thrombotic disorders, as well as drug screening and discovery. In this review, we discuss the principles and recent advances of optofluidic time-stretch microscopy.

Local immunological mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy.

PubMed

Allam, Jean-Pierre; Novak, Natalija

2011-12-01

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

Virtual Immunology: Software for Teaching Basic Immunology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2013-01-01

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

Are You Ready for [a] Roundup?--What Chemistry Has to Do with Genetic Modifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöpping, Bert

2001-06-01

Genetically modified crops are grown in most parts of the world nowadays. These transgenic plants have new properties such as herbicide tolerance or insect resistance that often cannot be introduced by conventional breeding. Using examples of very common transgenic varieties, the article explains how the knowledge of metabolic pathways and genetic information is used to design these plants and how the same knowledge is used to detect them. It reviews why detection of genetic modifications in plants has become necessary and describes the most common detection methods, from immunological assays to polymerase chain reaction and real-time detection.

The host immunological response to cancer therapy: An emerging concept in tumor biology.

PubMed

Voloshin, Tali; Voest, Emile E; Shaked, Yuval

2013-07-01

Almost any type of anti-cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted drugs can induce host molecular and cellular immunological effects which, in turn, can lead to tumor outgrowth and relapse despite an initial successful therapy outcome. Tumor relapse due to host immunological effects is attributed to angiogenesis, tumor cell dissemination from the primary tumors and seeding at metastatic sites. This short review will describe the types of host cells that participate in this process, the types of factors secreted from the host following therapy that can promote tumor re-growth, and the possible implications of this unique and yet only partially-known process. It is postulated that blocking these specific immunological effects in the reactive host in response to cancer therapy may aid in identifying new host-dependent targets for cancer, which in combination with conventional treatments can prolong therapy efficacy and extend survival. Additional studies investigating this specific research direction-both in preclinical models and in the clinical setting are essential in order to advance our understanding of how tumors relapse and evade therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microfluidics on compliant substrates: recent developments in foldable and bendable devices and system packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Bonnie L.

2012-04-01

Microfluidics is revolutionizing laboratory methods and biomedical devices, offering new capabilities and instrumentation in multiple areas such as DNA analysis, proteomics, enzymatic analysis, single cell analysis, immunology, point-of-care medicine, personalized medicine, drug delivery, and environmental toxin and pathogen detection. For many applications (e.g., wearable and implantable health monitors, drug delivery devices, and prosthetics) mechanically flexible polymer devices and systems that can conform to the body offer benefits that cannot be achieved using systems based on conventional rigid substrate materials. However, difficulties in implementing active devices and reliable packaging technologies have limited the success of flexible microfluidics. Employing highly compliant materials such as PDMS that are typically employed for prototyping, we review mechanically flexible polymer microfluidic technologies based on free-standing polymer substrates and novel electronic and microfluidic interconnection schemes. Central to these new technologies are hybrid microfabrication methods employing novel nanocomposite polymer materials and devices. We review microfabrication methods using these materials, along with demonstrations of example devices and packaging schemes that employ them. We review these recent developments and place them in the context of the fields of flexible microfluidics and conformable systems, and discuss cross-over applications to conventional rigid-substrate microfluidics.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Allergy Practices: Results of a Nationwide Survey of Allergists.

PubMed

Land, Michael H; Wang, Julie

The use of complementary and alternative practices in the field of Allergy/Immunology is growing. A recent survey of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology members examining patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and adverse effects from CAM revealed that a majority of practitioners (81% of respondents) had patients who are using CAM therapies over conventional treatments and many practitioners (60% of survey respondents) have encountered patients experiencing adverse reactions. During routine office visits, a majority of practitioners do not ask patients about CAM use, and when they do, most do not have a standard intake form to take a CAM history. There is a strong need to increase knowledge and improve measures to prevent adverse reactions to CAMs. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Revisiting the B-cell compartment in mouse and humans: more than one B-cell subset exists in the marginal zone and beyond.

PubMed

Garraud, Olivier; Borhis, Gwenoline; Badr, Gamal; Degrelle, Séverine; Pozzetto, Bruno; Cognasse, Fabrice; Richard, Yolande

2012-11-29

The immunological roles of B-cells are being revealed as increasingly complex by functions that are largely beyond their commitment to differentiate into plasma cells and produce antibodies, the key molecular protagonists of innate immunity, and also by their compartmentalisation, a more recently acknowledged property of this immune cell category. For decades, B-cells have been recognised by their expression of an immunoglobulin that serves the function of an antigen receptor, which mediates intracellular signalling assisted by companion molecules. As such, B-cells were considered simple in their functioning compared to the other major type of immune cell, the T-lymphocytes, which comprise conventional T-lymphocyte subsets with seminal roles in homeostasis and pathology, and non-conventional T-lymphocyte subsets for which increasing knowledge is accumulating. Since the discovery that the B-cell family included two distinct categories - the non-conventional, or extrafollicular, B1 cells, that have mainly been characterised in the mouse; and the conventional, or lymph node type, B2 cells - plus the detailed description of the main B-cell regulator, FcγRIIb, and the function of CD40(+) antigen presenting cells as committed/memory B-cells, progress in B-cell physiology has been slower than in other areas of immunology. Cellular and molecular tools have enabled the revival of innate immunity by allowing almost all aspects of cellular immunology to be re-visited. As such, B-cells were found to express "Pathogen Recognition Receptors" such as TLRs, and use them in concert with B-cell signalling during innate and adaptive immunity. An era of B-cell phenotypic and functional analysis thus began that encompassed the study of B-cell microanatomy principally in the lymph nodes, spleen and mucosae. The novel discovery of the differential localisation of B-cells with distinct phenotypes and functions revealed the compartmentalisation of B-cells. This review thus aims to describe novel findings regarding the B-cell compartments found in the mouse as a model organism, and in human physiology and pathology. It must be emphasised that some differences are noticeable between the mouse and human systems, thus increasing the complexity of B-cell compartmentalisation. Special attention will be given to the (lymph node and spleen) marginal zones, which represent major crossroads for B-cell types and functions and a challenge for understanding better the role of B-cell specificities in innate and adaptive immunology.

[Usefulness of the molecular techniques for detecting and/or identifing of parasites and fungi in humans and animals or pathogens transmitted by ticks (Part I)].

PubMed

Myjak, P; Majewska, A C; Bajer, A; Siński, E; Wedrychowicz, H; Gołab, E; Budak, A; Stańczak, J

2001-01-01

After a long period of using basic microscopic, immunological and biochemical methods for diagnosis, rapid development of nucleic acids investigation enabled introduction of specific and sensitive methods of detection of pathogenic agents on the molecular level. Among others, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), discovered in mid of 80'ies and then automatized, offered an attractive alternative to conventional testing systems. In this paper we describe reliable diagnostic tests widely used in the world, including Poland, and capable of detecting different disease agents as parasites and fungi in clinical specimens and pathogens of emerging zoonotic diseases in ticks. The possibilities of using molecular methods for determination of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance is also discussed. Moreover, the report offers information concerning kinds of molecular tests and institutions in which there are executed.

Use of cyanoacrylate in the coaptation of edges of surgical wounds*

PubMed Central

Lins, Ruthinéia Diógenes Alves Uchôa; Gomes, Raquel Christina Barboza; dos Santos, Kátia Simone Alves; da Silva, Paula Vanessa; da Silva, Renata Torres Moreira; Ramos, Ianny Alves

2012-01-01

Cyanoacrylate has been used in several fields of different surgical specialties as an adhesive for closure of gingival flaps and in mucous and cutaneous lacerations. One of its advantages is that it has an excellent immunological response. In view of aesthetic needs, cyanoacrylate has been applied with satisfactory results, when compared with sutures. It presents better coaptation of edges of cutaneous and mucosal lesions, smaller residual scars, and biocompatibility. However, it is limited to areas of little tissue tension. This work attempts to provide a literature review with the aim of revealing the advantages of using tissue adhesives, especially cyanoacrylates, in wound coaptation in comparison with conventional methods. PMID:23197206

The host immunological response to cancer therapy: An emerging concept in tumor biology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Voloshin, Tali; Voest, Emile E.; Shaked, Yuval, E-mail: yshaked@tx.technion.ac.il

Almost any type of anti-cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and targeted drugs can induce host molecular and cellular immunological effects which, in turn, can lead to tumor outgrowth and relapse despite an initial successful therapy outcome. Tumor relapse due to host immunological effects is attributed to angiogenesis, tumor cell dissemination from the primary tumors and seeding at metastatic sites. This short review will describe the types of host cells that participate in this process, the types of factors secreted from the host following therapy that can promote tumor re-growth, and the possible implications of this unique and yet onlymore » partially-known process. It is postulated that blocking these specific immunological effects in the reactive host in response to cancer therapy may aid in identifying new host-dependent targets for cancer, which in combination with conventional treatments can prolong therapy efficacy and extend survival. Additional studies investigating this specific research direction—both in preclinical models and in the clinical setting are essential in order to advance our understanding of how tumors relapse and evade therapy. -- Highlights: • Cancer therapy induces host molecular and cellular pro-tumorigenic effects. • Host effects in response to therapy may promote tumor relapse and metastasis. • The reactive host consists of immunological mediators promoting tumor re-growth. • Blocking therapy-induced host mediators may improve outcome.« less

Agreement Rate of Rapid Urease Test, Conventional PCR, and Scorpion Real-Time PCR in Detecting Helicobacter Pylori from Tonsillar Samples of Patients with Chronic Tonsillitis

PubMed Central

Najafipour, Reza; Farivar, Taghi Naserpour; Pahlevan, Ali Akbar; Johari, Pouran; Safdarian, Farshid; Asefzadeh, Mina

2012-01-01

Background: Helicobacter pylori is capable of inducing systemic inflammatory reactions through immunological processes. There are several methods to identify the presence of H. pylori in clinical samples including rapid urease test (RUT), conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the Scorpion real-time PCR. Aim: The aim of the present study is to compare the agreement rate of these tests in identifying H. pylori in tonsillar biopsy specimens collected from patients with chronic tonsillitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 tonsil biopsy samples from patients with clinical signs of chronic tonsillitis were examined with RUT, PCR, and Scorpion real-time PCR. The degree of agreement between the three tests was later calculated. Results: There was a poor degree of agreement between RUT and PCR and also RUT and Scorpion real-time PCR (Kappa=0.269 and 0.249, respectively). In contrast with RUT, there was a strong degree of agreement between PCR and Scorpion real-time PCR (Kappa=0.970). Conclusion: The presence of a strong agreement between the Scorpion real-time PCR and PCR as well as its technical advantage over the conventional PCR assay, made the Scorpion real-time PCR an appropriate laboratory test to investigate the presence of H. pylori in tonsillar biopsy specimens in patients suffering from chronic tonsillitis. PMID:22754245

Immunological diagnosis as an adjunctive tool for an early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis of an immune competent child in a low tuberculosis endemic country: a case report.

PubMed

Vita, Serena; Ajassa, Camilla; Caraffa, Emanuela; Lichtner, Miriam; Mascia, Claudia; Mengoni, Fabio; Paglia, Maria Grazia; Mancarella, Cristina; Colistra, Davide; Di Biasi, Claudio; Ciardi, Rosa Maria; Mastroianni, Claudio Maria; Vullo, Vincenzo

2017-03-13

Pediatric tuberculous meningitis is a highly morbid, often fatal disease. Its prompt diagnosis and treatment saves lives, in fact delays in the initiation of therapy have been associated with high mortality rates. This is a case of an Italian child who was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis after a history of a month of headache, fatigue and weight loss. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis with predominance and decreased glucose concentration. Microscopy and conventional diagnostic tests to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative, while a non classical method based on intracellular cytokine flow cytometry response of CD4 cells in cerebral spinal fluid helped us to address the diagnosis, that was subsequently confirmed by a nested polymerase chain reaction amplifying a 123 base pair fragment of the M. tuberculosis DNA. We diagnosed tuberculous meningitis at an early stage through an innovative immunological approach, supported by a nested polymerase chain reaction for detection of M. tuberculosis DNA. An early diagnosis is required in order to promptly initiate a therapy and to increase the patient's survival.

Integration of lyoplate based flow cytometry and computational analysis for standardized immunological biomarker discovery.

PubMed

Villanova, Federica; Di Meglio, Paola; Inokuma, Margaret; Aghaeepour, Nima; Perucha, Esperanza; Mollon, Jennifer; Nomura, Laurel; Hernandez-Fuentes, Maria; Cope, Andrew; Prevost, A Toby; Heck, Susanne; Maino, Vernon; Lord, Graham; Brinkman, Ryan R; Nestle, Frank O

2013-01-01

Discovery of novel immune biomarkers for monitoring of disease prognosis and response to therapy in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is an important unmet clinical need. Here, we establish a novel framework for immunological biomarker discovery, comparing a conventional (liquid) flow cytometry platform (CFP) and a unique lyoplate-based flow cytometry platform (LFP) in combination with advanced computational data analysis. We demonstrate that LFP had higher sensitivity compared to CFP, with increased detection of cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-10) and activation markers (Foxp3 and CD25). Fluorescent intensity of cells stained with lyophilized antibodies was increased compared to cells stained with liquid antibodies. LFP, using a plate loader, allowed medium-throughput processing of samples with comparable intra- and inter-assay variability between platforms. Automated computational analysis identified novel immunophenotypes that were not detected with manual analysis. Our results establish a new flow cytometry platform for standardized and rapid immunological biomarker discovery with wide application to immune-mediated diseases.

Integration of Lyoplate Based Flow Cytometry and Computational Analysis for Standardized Immunological Biomarker Discovery

PubMed Central

Villanova, Federica; Di Meglio, Paola; Inokuma, Margaret; Aghaeepour, Nima; Perucha, Esperanza; Mollon, Jennifer; Nomura, Laurel; Hernandez-Fuentes, Maria; Cope, Andrew; Prevost, A. Toby; Heck, Susanne; Maino, Vernon; Lord, Graham; Brinkman, Ryan R.; Nestle, Frank O.

2013-01-01

Discovery of novel immune biomarkers for monitoring of disease prognosis and response to therapy in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is an important unmet clinical need. Here, we establish a novel framework for immunological biomarker discovery, comparing a conventional (liquid) flow cytometry platform (CFP) and a unique lyoplate-based flow cytometry platform (LFP) in combination with advanced computational data analysis. We demonstrate that LFP had higher sensitivity compared to CFP, with increased detection of cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-10) and activation markers (Foxp3 and CD25). Fluorescent intensity of cells stained with lyophilized antibodies was increased compared to cells stained with liquid antibodies. LFP, using a plate loader, allowed medium-throughput processing of samples with comparable intra- and inter-assay variability between platforms. Automated computational analysis identified novel immunophenotypes that were not detected with manual analysis. Our results establish a new flow cytometry platform for standardized and rapid immunological biomarker discovery with wide application to immune-mediated diseases. PMID:23843942

Immunogenicity and efficacy of a rough Brucella suis vaccine delivered orally or parenterally to feral swine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brucella suis strain 353-1 is a stable vaccine strain that is clinically safe, does not cause positive serologic responses on conventional brucellosis surveillance tests, and induces humoral and cellular immunity in swine after vaccination. In this study, we evaluated tissue clearance and immunologi...

Vaccines for the future: learning from human immunology

PubMed Central

De Gregorio, Ennio; Rappuoli, Rino

2012-01-01

Summary Conventional vaccines have been extremely successful in preventing infections by pathogens expressing relatively conserved antigens through antibody‐mediated effector mechanisms. Thanks to vaccination some diseases have been eradicated and mortality due to infectious diseases has been significantly reduced. However, there are still many infections that are not preventable with vaccination, which represent a major cause of mortality worldwide. Some of these infections are caused by pathogens with a high degree of antigen variability that cannot be controlled only by antibodies, but require a mix of humoral and cellular immune responses. Novel technologies for antigen discovery, expression and formulation allow now for the development of vaccines that can better cope with pathogen diversity and trigger multifunctional immune responses. In addition, the application of new genomic assays and systems biology approaches in human immunology can help to better identify vaccine correlates of protection. The availability of novel vaccine technologies, together with the knowledge of the distinct human immune responses that are required to prevent different types of infection, should help to rationally design effective vaccines where conventional approaches have failed. PMID:21880117

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

PubMed

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

2015-01-01

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

Application of an untargeted metabolomics approach for the identification of compounds that may be responsible for observed differential effects in chickens fed an organic and a conventional diet.

PubMed

Ruiz-Aracama, A; Lommen, A; Huber, M; van de Vijver, L; Hoogenboom, R

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to apply an untargeted NMR and LC-MS-based metabolomics approach to detect potential differences between an organically and a conventionally produced feed, which caused statistically significant differences in growth, in the response to an immunological challenge and in the gene expression profiles in the small intestine of laying hens. A fractionation procedure was set up to create multiple fractions of the feed, which were subsequently analysed by NMR and UPLC-TOF/MS operating in positive mode. Comparison of the profiles revealed that the most apparent differences came from the isoflavones in the soy as well as a compound with a molecular mass of 441.202 (M + 1)⁺, which was identified as N,N'-diferuloylputrescine (DFP) and came from the corn. Whether the observed differences in effects are due to the higher levels of isoflavones and DFP is unclear, as is the fact whether the observed differences are typical for organic or conventional produced corn and soy. However, this study shows that this metabolomics approach is suitable for detecting potential differences between products, even in levels of compounds that would have been overlooked with a more targeted approach. As such, the method is suitable for a more systematic study on differences between conventionally and organically produced food.

An ELISA Lab-on-a-Chip (ELISA-LOC).

PubMed

Rasooly, Avraham; Bruck, Hugh A; Kostov, Yordan

2013-01-01

Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technology using polymer sheets is an easy and affordable method for rapid prototyping of Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) systems. It has recently been used to fabricate a miniature 96 sample ELISA lab-on-a-chip (ELISA-LOC) by integrating the washing step directly into an ELISA plate. LOM has been shown to be capable of creating complex 3D microfluidics through the assembly of a stack of polymer sheets with features generated by laser micromachining and by bonding the sheets together with adhesive. A six layer ELISA-LOC was fabricated with an acrylic (poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) core and five polycarbonate layers micromachined by a CO(2) laser with simple microfluidic features including a miniature 96-well sample plate. Immunological assays can be carried out in several configurations (1 × 96 wells, 2 × 48 wells, or 4 × 24 wells). The system includes three main functional elements: (1) a reagent loading fluidics module, (2) an assay and detection wells plate, and (3) a reagent removal fluidics module. The ELISA-LOC system combines several biosensing elements: (1) carbon nanotube (CNT) technology to enhance primary antibody immobilization, (2) sensitive ECL (electrochemiluminescence) detection, and (3) a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector for measuring the light signal generated by ECL. Using a sandwich ELISA assay, the system detected Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/ml, a detection level similar to that reported for conventional ELISA. ELISA-LOC can be operated by a syringe and does not require power for operation. This simple point-of-care (POC) system is useful for carrying out various immunological assays and other complex medical assays without the laboratory required for conventional ELISA, and therefore may be more useful for global healthcare delivery.

[Immunotherapy in epithelial ovarian carcinoma: hope and reality].

PubMed

Lavoué, V; Foucher, F; Henno, S; Bauville, E; Catros, V; Cabillic, F; Levêque, J

2014-03-01

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) has a worst prognosis with little progress in terms of survival for the last two decades. Immunology received little interest in EOC in the past, but now appears very important in the natural history of this cancer. This review is an EOC immunology state of art and focuses on the place of immunotherapy in future. A systematic review of published studies was performed. Medline baseline interrogation was performed with the following keywords: "Ovarian carinoma, immunotherapy, T-lymphocyte, regulator T-lymphocyte, dendritic cells, macrophage, antigen, chemotherapy, surgery, clinical trials". Identified publications (English or French) were assessed for the understanding of EOC immunology and the place of conventional treatment and immunotherapy strategy. Intratumoral infiltration by immune cells is a strong prognotic factor in EOC. Surgery and chemotherapy in EOC decrease imunosuppression in patients. The antitumoral immunity is a part of the therapeutic action of surgery and chemotherapy. Until now, immunotherapy gave some disappointing results, but the new drugs that target the tolerogenic tumoral microenvironnement rise and give a new hope in the treatment of cancer. Immunology controls the EOC natural history. The modulation of immunosuppressive microenvironment associated with the stimulation of antitumoral immunity could be the next revolution in the treatment of cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparative Exposure to Soy Biodiesel Emissions in an Allergic Mouse Model

EPA Science Inventory

We assessed the immunological effects following inhalation of emissions from 100% Soy biodiesel (S100) or a 20% mix with conventional petrodiesel (S20), in a house dust mite (HDM) allergic Balb/cJ mouse model. Female mice (8/group) were exposed whole body (4 hr/d, 5 d/wk, 4wk) to...

Medicinal chemistry and anti-inflammatory activity of nitric oxide-releasing NSAI drugs.

PubMed

Koç And, Esra; Küçükgüzel, S Güniz

2009-05-01

Nitric Oxide, which acts as a non-specific cytotoxic mediator and a biological messenger on immunological competence, has been gaining significantly increasing importance. As an alternative to conventional NSAIDs having significant side effects, pharmacologically improved and therapeutically enhanced NO releasing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with less side effects are being planned to produce.

Virtual immunology: software for teaching basic immunology.

PubMed

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

2013-01-01

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

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems.

PubMed

McGlone, John J

2013-05-15

Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future.

Interdigitated microelectrode based impedance biosensor for detection of salmonella enteritidis in food samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, G.; Morgan, M.; Hahm, B. K.; Bhunia, A.; Mun, J. H.; Om, A. S.

2008-03-01

Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks continue to occur, and S. enteritidis-related outbreaks from various food sources have increased public awareness of this pathogen. Conventional methods for pathogens detection and identification are labor-intensive and take days to complete. Some immunological rapid assays are developed, but these assays still require prolonged enrichment steps. Recently developed biosensors have shown great potential for the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens. To develop the biosensor, an interdigitated microelectrode (IME) was fabricated by using semiconductor fabrication process. Anti-Salmonella antibodies were immobilized based on avidin-biotin binding on the surface of the IME to form an active sensing layer. To increase the sensitivity of the sensor, three types of sensors that have different electrode gap sizes (2 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm) were fabricated and tested. The impedimetric biosensor could detect 103 CFU/mL of Salmonella in pork meat extract with an incubation time of 5 minutes. This method may provide a simple, rapid and sensitive method to detect foodborne pathogens.

Allergy: conventional and alternative concepts. Summary of a report of the Royal College of Physicians Committee on Clinical Immunology and Allergy.

PubMed

1992-07-01

Allergy is an exaggerated response of the immune system to external substances. It plays a role in a wide range of diseases. In some, such as summer hayfever, the symptoms are entirely due to allergy. In other conditions, particularly asthma, eczema and urticaria, allergy plays a part in some patients but not all. In these situations, allergy may either have a major role or provide just one of many triggers. In an individual patient's illness, the importance of allergy may change with time. The most common allergens (substances causing allergy) are grass and tree pollens, the house dust mite, products from pets and other animals, agents encountered in industry, wasp and bee venom, drugs, and certain foods. Food allergy presents a particularly difficult problem. Some individuals who react to food suffer from true food allergy but in others there is no evidence of an alteration in the immune system. Here the term 'food intolerance' is preferable. Conventional doctors treat allergy by allergen avoidance--where this is possible--and drugs that relieve symptoms. In a few selected cases, in which other methods have failed, immunotherapy (desensitisation or hyposensitisation) is recommended. Patients who consult practitioners of alternative allergy often do so because they are dissatisfied with the conventional approach to diagnosis and treatment, and sometimes because they have conditions which conventional doctors do not accept as having an allergic basis. There is a very wide range of alternative approaches to allergy, including the methods used by clinical ecologists, acupuncturists and homoeopathists. Hypnosis may have a small role to play in asthma, and similar claims for acupuncture need to be evaluated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Current Advances in Detection and Treatment of Babesiosis

PubMed Central

Mosqueda, J; Olvera-Ramírez, A; Aguilar-Tipacamú, G; Cantó, GJ

2012-01-01

Babesiosis is a disease with a world-wide distribution affecting many species of mammals principally cattle and man. The major impact occurs in the cattle industry where bovine babesiosis has had a huge economic effect due to loss of meat and beef production of infected animals and death. Nowadays to those costs there must be added the high cost of tick control, disease detection, prevention and treatment. In almost a century and a quarter since the first report of the disease, the truth is: there is no a safe and efficient vaccine available, there are limited chemotherapeutic choices and few low-cost, reliable and fast detection methods. Detection and treatment of babesiosis are important tools to control babesiosis. Microscopy detection methods are still the cheapest and fastest methods used to identify Babesia parasites although their sensitivity and specificity are limited. Newer immunological methods are being developed and they offer faster, more sensitive and more specific options to conventional methods, although the direct immunological diagnoses of parasite antigens in host tissues are still missing. Detection methods based on nucleic acid identification and their amplification are the most sensitive and reliable techniques available today; importantly, most of those methodologies were developed before the genomics and bioinformatics era, which leaves ample room for optimization. For years, babesiosis treatment has been based on the use of very few drugs like imidocarb or diminazene aceturate. Recently, several pharmacological compounds were developed and evaluated, offering new options to control the disease. With the complete sequence of the Babesia bovis genome and the B. bigemina genome project in progress, the post-genomic era brings a new light on the development of diagnosis methods and new chemotherapy targets. In this review, we will present the current advances in detection and treatment of babesiosis in cattle and other animals, with additional reference to several apicomplexan parasites. PMID:22360483

An immunological method for quantifying antibacterial activity in Salmo salar (Linnaeus, 1758) skin mucus.

PubMed

Narvaez, Edgar; Berendsen, Jorge; Guzmán, Fanny; Gallardo, José A; Mercado, Luis

2010-01-01

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a pivotal component of innate immunity in lower vertebrates. The aim of this study was to develop an immunological method for quantifying AMPs in Salmo salar skin mucus. A known antimicrobial peptide derived from histone H1 previously purified and described from S. salar skin mucus (SAMP H1) was chemically synthesized and used to obtain antibodies for the quantification of the molecule via ELISA. Using skin mucus samples, a correlation of bacterial growth inhibition versus SAMP H1 concentration (ELISA) was established. The results provide the first evidence for quantifying the presence of active AMPs in the skin mucus of S. salar through the use of an immunological method. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A new approach to the therapy of pyoderma in servicemen: the use of the actoprotector bemitil].

PubMed

Samtsov, A V; Tarasenko, G N; Smirnov, A V

1998-05-01

At 51 men at the age from 20 till 30, sick with pyodermatitis, the clinical-immunological aspects and efficiency of-actoprotector, capable to support motor activity and human performance in the extreme environments. Bemitil has appeared more effective in comparison with conventional therapy: by general and combined application the parameters of immunity have been normalized statistically authentically, and at outside application-the places of damage were cleared faster, disappeared painfulness, hyperemia, edema, terms of staying in the hospital were reduced. The clinical recovery was in 86.3 +/- 4.8% of the patients, while effectiveness from conventional means was 62.1 +/- 6.8%.

Non-destructive techniques for the detection of fungal infection in cereal grains.

PubMed

Orina, Irene; Manley, Marena; Williams, Paul J

2017-10-01

Infection of cereal grains by fungi is a serious problem worldwide. Depending on the environmental conditions, cereal grains may be colonised by different species of fungi. These fungi cause reduction in yield, quality and nutritional value of the grain; and of major concern is their production of mycotoxins which are harmful to both humans and animals. Early detection of fungal contamination is an essential control measure for ensuring storage longevity and food safety. Conventional methods for detection of fungal infection, such as culture and colony techniques or immunological methods are either slow, labour intensive or difficult to automate. In recent years, there has been an increasing need to develop simple, rapid, non-destructive methods for early detection of fungal infection and mycotoxins contamination in cereal grains. Methods such as near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, NIR hyperspectral imaging, and electronic nose were evaluated for these purposes. This paper reviews the different non-destructive techniques that have been considered thus far for detection of fungal infection and mycotoxins in cereal grains, including their principles, application and limitations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conference Scene: Summary report from EAACI: London 2010.

PubMed

Stiehm, Matthias; Bufe, Albrecht

2010-09-01

Immunotherapy is, to date, the only effective curative method for the treatment of allergic disorders. Great efforts have been made to improve the efficacy, safety and patient compliance with this method. The growing understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying immunotherapy has led to new approaches for immunotherapy involving the routes of administration and the kinds of molecules used. In addition, new vaccines are being created that combine the advantageous immunological charasteristics of different substances, such as virus-like particles linked to allergens. Many new results from ongoing research into these topics were presented at the 29th congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in London.

A novel and well tolerated mite allergoid subcutaneous immunotherapy: evidence of clinical and immunologic efficacy

PubMed Central

Roger, Albert; Depreux, Nathalie; Jurgens, Yani; Heath, Matthew D; Garcia, Gloria; Skinner, Murray A

2014-01-01

Allergy to house dust mite is one of the most common causes of allergic rhinitis. A novel tyrosine-adsorbed, modified allergen product, Acarovac Plus, developed for the treatment of perennial mite allergy seeks to address the underlying cause of allergic rhinitis in this instance. One of two dosing regimens may be used, either the Conventional Regimen or the Cluster Regimen. We sought to compare the efficacy and safety of a specific immunotherapy, developed for the treatment of perennial mite allergy, administered under a Conventional and Clustered dosing schedule in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis. Thirty adult patients, between 18 and 65 years old, with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma secondary to hypersensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were administered with either conventional or cluster initial regime, with a final visit one week after the last dose administration. The efficacy to the Conventional and Cluster regimens was measured using a Nasal Challenge Test monitoring clinical symptoms and peak nasal inspiratory flow. Total IgE, serum-specific inmunoglobulins (IgE and IgG4) to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and relevant cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13) were assessed. A Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQM) was completed after each patient's final visit. The tolerability of the vaccine was assessed monitoring adverse reactions. No adverse events were recorded in either conventional or cluster regime. The specific Nasal Challenge Test led to a decrease in symptom scores and a significant decrease in mean nasal peak inspiratory flow drop was recorded in both dosing regimen groups. A significant increase in IgG4-specific antibody titres was assessed. No significant changes were observed in concentrations of total IgE, specific IgE or cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13). Patients declared themselves most satisfied in relation to “Secondary effects”, with high overall satisfaction in both groups. Cluster and conventional specific immunotherapy resulted in no adverse reaction(s) and led to similar improvements in immunological parameters, clinical efficacy (Nasal Challenge Test) and high overall satisfaction. PMID:25400929

Different blocking agents cause variation in the immunologic detection of proteins transferred to nitrocellulose membranes.

PubMed

Spinola, S M; Cannon, J G

1985-07-16

We compared bovine serum albumin, commercial non-fat dry milk, and Tween 20 as blocking agents for immunologic probing of bacterial proteins transferred to nitrocellulose sheets. There were quantitative and qualitative differences in antigens detected that depended on which blocking agents were used. We suggest that several methods for blocking and washing nitrocellulose should be compared when Western blotting is used to detect immunologically reactive proteins.

Single Cell Genomics: Approaches and Utility in Immunology

PubMed Central

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

2017-01-01

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

Monoclonal antibody anti-MPO is useful in recognizing minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukaemia.

PubMed

Praxedes, M K; De Oliveira, L Z; Pereira, W da V; Quintana, I Z; Tabak, D G; De Oliveira, M S

1994-01-01

The enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) is the most specific marker of myeloid lineage. The recognition of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with minimally differentiation (AML-M0) is established with methods that include myeloid markers CD13/CD33 and detection of MPO in blast cells by immunological techniques or electron microscopy cytochemistry (EM). We have analysed the presence of MPO in leukaemic blast cells by conventional cytochemistry and immunological methods using a monoclonal antibody anti-MPO (CLB-MPO1) in 121 cases of acute leukaemia. The aim of the study was to investigate the sensitivity of this McAb to identify AML-M0, as CD13/CD33 can be expressed in some cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and EM cytochemistry is not always available in many laboratories. Anti-MPO was positive in all cases of AML (M1-M5) which were positive by Sudan Black B reaction in similar or higher percentage ratio for each case, although in some of them did not label with CD13/CD33 tested by IF and IPc techniques. Based on the anti-MPO positivity, 5 out of 10 cases called undifferentiated leukaemia (AUL) were reclassified as AML-M0, though 4 cases were CD13/CD33 negative. Furthermore, after analysing the anti-MPO expression among 32 cases of ALL, we had to reclassify four of them as acute biphenotypic leukaemia. We conclude that anti-MPO is a very sensitive and reliable tool in AML diagnosis and has an important role in distinguishing minimally differentiated AML and biphenotypic acute leukaemia from AUL and ALL.

Anti-tumor response with immunologically modified carbon nanotubes and phototherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2013-02-01

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

Recommended Immunological Strategies to Screen for Botulinum Neurotoxin-Containing Samples.

PubMed

Simon, Stéphanie; Fiebig, Uwe; Liu, Yvonne; Tierney, Rob; Dano, Julie; Worbs, Sylvia; Endermann, Tanja; Nevers, Marie-Claire; Volland, Hervé; Sesardic, Dorothea; Dorner, Martin B

2015-11-26

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) cause the life-threatening neurological illness botulism in humans and animals and are divided into seven serotypes (BoNT/A-G), of which serotypes A, B, E, and F cause the disease in humans. BoNTs are classified as "category A" bioterrorism threat agents and are relevant in the context of the Biological Weapons Convention. An international proficiency test (PT) was conducted to evaluate detection, quantification and discrimination capabilities of 23 expert laboratories from the health, food and security areas. Here we describe three immunological strategies that proved to be successful for the detection and quantification of BoNT/A, B, and E considering the restricted sample volume (1 mL) distributed. To analyze the samples qualitatively and quantitatively, the first strategy was based on sensitive immunoenzymatic and immunochromatographic assays for fast qualitative and quantitative analyses. In the second approach, a bead-based suspension array was used for screening followed by conventional ELISA for quantification. In the third approach, an ELISA plate format assay was used for serotype specific immunodetection of BoNT-cleaved substrates, detecting the activity of the light chain, rather than the toxin protein. The results provide guidance for further steps in quality assurance and highlight problems to address in the future.

Recommended Immunological Strategies to Screen for Botulinum Neurotoxin-Containing Samples

PubMed Central

Simon, Stéphanie; Fiebig, Uwe; Liu, Yvonne; Tierney, Rob; Dano, Julie; Worbs, Sylvia; Endermann, Tanja; Nevers, Marie-Claire; Volland, Hervé; Sesardic, Dorothea; Dorner, Martin B.

2015-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) cause the life-threatening neurological illness botulism in humans and animals and are divided into seven serotypes (BoNT/A–G), of which serotypes A, B, E, and F cause the disease in humans. BoNTs are classified as “category A” bioterrorism threat agents and are relevant in the context of the Biological Weapons Convention. An international proficiency test (PT) was conducted to evaluate detection, quantification and discrimination capabilities of 23 expert laboratories from the health, food and security areas. Here we describe three immunological strategies that proved to be successful for the detection and quantification of BoNT/A, B, and E considering the restricted sample volume (1 mL) distributed. To analyze the samples qualitatively and quantitatively, the first strategy was based on sensitive immunoenzymatic and immunochromatographic assays for fast qualitative and quantitative analyses. In the second approach, a bead-based suspension array was used for screening followed by conventional ELISA for quantification. In the third approach, an ELISA plate format assay was used for serotype specific immunodetection of BoNT-cleaved substrates, detecting the activity of the light chain, rather than the toxin protein. The results provide guidance for further steps in quality assurance and highlight problems to address in the future. PMID:26703727

Microscopic quantification of bacterial invasion by a novel antibody-independent staining method.

PubMed

Agerer, Franziska; Waeckerle, Stephanie; Hauck, Christof R

2004-10-01

Microscopic discrimination between extracellular and invasive, intracellular bacteria is a valuable technique in microbiology and immunology. We describe a novel fluorescence staining protocol, called FITC-biotin-avidin (FBA) staining, which allows the differentiation between extracellular and intracellular bacteria and is independent of specific antibodies directed against the microorganisms. FBA staining of eukaryotic cells infected with Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Neisseria or the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus are employed to validate the novel technique. The quantitative evaluation of intracellular pathogens by the FBA staining protocol yields identical results compared to parallel samples stained with conventional, antibody-dependent methods. FBA staining eliminates the need for cell permeabilization resulting in robust and rapid detection of invasive microbes. Taken together, FBA staining provides a reliable and convenient alternative for the differential detection of intracellular and extracellular bacteria and should be a valuable technical tool for the quantitative analysis of the invasive properties of pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms.

Immunological mechanisms of sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy.

PubMed

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

2011-06-01

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

A New Immunologic Method for Detection of Occult Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-09-01

in Workshop on Melanoma Monoclonal Antibodies, NIH. 1981 Workshop on ELISA, Cordia Laboratories, Culver City, invited Faculty. 1982 Invited Faculty...for Workshop on Practical Aspects of ELISA, Cordia Laboratories. 1983 Invited Faculty for Workshop on Melanoma Immunology, European Soc for

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

PubMed

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

2014-07-01

This Special Issue of the Journal of Immunological Methods includes 16 manuscripts describing quality assurance activities related to virologic and immunologic monitoring of six global laboratory resource programs that support international HIV/AIDS clinical trial studies: Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD); Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI); External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL); HIV Vaccine Trial Network (HVTN); International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI); and Immunology Quality Assessment (IQA). The reports from these programs address the many components required to develop comprehensive quality control activities and subsequent quality assurance programs for immune monitoring in global clinical trials including: all aspects of processing, storing, and quality assessment of PBMC preparations used ubiquitously in HIV clinical trials, the development and optimization of assays for CD8 HIV responses and HIV neutralization, a comprehensive global HIV virus repository, and reports on the development and execution of novel external proficiency testing programs for immunophenotyping, intracellular cytokine staining, ELISPOT and luminex based cytokine measurements. In addition, there are articles describing the implementation of Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) in a large quality assurance laboratory, the development of statistical methods specific for external proficiency testing assessment, a discussion on the ability to set objective thresholds for measuring rare events by flow cytometry, and finally, a manuscript which addresses a framework for the structured reporting of T cell immune function based assays. It is anticipated that this series of manuscripts covering a wide range of quality assurance activities associated with the conduct of global clinical trials will provide a resource for individuals and programs involved in improving the harmonization, standardization, accuracy, and sensitivity of virologic and immunologic testing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel method for murine intrahepatic islet transplantation via cecal vein.

PubMed

Byun, Nari; Kim, Hyun-Je; Min, Byoung-Hoon; Shin, Jun-Seop; Yoon, Il-Hee; Kim, Jong-Min; Kim, Yong-Hee; Park, Chung-Gyu

2015-12-01

Islet transplantation is one of the most beneficial treatment modality to treat type 1 diabetic patients with frequent hypoglycemic unawareness. In clinical setting, human islets are infused via portal vein and are settled in the end-portal venules in the liver. However, mouse islets are transplanted into kidney subcapsule or liver through direct portal vein. These conventional transplantation methods have several drawbacks such as different physiological environments around the transplanted islets in kidney subcapsule from the liver and high mortality rate in direct portal vein approach. In this study, we introduced murine intrahepatic islet transplantation method via cecal vein to have the same surgical operation route in humans as well as guaranteeing low mortality rate after islet transplantation. With this protocol, consistent normoglycemia can be obtained in diabetic mice, while keeping operation-related mortality extremely low. This approach with easier accessibility and low mortality will make murine intrahepatic islet transplantation a useful model for studying immunological mechanisms such as strong innate and adaptive immune responses that occur in human islet transplantation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antibody Engineering for Pursuing a Healthier Future

PubMed Central

Saeed, Abdullah F. U. H.; Wang, Rongzhi; Ling, Sumei; Wang, Shihua

2017-01-01

Since the development of antibody-production techniques, a number of immunoglobulins have been developed on a large scale using conventional methods. Hybridoma technology opened a new horizon in the production of antibodies against target antigens of infectious pathogens, malignant diseases including autoimmune disorders, and numerous potent toxins. However, these clinical humanized or chimeric murine antibodies have several limitations and complexities. Therefore, to overcome these difficulties, recent advances in genetic engineering techniques and phage display technique have allowed the production of highly specific recombinant antibodies. These engineered antibodies have been constructed in the hunt for novel therapeutic drugs equipped with enhanced immunoprotective abilities, such as engaging immune effector functions, effective development of fusion proteins, efficient tumor and tissue penetration, and high-affinity antibodies directed against conserved targets. Advanced antibody engineering techniques have extensive applications in the fields of immunology, biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutic medicines. However, there is limited knowledge regarding dynamic antibody development approaches. Therefore, this review extends beyond our understanding of conventional polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, recent advances in antibody engineering techniques together with antibody fragments, display technologies, immunomodulation, and broad applications of antibodies are discussed to enhance innovative antibody production in pursuit of a healthier future for humans. PMID:28400756

Single-Cell Genomics: Approaches and Utility in Immunology.

PubMed

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

2017-02-01

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

[Immunological surrogate endpoints to evaluate vaccine efficacy].

PubMed

Jin, Pengfei; Li, Jingxin; Zhou, Yang; Zhu, Fengcai

2015-12-01

An immunological surrogate endpoints is a vaccine-induced immune response (either humoral or cellular immune) that predicts protection against clinical endpoints (infection or disease), and can be used to evaluate vaccine efficacy in clinical vaccine trials. Compared with field efficacy trials observing clinical endpoints, immunological vaccine trials could reduce the sample size or shorten the duration of a trial, which promote the license and development of new candidate vaccines. For these reasons, establishing immunological surrogate endpoints is one of 14 Grand Challenges of Global Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From two parts of definition and statistical methods for evaluation of surrogate endpoints, this review provides a more comprehensive description.

Modeling-Enabled Systems Nutritional Immunology

PubMed Central

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

2016-01-01

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

Glucocorticoid receptor in T cells mediates protection from autoimmunity in pregnancy

PubMed Central

Engler, Jan Broder; Kursawe, Nina; Solano, María Emilia; Patas, Kostas; Wehrmann, Sabine; Heckmann, Nina; Lühder, Fred; Reichardt, Holger M.; Arck, Petra Clara; Gold, Stefan M.

2017-01-01

Pregnancy is one of the strongest inducers of immunological tolerance. Disease activity of many autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS) is temporarily suppressed by pregnancy, but little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we investigated the endocrine regulation of conventional and regulatory T cells (Tregs) during reproduction. In vitro, we found the pregnancy hormone progesterone to robustly increase Treg frequencies via promiscuous binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in T cells. In vivo, T-cell–specific GR deletion in pregnant animals undergoing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of MS, resulted in a reduced Treg increase and a selective loss of pregnancy-induced protection, whereas reproductive success was unaffected. Our data imply that steroid hormones can shift the immunological balance in favor of Tregs via differential engagement of the GR in T cells. This newly defined mechanism confers protection from autoimmunity during pregnancy and represents a potential target for future therapy. PMID:28049829

Characterization of the host response to the myxosporean parasite, Ceratomyxa shasta (Noble), by histology, scanning electron microscopy, and immunological techniques

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartholomew, J.L.; Smith, C.E.; Rohovec, J.S.; Fryer, J.L.

1989-01-01

The tissue response of Salmo gairdneri Richardson, against the myxosporean parasite. Ceratomyxa shasta (Noble), was investigated using histological techniques, scanning electron microscopy and immunological methods. The progress of infection in C. shasta-susceptible and resistant steelhead and rainbow trout was examined by standard histological techniques and by indirect fluorescent antibody methods using monoclonal antibodies directed against C. shasta antigens. Trophozoite stages were first observed in the posterior intestine and there was indication that resistance was due to the inability of the parasite to penetrate this tissue rather than to an inflammatory response. Examination of a severely infected intestine by scanning electron microscopy showed extensive destruction of the mucosal folds of the posterior intestine. Western blotting and indirect fluorescent antibody techniques were used to investigate the immunological component of the host response. No antibodies specific for C. shasta were detected by either method.

[Histopathological diagnostic work-up of joint endoprosthesis-associated pathologies].

PubMed

Krenn, V; Perino, G; Krenn, V T; Wienert, S; Saberi, D; Hügle, T; Hopf, F; Huber, M

2016-05-01

Increasing classes of joint implants and the combination of materials results in increased and wear-associated pathologies. According to the revised consensus classification, the following types can be recognized at conventional histological examination: Type I, particle-induced type; Type II, infection type; Type III, combination type; Type IV, indifferent type; Type V arthrofibrotic type; Type VI, allergic/immunological/toxic adverse reactions and Type VII, bone pathologies. Wear particles are histopathologically characterized according to the Krenn particle algorithm which focuses on a descriptive identification of wear particles and the differentiation of other nonwear-related particles. Type VII is considered histologically when there is evidence of a perivascular/interstitial lymphocytic CD20- and CD3-positive infiltrate, presence of mast cells and eosinophils, and tissue necrosis/infarction associated with implant wear material. Since wear particle-induced toxicity cannot be differentiated with certainty from hypersensitivity/allergic reaction on histological examination, immunological-allergological and clinical data should be used as supplementary criteria for the differential diagnosis. Tissue sampling should be performed from periprosthetic soft tissue with location mapping and when feasible also from bone tissue. Additional information regarding the type of implant and clinical, radiological, immunological, and microbiology data should be available to the pathologist. Further immunohistochemical studies are recommended in the following settings: infection (CD15, CD20, CD68); prosthesis-associated arthrofibrosis (β‑catenin); allergic/immunologic/toxic adverse reactions (CD20, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD117 and for T‑cell characterization T‑bet, GATA-3, and FOXP3).

Postdoctoral Fellow | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

The Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology (LTIB) functions as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary translational research programmatic effort with the goal of developing novel immunotherapies for cancer. The LTIB strategic plan focuses on the development of novel immunotherapeutics for human cancer, not only as monotherapies, but more importantly, in combination with other immune-mediating modalities, and other conventional or experimental therapies, as part of an immuno-oncology programmatic effort. Within this effort are several research groups, a clinical trials group, and multiple collaborations with intramural and extramural scientific and clinical investigators and with investigators in the private sector. The program takes advantage of the uniqueness of the NCI intramural program in that it spans high-risk basic discovery research in immunology, genomics and tumor biology, through preclinical translational research, to paradigm-shifting clinical trials. Focus is placed on the design and development of novel "off-the-shelf" recombinant immunotherapeutics that can be used in clinical studies at numerous institutions. A major strength of the program is the rapid translation of preclinical studies to hypothesis-generating clinical trials. We are looking for postdoctoral fellows interested in learning immunology and immunotherapy, as well as those postdoctoral fellows with a background and/or interest in experimental pathology.  The position is available immediately. The appointment duration is up to 5 years. Stipends are commensurate with education and experience.

Immunological network signatures of cancer progression and survival

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The immune contribution to cancer progression is complex and difficult to characterize. For example in tumors, immune gene expression is detected from the combination of normal, tumor and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Profiling the immune component of tumors may facilitate the characterization of the poorly understood roles immunity plays in cancer progression. However, the current approaches to analyze the immune component of a tumor rely on incomplete identification of immune factors. Methods To facilitate a more comprehensive approach, we created a ranked immunological relevance score for all human genes, developed using a novel strategy that combines text mining and information theory. We used this score to assign an immunological grade to gene expression profiles, and thereby quantify the immunological component of tumors. This immunological relevance score was benchmarked against existing manually curated immune resources as well as high-throughput studies. To further characterize immunological relevance for genes, the relevance score was charted against both the human interactome and cancer information, forming an expanded interactome landscape of tumor immunity. We applied this approach to expression profiles in melanomas, thus identifying and grading their immunological components, followed by identification of their associated protein interactions. Results The power of this strategy was demonstrated by the observation of early activation of the adaptive immune response and the diversity of the immune component during melanoma progression. Furthermore, the genome-wide immunological relevance score classified melanoma patient groups, whose immunological grade correlated with clinical features, such as immune phenotypes and survival. Conclusions The assignment of a ranked immunological relevance score to all human genes extends the content of existing immune gene resources and enriches our understanding of immune involvement in complex biological networks. The application of this approach to tumor immunity represents an automated systems strategy that quantifies the immunological component in complex disease. In so doing, it stratifies patients according to their immune profiles, which may lead to effective computational prognostic and clinical guides. PMID:21453479

Imaging of Cell-Cell Communication in a Vertical Orientation Reveals High-Resolution Structure of Immunological Synapse and Novel PD-1 Dynamics

PubMed Central

Jang, Joon Hee; Huang, Yu; Zheng, Peilin; Jo, Myeong Chan; Bertolet, Grant; Qin, Lidong; Liu, Dongfang

2015-01-01

The immunological synapse (IS) is one of the most pivotal communication strategies in immune cells. Understanding the molecular basis of the IS provides critical information regarding how immune cells mount an effective immune response. Fluorescence microscopy provides a fundamental tool to study the IS. However, current imaging techniques for studying the IS cannot sufficiently achieve high resolution in real cell-cell conjugates. Here we present a new device that allows for high-resolution imaging of the IS with conventional confocal microscopy in a high-throughput manner. Combining micropits and single cell trap arrays, we have developed a new microfluidic platform that allows visualization of the IS in vertically “stacked” cells. Using this vertical cell pairing (VCP) system, we investigated the dynamics of the inhibitory synapse mediated by an inhibitory receptor, programed death protein-1 (PD-1) and the cytotoxic synapse at the single cell level. In addition to the technique innovation, we demonstrated novel biological findings by this VCP device, including novel distribution of F-actin and cytolytic granules at the IS, PD-1 microclusters in the NK IS, and kinetics of cytotoxicity. We propose that this high-throughput, cost-effective, easy-to-use VCP system, along with conventional imaging techniques, can be used to address a number of significant biological questions in a variety of disciplines. PMID:26123352

[Ilya Ilich Metchnikov and Paul Ehrlich: 1908 Nobel Prize winners for their research on immunity].

PubMed

Lokaj, J; John, C

2008-11-01

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1908 was awarded to Ilya I. Mechnikov and Paul Ehrlich for recognition of their work on immunity. Mechnikov have discovered phagocytes and phagocytosis as the basis of natural cellular immunity. His ,,phagocytic theory" is the principle of immunological concept "self and not self" as the prerequisition of physiological inflammation, and selfmaintaining of organism. Ehrlich developed the methods for standardization of antibody activity in immune sera, described neutralizing and complement-depending effect of antibodies and enunciated the ,"ide-chain" theory of the formation of antibodies. Their concept of the key-stone of immunity was different, but they expressed the basic paradigma of immunology: immunity imply the protection of identity and guarantee the integrity of organism. Both are the founders of immunology as the scientific discipline. Discoveries and conceptions of I. Mechnikov and P. Ehrlich exceedingly influenced development of immunology and are also applicable, instructive and suggestive in contemporary immunology and microbiology.

Demonstration of immunologic memory using serogroup C meningococcal glycoconjugate vaccine.

PubMed

Snape, Matthew D; Maclennan, Jenny M; Lockhart, Stephen; English, Mike; Yu, Ly-Mee; Moxon, Richard E; Pollard, Andrew J

2009-02-01

Studies of glycoconjugate vaccines have traditionally used an immune challenge with a plain polysaccharide vaccine to demonstrate immunologic memory. Plain polysaccharide vaccines are poorly immunogenic in children and can induce subsequent immunologic hyporesponsiveness. We therefore assessed the use of glycoconjugate vaccines as an alternative method of demonstrating immunologic memory. Children immunized with hepatitis B vaccine or serogroup C meningococcal glycoconjugate vaccine (MenCC) at age 2, 3, 4 months received a plain polysaccharide meningococcal serogroup A/C vaccine (MenACP) or MenCC at age 12 months. A post hoc analysis of serum bactericidal activity responses to MenCC assessed whether this differed in MenCC primed and MenCC naive infants. MenCC primed children displayed higher geometric mean serum bactericidal titers than MenCC naive children following MenACP (1518 compared with 30; P = 0.003). A similar difference was seen after a dose of MenCC to toddlers (MenCC primed: 8663, MenCC naive: 710; P < 0.001). The latter comparison became a borderline significance after adjusting for higher pretoddler immunization serum bactericidal geometric mean titers in the MenCC primed group (P = 0.068). Administration of glycoconjugate vaccines provides an important alternative method of demonstrating immunologic memory, avoiding the use of plain polysaccharide vaccines that are potentially deleterious in children. This has implications for the design of all future clinical trials of glycoconjugate vaccines.

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

PubMed

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

2013-09-01

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

Renal and adrenal tumors: Pathology, radiology, ultrasonography, therapy, immunology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lohr, E.; Leder, L.D.

1987-01-01

Aspects as diverse as radiology, pathology, urology, pediatrics and immunology have been brought together in one book. The most up-do-date methods of tumor diagnosis by CT, NMR, and ultrasound are covered, as are methods of catheter embolization and radiation techniques in case of primarily inoperable tumors. Contents: Pathology of Renal and Adrenal Neoplasms; Ultrasound Diagnosis of Renal and Pararenal Tumors; Computed-Body-Tomography of Renal Carcinoma and Perirenal Masses; Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Renal Mass Lesions; I-125 Embolotherapy of Renal Tumors; Adrenal Mass Lesions in Infants and Children; Computed Tomography of the Adrenal Glands; Scintigraphic Studies of Renal and Adrenal Function; Surgicalmore » Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma; Operative Therapy of Nephroblastoma; Nonoperative Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma; Prenatal Wilms' Tumor; Congenital Neuroblastoma; Nonsurgical Management of Wilms' Tumor; Immunologic Aspects of Malignant Renal Disease.« less

Non-specific immunological effects of selected routine childhood immunisations: systematic review.

PubMed

Kandasamy, Rama; Voysey, Merryn; McQuaid, Fiona; de Nie, Karlijn; Ryan, Rebecca; Orr, Olivia; Uhlig, Ulrike; Sande, Charles; O'Connor, Daniel; Pollard, Andrew J

2016-10-13

 To identify and characterise non-specific immunological effects after routine childhood vaccines against BCG, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus.  Systematic review of randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies.  Embase, PubMed, Cochrane library, and Trip searched between 1947 and January 2014. Publications submitted by a panel of experts in the specialty were also included.  All human studies reporting non-specific immunological effects after vaccination with standard childhood immunisations. Studies using recombinant vaccines, no vaccine at all, or reporting only vaccine specific outcomes were excluded. The primary aim was to systematically identify, assemble, and review all available studies and data on the possible non-specific or heterologous immunological effects of BCG; measles; mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR); diphtheria; tetanus; and pertussis vaccines.  The initial search yielded 11 168 references; 77 manuscripts met the inclusion criteria for data analysis. In most included studies (48%) BCG was the vaccine intervention. The final time point of outcome measurement was primarily performed (70%) between one and 12 months after vaccination. There was a high risk of bias in the included studies, with no single study rated low risk across all assessment criteria. A total of 143 different immunological variables were reported, which, in conjunction with differences in measurement units and summary statistics, created a high number of combinations thus precluding any meta-analysis. Studies that compared BCG vaccinated with unvaccinated groups showed a trend towards increased IFN-γ production in vitro in the vaccinated groups. Increases were also observed for IFN-γ measured after BCG vaccination in response to in vitro stimulation with microbial antigens from Candida albicans, tetanus toxoid, Staphylococcus aureas, lipopolysaccharide, and hepatitis B. Cohort studies of measles vaccination showed an increase in lymphoproliferation to microbial antigens from tetanus toxoid and C albicans Increases in immunogenicity to heterologous antigens were noted after diphtheria-tetanus (herpes simplex virus and polio antibody titres) and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (pneumococcus serotype 14 and polio neutralising responses) vaccination.  The papers reporting non-specific immunological effects had heterogeneous study designs and could not be conventionally meta-analysed, providing a low level of evidence quality. Some studies, such as BCG vaccine studies examining in vitro IFN-γ responses and measles vaccine studies examining lymphoproliferation to microbial antigen stimulation, showed a consistent direction of effect suggestive of non-specific immunological effects. The quality of the evidence, however, does not provide confidence in the nature, magnitude, or timing of non-specific immunological effects after vaccination with BCG, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, or measles containing vaccines nor the clinical importance of the findings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Malacoplakia associated with vesicoureteral reflux and selective immunoglobulin A deficiency.

PubMed

Witherington, R; Branan, W J; Wray, B B; Best, G K

1984-11-01

A case of malacoplakia involving the lower urinary tract of a young black boy, with associated bilateral vesicoureteral reflux, hydronephrosis and selective immunoglobulin A deficiency is reported. Reflux was caused by the malacoplakia. Reflux and hydronephrosis persisted despite elimination of bacterial infection and malacoplakia by drug therapy. These abnormalities were corrected by a conventional antireflux operation. Malacoplakia appears to be related to immunologic incompetence and diminished levels of intracellular cyclic 3',5' guanine monophosphate. Cholinergic agonists reverse or prevent the pathological changes of malacoplakia.

Expression, production, and renaturation of a functional single-chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) against human ICAM-1

PubMed Central

Sun, H.; Wu, G.M.; Chen, Y.Y.; Tian, Y.; Yue, Y.H.; Zhang, G.L.

2014-01-01

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is an important factor in the progression of inflammatory responses in vivo. To develop a new anti-inflammatory drug to block the biological activity of ICAM-1, we produced a monoclonal antibody (Ka=4.19×10−8 M) against human ICAM-1. The anti-ICAM-1 single-chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) was expressed at a high level as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. We refolded the scFv (Ka=2.35×10−7 M) by ion-exchange chromatography, dialysis, and dilution. The results showed that column chromatography refolding by high-performance Q Sepharose had remarkable advantages over conventional dilution and dialysis methods. Furthermore, the anti-ICAM-1 scFv yield of about 60 mg/L was higher with this method. The purity of the final product was greater than 90%, as shown by denaturing gel electrophoresis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell culture, and animal experiments were used to assess the immunological properties and biological activities of the renatured scFv. PMID:24919171

Immunology and Homeopathy. 1. Historical Background

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Homeopathy was born as an experimental discipline, as can be seen from the enormous amount of homeopathic data collected over more than two centuries. However, the medical tradition of homeopathy has been separated from that of conventional science for a long time. Conventional scientific wisdom dictates that homeopathy should have no effect above placebo but experiments on ultra-high dilutions of solutes together with some clinical data suggest the intriguing possibility that it might do in some circumstances. Today, an osmotic process between disciplines, previously seen as in conflict, is facilitated because over the last few decades homeopathy has initiated the methods of current medical science and a substantial number of experimental studies—at molecular, cellular and clinical levels—are available. One area of dialogue and of common progress is that of inflammation and immunity, probably because these are closely related to the traditional ‘vital force’ of the body's self-healing power. In a series of papers we review the historical origins of homeopathy, the laboratory and animal models related to the field of immunopharmacology, the clinical evidence in favor and against the use of homeopathy in the inflammatory diseases and the hypotheses regarding its action mechanism(s). Finally, we will enlighten the specific characteristics of the homeopathic approach, which places great emphasis on identifying a cure for the whole organism. PMID:16322800

Fungal disease detection in plants: Traditional assays, novel diagnostic techniques and biosensors.

PubMed

Ray, Monalisa; Ray, Asit; Dash, Swagatika; Mishra, Abtar; Achary, K Gopinath; Nayak, Sanghamitra; Singh, Shikha

2017-01-15

Fungal diseases in commercially important plants results in a significant reduction in both quality and yield, often leading to the loss of an entire plant. In order to minimize the losses, it is essential to detect and identify the pathogens at an early stage. Early detection and accurate identification of pathogens can control the spread of infection. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of conventional methods, current trends and advances in fungal pathogen detection with an emphasis on biosensors. Traditional techniques are the "gold standard" in fungal detection which relies on symptoms, culture-based, morphological observation and biochemical identifications. In recent times, with the advancement of biotechnology, molecular and immunological approaches have revolutionized fungal disease detection. But the drawback lies in the fact that these methods require specific and expensive equipments. Thus, there is an urgent need for rapid, reliable, sensitive, cost effective and easy to use diagnostic methods for fungal pathogen detection. Biosensors would become a promising and attractive alternative, but they still have to be subjected to some modifications, improvements and proper validation for on-field use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monthly plasmapheresis for systemic lupus erythematosus with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Clark, William F.; Lindsay, Robert M.; Cattran, Daniel C.; Chodirker, William B.; Barnes, Colin C.; Linton, Adam L.

1981-01-01

Twelve patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and biopsy-proved diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis were randomly allocated to a control group (to continue receiving conventional therapy only) or to a plasmapheresis group (to receive conventional therapy along with one 4-I plasma exchange a month). The six patients treated with plasmapheresis had better preservation of renal function, reduced disease activity, fewer admissions to hospital and less need for steroid and immunosuppressive therapy than the six control patients. The patients treated with plasmapheresis also showed evidence of reduced immunologic activity and had no side effects attributable to the plasma exchange. These results suggest that monthly plasma exchange should be assessed in a controlled randomized trial as a possible therapeutic adjunct in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. PMID:7272867

Maintaining intestinal health: the genetics and immunology of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Kelsen, Judith R; Baldassano, Robert N; Artis, David; Sonnenberg, Gregory F

2015-09-01

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactoral disease caused by dysregulated immune responses to commensal or pathogenic microbes in the intestine, resulting in chronic intestinal inflammation. An emerging population of patients with IBD occurring before the age of 5 represent a unique form of disease, termed Very Early Onset (VEO)-IBD, which is phenotypically- and genetically-distinct from older-onset IBD. VEO-IBD is associated with increased disease severity, aggressive progression and poor responsiveness to most conventional therapies. Further investigation into the causes and pathogenesis of VEO-IBD will help improve treatment strategies, and may lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms that are essential to maintain intestinal health or provoke the development of targeted therapeutic strategies to limit intestinal disease. Here we discuss the phenotypic nature of VEO-IBD, the recent identification of novel gene variants associated with disease, and functional immunologic studies interrogating the contribution of specific genetic variants to the development of chronic intestinal inflammation.

Mathematics in modern immunology

DOE PAGES

Castro, Mario; Lythe, Grant; Molina-París, Carmen; ...

2016-02-19

Mathematical and statistical methods enable multidisciplinary approaches that catalyse discovery. Together with experimental methods, they identify key hypotheses, define measurable observables and reconcile disparate results. Here, we collect a representative sample of studies in T-cell biology that illustrate the benefits of modelling–experimental collaborations and that have proven valuable or even groundbreaking. Furthermore, we conclude that it is possible to find excellent examples of synergy between mathematical modelling and experiment in immunology, which have brought significant insight that would not be available without these collaborations, but that much remains to be discovered.

Mathematics in modern immunology

PubMed Central

Castro, Mario; Lythe, Grant; Molina-París, Carmen; Ribeiro, Ruy M.

2016-01-01

Mathematical and statistical methods enable multidisciplinary approaches that catalyse discovery. Together with experimental methods, they identify key hypotheses, define measurable observables and reconcile disparate results. We collect a representative sample of studies in T-cell biology that illustrate the benefits of modelling–experimental collaborations and that have proven valuable or even groundbreaking. We conclude that it is possible to find excellent examples of synergy between mathematical modelling and experiment in immunology, which have brought significant insight that would not be available without these collaborations, but that much remains to be discovered. PMID:27051512

Immunology of intraocular tumors.

PubMed

Niederkorn, Jerry Y; Wang, Shixuan

2005-02-01

The immune surveillance hypothesis was introduced over 30 years ago and proposed that neoplasms express novel antigens that subjected them to immune detection and elimination. In order for immune surveillance to be effective in controlling neoplasms, two requirements must be satisfied: 1) the tumor must arise in a body site that permits the induction the full array of immune responses and 2) the immune elements generated must have unfettered access to the tumor and be able to express their entire range of effector functions at the tumor site. The unique immunologic and anatomic features of the eye prevent the induction and expression of conventional immunity--a phenomenon known as 'immune privilege'. Although ocular immune privilege represents a theoretical obstacle to immune surveillance, some highly immunogenic intraocular tumors can circumvent immune privilege and undergo immune rejection. Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults, yet it occurs with a frequency that is no higher than neoplasms arising in conventional bodies. The presence of either tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) or tumor-infiltrating macrophages (TIM) is associated with poor prognosis in uveal melanoma patients and suggests that some immune responses to intraocular tumors might exacerbate, rather than mitigate, tumor progression. Although counterintuitive, this proposition is consistent with the 'immune stimulation' hypothesis of tumor progression offered by Richmond Prehn over thirty years ago. It remains to be ascertained if immune stimulation affects the malignancy of ocular tumors, but it represents an intriguing explanation for the paradoxes of uveal melanoma.

Conjugate-like immunogens produced as protein capsular matrix vaccines.

PubMed

Thanawastien, Ann; Cartee, Robert T; Griffin, Thomas J; Killeen, Kevin P; Mekalanos, John J

2015-03-10

Capsular polysaccharides are the primary antigenic components involved in protective immunity against encapsulated bacterial pathogens. Although immunization of adolescents and adults with polysaccharide antigens has reduced pathogen disease burden, pure polysaccharide vaccines have proved ineffective at conferring protective immunity to infants and the elderly, age cohorts that are deficient in their adaptive immune responses to such antigens. However, T-cell-independent polysaccharide antigens can be converted into more potent immunogens by chemically coupling to a "carrier protein" antigen. Such "conjugate vaccines" efficiently induce antibody avidity maturation, isotype switching, and immunological memory in immunized neonates. These immune responses have been attributed to T-cell recognition of peptides derived from the coupled carrier protein. The covalent attachment of polysaccharide antigens to the carrier protein is thought to be imperative to the immunological properties of conjugate vaccines. Here we provide evidence that covalent attachment to carrier proteins is not required for conversion of T-independent antigens into T-dependent immunogens. Simple entrapment of polysaccharides or a d-amino acid polymer antigen in a cross-linked protein matrix was shown to be sufficient to produce potent immunogens that possess the key characteristics of conventional conjugate vaccines. The versatility and ease of manufacture of these antigen preparations, termed protein capsular matrix vaccines (PCMVs), will likely provide improvements in the manufacture of vaccines designed to protect against encapsulated microorganisms. This in turn could improve the availability of such vaccines to the developing world, which has shown only a limited capacity to afford the cost of conventional conjugate vaccines.

Ecological Immunology through the Lens of Exercise Immunology: New Perspective on the Links between Physical Activity and Immune Function and Disease Susceptibility in Wild Animals.

PubMed

van Dijk, Jacintha G B; Matson, Kevin D

2016-08-01

Locomotion and other physical activities by free-living animals may influence immune function and disease susceptibility. This influence may be a consequence of energetic trade-offs or other mechanisms that are often, but not always, inseparably linked to an animal's life history (e.g., flight and migration). Ecological immunology has mainly focused on these life-history trade-offs, overlooking the possible effects of physical activity per se on immune function and disease susceptibility. In this review, we explore the field of exercise immunology, which examines the impact of exercise on immune function and disease susceptibility in humans, with the aim of presenting new perspectives that might be transferable to ecological immunology. First, we explore key concepts in exercise immunology that could be extended to animals. Next, we investigate the concept "exercise" in animals, and propose the use of "physical activity" instead. We briefly discuss methods used in animals to quantify physical activity in terms of energy expenditure and summarize several examples of animals engaging in physical activity. Then, we highlight potential consequences of physical activity on immune function and disease susceptibility in animals, together with an overview of animal studies that examine these links. Finally, we explore and discuss the potential for incorporating perspectives from exercise immunology into ecological immunology. Such integration could help advance our understanding of human and animal health and contribute new ideas to budding "One Health" initiatives. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of salvianolic acid B was screened by a novel method based on the cyto-biophysical properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Miao; Zheng, Mingjing; Xu, Hanying

Various methods have been used to evaluate anti-fibrotic activity of drugs. However, most of them are complicated, labor-intensive and lack of efficiency. This study was intended to develop a rapid method for anti-fibrotic drugs screening based on biophysical properties. A549 cells in vitro were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and fibrogenesis was confirmed by conventional immunological assays. Meanwhile, the alterations of cyto-biophysical properties including morphology, roughness and stiffness were measured utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that fibrogenesis was accompanied with changes of cellular biophysical properties. TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells became remarkably longer, rougher and stiffer than the control.more » Then, the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a positive drug on ameliorating fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells was verified respectively by immunological and biophysical markers. The result of Principal Component Analysis showed that stiffness was a leading index among all biophysical markers during fibrogenesis. Salvianolic acid B (SalB), a natural anti-oxidant, was detected by AFM to protect TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells against stiffening. Then, SalB treatment was provided in preventive mode on a rat model of bleomycin (BLM) -induced pulmonary fibrosis. The results showed that SalB treatment significantly ameliorated BLM-induced histological alterations, blocked collagen accumulations and reduced α-SMA expression in lung tissues. All these results revealed the anti-pulmonary fibrotic activity of SalB. Detection of cyto-biophysical properties were therefore recommended as a rapid method for anti-pulmonary fibrotic drugs screening. - Highlights: • Fibrogenesis was accompanied with the changes of cyto-biophysical properties. • Cyto-biophysical properties could be markers for anti-fibrotic drugs screening. • Stiffness is a leading index among all biophysical markers. • SalB was detected to protect TGF-β1-stimulated A549 cells against stiffening. • SalB treatment ameliorated pulmonary fibrosis induced by BLM in rats.« less

Perfluorocarbon Particle Size Influences Magnetic Resonance Signal and Immunological Properties of Dendritic Cells

PubMed Central

Waiczies, Helmar; Lepore, Stefano; Janitzek, Nicole; Hagen, Ulrike; Seifert, Frank; Ittermann, Bernd; Purfürst, Bettina; Pezzutto, Antonio; Paul, Friedemann; Niendorf, Thoralf; Waiczies, Sonia

2011-01-01

The development of cellular tracking by fluorine (19F) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has introduced a number of advantages for following immune cell therapies in vivo. These include improved signal selectivity and a possibility to correlate cells labeled with fluorine-rich particles with conventional anatomic proton (1H) imaging. While the optimization of the cellular labeling method is clearly important, the impact of labeling on cellular dynamics should be kept in mind. We show by 19F MR spectroscopy (MRS) that the efficiency in labeling cells of the murine immune system (dendritic cells) by perfluoro-15-crown-5-ether (PFCE) particles increases with increasing particle size (560>365>245>130 nm). Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells and with respect to impact of PFCE particles on DC function, we observed that markers of maturation for these cells (CD80, CD86) were also significantly elevated following labeling with larger PFCE particles (560 nm). When labeled with these larger particles that also gave an optimal signal in MRS, DC presented whole antigen more robustly to CD8+ T cells than control cells. Our data suggest that increasing particle size is one important feature for optimizing cell labeling by PFCE particles, but may also present possible pitfalls such as alteration of the immunological status of these cells. Therefore depending on the clinical scenario in which the 19F-labeled cellular vaccines will be applied (cancer, autoimmune disease, transplantation), it will be interesting to monitor the fate of these cells in vivo in the relevant preclinical mouse models. PMID:21811551

[The research progress of diving medicine in China].

PubMed

Fang, Yi-Qun; Bao, Xiao-Chen; Li, Ci; Meng, Miao; Yuan, Heng-Rong; Ma, Jun; Wang, Yan

2012-11-01

Diving medicine is one of the branches of military medicine, and plays an important role in naval development. This review introduces the progress of researches on undersea and hyperbaric physiology and medicine in the past few years in China. The article describes our research achievement in conventional diving and its medical support, researches on saturation diving and its medical support, submarine escape and its medical support, effects of hyperbaric environments and fast buoyancy ascent on immunological and cardiological functions. Diving disorders (including decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity) are also introduced.

Diagnostic tests in HIV management: a review of clinical and laboratory strategies to monitor HIV-infected individuals in developing countries.

PubMed Central

Kimmel, April D.; Losina, Elena; Freedberg, Kenneth A.; Goldie, Sue J.

2006-01-01

We conducted a systematic review on the performance of diagnostic tests for clinical and laboratory monitoring of HIV-infected adults in developing countries. Diagnostic test information collected from computerized databases, bibliographies and the Internet were categorized as clinical (non-laboratory patient information), immunologic (information from immunologic laboratory tests), or virologic (information from virologic laboratory tests). Of the 51 studies selected for the review 28 assessed immunologic tests, 12 virologic tests and seven clinical and immunologic tests. Methods of performance evaluation were primarily sensitivity and specificity for the clinical category and correlation coefficients for immunologic and virologic categories. In the clinical category, the majority of test performance measures was reported as >70% sensitive and >65% specific. In the immunologic category, correlation coefficients ranged from r=0.54 to r=0.99 for different CD4 count enumeration techniques, while correlation for CD4 and total lymphocyte counts was between r=0.23 and r=0.74. In the virologic category, correlation coefficients for different human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ribonucleic acid (RNA) quantification techniques ranged from r=0.54 to r=0.90. Future research requires consensus on designing studies, and collecting and reporting data useful for decision-makers. We recommend classifying information into clinically relevant categories, using a consistent definition of disease across studies and providing measures of both association and accuracy. PMID:16878233

Microfluidic devices for cell cultivation and proliferation

PubMed Central

Tehranirokh, Masoomeh; Kouzani, Abbas Z.; Francis, Paul S.; Kanwar, Jagat R.

2013-01-01

Microfluidic technology provides precise, controlled-environment, cost-effective, compact, integrated, and high-throughput microsystems that are promising substitutes for conventional biological laboratory methods. In recent years, microfluidic cell culture devices have been used for applications such as tissue engineering, diagnostics, drug screening, immunology, cancer studies, stem cell proliferation and differentiation, and neurite guidance. Microfluidic technology allows dynamic cell culture in microperfusion systems to deliver continuous nutrient supplies for long term cell culture. It offers many opportunities to mimic the cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions of tissues by creating gradient concentrations of biochemical signals such as growth factors, chemokines, and hormones. Other applications of cell cultivation in microfluidic systems include high resolution cell patterning on a modified substrate with adhesive patterns and the reconstruction of complicated tissue architectures. In this review, recent advances in microfluidic platforms for cell culturing and proliferation, for both simple monolayer (2D) cell seeding processes and 3D configurations as accurate models of in vivo conditions, are examined. PMID:24273628

Surmounting limited gene delivery into primary immune cell populations: Efficient cell type-specific adenoviral transduction by CAR.

PubMed

Clausen, Björn E; Brand, Anna; Karram, Khalad

2015-06-01

Ectopic gene expression studies in primary immune cells have been notoriously difficult to perform due to the limitations in conventional transfection and viral transduction methods. Although replication-defective adenoviruses provide an attractive alternative for gene delivery, their use has been hampered by the limited susceptibility of murine leukocytes to adenoviral infection, due to insufficient expression of the human coxsackie/adenovirus receptor (CAR). In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Heger et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2015. 45: XXXX-XXXX] report the generation of transgenic mice that enable conditional Cre/loxP-mediated expression of human CAR. The authors demonstrate that this R26/CAG-CAR∆1(StopF) mouse strain facilitates the faithful monitoring of Cre activity in situ as well as the specific and efficient adenoviral transduction of primary immune cell populations in vitro. Further tweaking of the system towards more efficient gene transfer in vivo remains a future challenge. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

21 CFR 866.5210 - Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5210 Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A ceruloplasmin immunological test system is a... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5210...

21 CFR 866.5160 - Beta-globulin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5160 Beta-globulin immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A beta-globulin immunological test system is a... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beta-globulin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5160...

RImmPort: an R/Bioconductor package that enables ready-for-analysis immunology research data.

PubMed

Shankar, Ravi D; Bhattacharya, Sanchita; Jujjavarapu, Chethan; Andorf, Sandra; Wiser, Jeffery A; Butte, Atul J

2017-04-01

: Open access to raw clinical and molecular data related to immunological studies has created a tremendous opportunity for data-driven science. We have developed RImmPort that prepares NIAID-funded research study datasets in ImmPort (immport.org) for analysis in R. RImmPort comprises of three main components: (i) a specification of R classes that encapsulate study data, (ii) foundational methods to load data of a specific study and (iii) generic methods to slice and dice data across different dimensions in one or more studies. Furthermore, RImmPort supports open formalisms, such as CDISC standards on the open source bioinformatics platform Bioconductor, to ensure that ImmPort curated study datasets are seamlessly accessible and ready for analysis, thus enabling innovative bioinformatics research in immunology. RImmPort is available as part of Bioconductor (bioconductor.org/packages/RImmPort). rshankar@stanford.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Spaceflight and Immune Responses of Rhesus Monkeys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonnenfeld, Gerald

1997-01-01

In the grant period, we perfected techniques for determination of interleukin production and leukocyte subset analysis of rhesus monkeys. These results are outlined in detail in publication number 2, appended to this report. Additionally, we participated in the ARRT restraint test to determine if restraint conditions for flight in the Space Shuttle could contribute to any effects of space flight on immune responses. All immunological parameters listed in the methods section were tested. Evaluation of the data suggests that the restraint conditions had minimal effects on the results observed, but handling of the monkeys could have had some effect. These results are outlined in detail in manuscript number 3, appended to this report. Additionally, to help us develop our rhesus monkey immunology studies, we carried out preliminary studies in mice to determine the effects of stressors on immunological parameters. We were able to show that there were gender-based differences in the response of immunological parameters to a stressor. These results are outlined in detail in manuscript number 4, appended to this report.

Ca2+-binding allergens from olive pollen exhibit biochemical and immunological activity when expressed in stable transgenic Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Ledesma, Amalia; Moral, Verónica; Villalba, Mayte; Salinas, Julio; Rodríguez, Rosalía

2006-10-01

Employing transgenic plants as alternative systems to the conventional Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris or baculovirus hosts to produce recombinant allergens may offer the possibility of having available edible vaccines in the near future. In this study, two EF-hand-type Ca2+-binding allergens from olive pollen, Ole e 3 and Ole e 8, were produced in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The corresponding cDNAs, under the control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter, were stably incorporated into the Arabidopsis genome and encoded recombinant proteins, AtOle e 3 and AtOle e 8, which exhibited the molecular properties (i.e. MS analyses and CD spectra) of their olive and/or E. coli counterparts. Calcium-binding assays, which were carried out to assess the biochemical activity of AtOle e 3 and AtOle e 8, gave positive results. In addition, their mobilities on SDS/PAGE were according to the conformational changes derived from their Ca2+-binding capability. The immunological behaviour of Arabidopsis-expressed proteins was equivalent to that of the natural- and/or E. coli-derived allergens, as shown by their ability to bind allergen-specific rabbit IgG antiserum and IgE from sensitized patients. These results indicate that transgenic plants constitute a valid alternative to obtain allergens with structural and immunological integrity not only for scaling up production, but also to develop new kind of vaccines for human utilization.

ELISA-LOC: lab-on-a-chip for enzyme-linked immunodetection.

PubMed

Sun, Steven; Yang, Minghui; Kostov, Yordan; Rasooly, Avraham

2010-08-21

A miniature 96 sample ELISA-lab-on-a-chip (ELISA-LOC) was designed, fabricated, and tested for immunological detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB). The chip integrates a simple microfluidics system into a miniature ninety-six sample plate, allowing the user to carry out an immunological assay without a laboratory. Assay reagents are delivered into the assay plate without the need for separate devices commonly used in immunoassays. The ELISA-LOC was constructed using Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) technology to assemble six layers with an acrylic (poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) core and five polycarbonate layers micromachined by a CO(2) laser. The ELISA-LOC has three main functional elements: reagent loading fluidics, assay and detection wells, and reagent removal fluidics, a simple "surface tension" valve used to control the flow. To enhance assay sensitivity and to perform the assay without a lab, ELISA-LOC detection combines several biosensing elements: (1) carbon nanotube (CNT) technology to enhance primary antibody immobilization, (2) sensitive ECL (electrochemiluminescence) detection, and (3) a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector for measuring the light signal generated by ECL. Using a sandwich ELISA assay, the system detected SEB at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng ml(-1), which is similar to the reported sensitivity of conventional ELISA. The fluidics system can be operated by a syringe and does not require power for operation. This simple point-of-care (POC) system is useful for carrying out various immunological assays and other complex medical assays without a laboratory.

Allergy. Conventional and alternative concepts. A report of the Royal College of Physicians Committee on Clinical Immunology and Allergy.

PubMed

Kay, A B; Lessof, M H

1992-10-01

Allergy is an exaggerated response of the immune system to external substances. It plays a role in a wide range of diseases. In some, such as summer hayfever, the symptoms are due entirely to allergy. In other conditions, particularly asthma, eczema and urticaria, allergy plays a part in some patients but not all. In these situations, allergy may have either a major role or provide just one of many triggers. In an individual patient's illness, the importance of allergy may change with time. The most common allergens (substances causing allergy) are grass and tree pollens, the house dust mite, products from pets and other animals, agents encountered in industry, wasp and bee venom, drugs, and certain foods. Food allergy presents a particularly difficult problem. Some individuals who react to food suffer from food allergy in its strict sense but in others there is no evidence of an alteration in the immune system. Here the term 'food intolerance' is preferable. Conventional doctors treat allergy by allergen avoidance--where this is possible--and drugs that relieve symptoms. In a few selected cases, in which other methods have failed, immunotherapy (desensitisation or hyposensitisation) is recommended. Although patients who consult practitioners of alternative allergy may do so by preference, it is often also because they are dissatisfied with the conventional approach to diagnosis and treatment, or because they have conditions which conventional doctors do not accept as having an allergic basis. There is a very wide range of alternative approaches to allergy, including the methods used by clinical ecologists and other treatments such as acupuncture and homoeopathy. Hypnosis may have a small role to play in helping the asthmatic and similar effects have been suggested for acupuncture. Furthermore, it is likely that there are still many active ingredients in medicinal plants used by herbalists but these need to be clearly identified and purified before their usefulness can be evaluated properly. Apart from these situations, we have yet to be convinced by substantial evidence that any of the other alternative methods of diagnosing or treating allergic disease are of proven value. There have, however, been many false and misleading claims and serious harm may be caused by misdiagnosis or delays in appropriate treatment. The public should be warned against costly methods of diagnosis and treatment which have not been validated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[Infectious mononucleosis: etiology, immunological variants, methods of correction].

PubMed

Gordeets, A V; Savina, O G; Beniova, S N; Chernikova, A A

2011-01-01

Clinical options of infectious mononucleosis course depending on infecting agent etiology are presented for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), mono and mixed forms of the disease. Examined cytokine profiles demonstrate analogous changes of serum cytokines in the acute stage of the disease irrespective of etiological factors. Data show that it is important and useful clinically and immunologically to include immunomodulators--in particular, cycloferon--info a complex therapy of different types of mononucleosis.

Enzyme potentiated hyposensitization: IV. effect of protamine on the immunological behavior of beta glucuronidase in mice and patients with hay fever.

PubMed

McEwen, L M; Nicholson, M; Kitchen, I; O'Gorman, J; White, S

1975-05-01

The ability of beta glucuronidase and a small dose of antigen to modify the anaphylactic reaction of previously sensitized mice has been further investigated. Protamine has an important effect on the immunological behavior of the enzyme. A trial on hay fever patients shows that the results in mice are relevant and that the method can produce significant clinical hyposensitization.

Semi-Quantitative Method for Streptococci Magnetic Detection in Raw Milk.

PubMed

Duarte, Carla; Costa, Tiago; Carneiro, Carla; Soares, Rita; Jitariu, Andrei; Cardoso, Susana; Piedade, Moisés; Bexiga, Ricardo; Freitas, Paulo

2016-04-27

Bovine mastitis is the most costly disease for dairy farmers and the most frequent reason for the use of antibiotics in dairy cattle; thus, control measures to detect and prevent mastitis are crucial for dairy farm sustainability. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive method to magnetically detect Streptococcus agalactiae (a Group B streptococci) and Streptococcus uberis in raw milk samples. Mastitic milk samples were collected aseptically from 44 cows with subclinical mastitis, from 11 Portuguese dairy farms. Forty-six quarter milk samples were selected based on bacterial identification by conventional microbiology. All samples were submitted to PCR analysis. In parallel, these milk samples were mixed with a solution combining specific antibodies and magnetic nanoparticles, to be analyzed using a lab-on-a-chip magnetoresistive cytometer, with microfluidic sample handling. This paper describes a point of care methodology used for detection of bacteria, including analysis of false positive/negative results. This immunological recognition was able to detect bacterial presence in samples spiked above 100 cfu/mL, independently of antibody and targeted bacteria used in this work. Using PCR as a reference, this method correctly identified 73% of positive samples for streptococci species with an anti-S. agalactiae antibody, and 41% of positive samples for an anti-GB streptococci antibody.

Semi-Quantitative Method for Streptococci Magnetic Detection in Raw Milk

PubMed Central

Duarte, Carla; Costa, Tiago; Carneiro, Carla; Soares, Rita; Jitariu, Andrei; Cardoso, Susana; Piedade, Moisés; Bexiga, Ricardo; Freitas, Paulo

2016-01-01

Bovine mastitis is the most costly disease for dairy farmers and the most frequent reason for the use of antibiotics in dairy cattle; thus, control measures to detect and prevent mastitis are crucial for dairy farm sustainability. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive method to magnetically detect Streptococcus agalactiae (a Group B streptococci) and Streptococcus uberis in raw milk samples. Mastitic milk samples were collected aseptically from 44 cows with subclinical mastitis, from 11 Portuguese dairy farms. Forty-six quarter milk samples were selected based on bacterial identification by conventional microbiology. All samples were submitted to PCR analysis. In parallel, these milk samples were mixed with a solution combining specific antibodies and magnetic nanoparticles, to be analyzed using a lab-on-a-chip magnetoresistive cytometer, with microfluidic sample handling. This paper describes a point of care methodology used for detection of bacteria, including analysis of false positive/negative results. This immunological recognition was able to detect bacterial presence in samples spiked above 100 cfu/mL, independently of antibody and targeted bacteria used in this work. Using PCR as a reference, this method correctly identified 73% of positive samples for streptococci species with an anti-S. agalactiae antibody, and 41% of positive samples for an anti-GB streptococci antibody. PMID:27128950

Food allergy: opportunities and challenges in the clinical practice of allergy and immunology.

PubMed

James, John M

2004-10-01

Food allergy offers numerous opportunities and challenges for the allergy and clinical immunology specialist. Physicians with board certification in allergy and clinical immunology should be the main source of reliable clinical information to educate patients with food-related disorders. There has been a wealth of reliable information published related to food allergy that can be utilized by health care providers in clinical practice. This includes information about the cross-reactivity of food allergens, the evaluation of potential new therapies, and the practical application of new diagnostic methods and management strategies. This article addresses some of the new developments in food allergy, with an emphasis on cross-reactvity of food allergens, recombinant food allergens, and potential future therapies for food allergy.

Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and typing of Toxoplasma gondii.

PubMed

Liu, Quan; Wang, Ze-Dong; Huang, Si-Yang; Zhu, Xing-Quan

2015-05-28

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is an important zoonosis with medical and veterinary importance worldwide. The disease is mainly contracted by ingesting undercooked or raw meat containing viable tissue cysts, or by ingesting food or water contaminated with oocysts. The diagnosis and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection is crucial for the surveillance, prevention and control of toxoplasmosis. Traditional approaches for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis include etiological, immunological and imaging techniques. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis has been improved by the emergence of molecular technologies to amplify parasite nucleic acids. Among these, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular techniques have been useful for the genetic characterization of T. gondii. Serotyping methods based on polymorphic polypeptides have the potential to become the choice for typing T. gondii in humans and animals. In this review, we summarize conventional non-DNA-based diagnostic methods, and the DNA-based molecular techniques for the diagnosis and genetic characterization of T. gondii. These techniques have provided foundations for further development of more effective and accurate detection of T. gondii infection. These advances will contribute to an improved understanding of the epidemiology, prevention and control of toxoplasmosis.

Long-term engraftment, graft-vs.-host disease, and immunologic reconstitution after experimental transplantation of allogeneic peripheral blood cells from G-CSF-treated donors.

PubMed

Pan, L; Bressler, S; Cooke, K R; Krenger, W; Karandikar, M; Ferrara, J L

1996-10-01

Peripheral blood cells (PBPC) are an alternative source of bone marrow for allogeneic transplantation. Reports from recent clinical trials granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized PBPC for allogeneic transplantation show incidence and severity of graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) similar to those observed in conventional bone marrow transplantation (BMT), despite the presence of 10- to 20-fold more T cell in the PBPC inoculum. In the present study, we examined the effects of pretreatment of donors with G-CSF on GVHD, long-term engraftment, and lymphocyte reconstitution in a murine parent-->F1 model (B6.Ly-5a-->B6d2F1) using splenocytes as a source of peripheral progenitor cells. Recipients of splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors experienced less mortality from acute GVHD and showed sustained weight gain by day 100 after transplantation. At that time, there was no histological evidence od GVHD in either liver or gut. Recipients of splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors showed complete donor engraftment within 1 month, which was sustained until the end of the observation period. In contrast, recipients of T cell-depleted splenocytes showed slower donor engraftment and persistent donor/host chimerism. In addition, lymphocyte phenotype and function in mice receiving splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors was significantly restored by day 100 after transplantation. Thus, the use of G-CSF-mobilized PBPC may provide significant advantages to conventional BMT by reducing GVHD without impairing long-term engraftment and immunologic reconstruction.

Laser immunotherapy for treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer and melanoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaosong; Hode, Tomas; Guerra, Maria C.; Ferrel, Gabriela L.; Nordquist, Robert E.; Chen, Wei R.

2011-02-01

Laser immunotherapy (LIT) was developed for the treatment of metastatic tumors. It combines local selective photothermal interaction and active immunological stimulation to induce a long-term, systemic anti-tumor immunity. During the past sixteen years, LIT has been advanced from bench-top to bedside, with promising outcomes. In our pre-clinical and preliminary clinical studies, LIT has demonstrated the capability in inducing immunological responses, which not only can eradicate the treated primary tumors, but also can eliminate untreated metastases at distant sites. Specifically, LIT has been used to treat advanced melanoma and breast cancer patients during the past five years. LIT was shown to be effective in controlling both primary tumors and distant metastases in late-stage patients, who have failed conventional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other more advanced approaches. The methodology and the development of LIT are presented in this paper. The patients' responses to LIT are also reported in this paper. The preliminary results obtained in these studies indicated that LIT could be an effective modality for the treatment of patients with late-stage, metastatic cancers, who are facing severely limited options.

Alphavirus-based DNA vaccine breaks immunological tolerance by activating innate antiviral pathways

PubMed Central

Leitner, Wolfgang W.; Hwang, Leroy N.; Deveer, Michael J.; Zhou, Aimin; Silverman, Robert H.; Williams, Bryan R.G.; Dubensky, Thomas W.; Ying, Han; Restifo, Nicholas P.

2006-01-01

Cancer vaccines targeting ‘self’ antigens that are expressed at consistently high levels by tumor cells are potentially useful in immunotherapy, but immunological tolerance may block their function. Here, we describe a novel, naked DNA vaccine encoding an alphavirus replicon (self-replicating mRNA) and the self/tumor antigen tyrosinase-related protein-1. Unlike conventional DNA vaccines, this vaccine can break tolerance and provide immunity to melanoma. The vaccine mediates production of double-stranded RNA, as evidenced by the autophosphorylation of protein kinase R. Double-stranded RNA is critical to vaccine function because both the immunogenicity and the anti-tumor activity of the vaccine are blocked in mice deficient for the RNase L enzyme, a key component of the 2′,5′-linked oligoadenylate synthetase antiviral pathway involved in double-stranded RNA recognition. This study shows for the first time that alphaviral replicon-encoding DNA vaccines activate innate immune pathways known to drive antiviral immune responses, and points the way to strategies for improving the efficacy of immunization with naked DNA. PMID:12496961

Prevention and treatment of allergic asthma in pregnancy: from conventional drugs to new therapeutical approaches.

PubMed

Cadavid, Angela P; Bannenberg, Gérard L; Arck, Petra C; Fitzgerald, Justine S; Markert, Udo R

2011-05-01

Different conventional anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic drugs are commonly used in pregnancy, including inhaled corticosteroids, long- and short-acting β-agonists, leukotriene modifiers, cromolyn, and theophylline. Alternatively, immunotherapy with allergens before and during pregnancy is accepted as a causal treatment of allergies, but the allergy specifity and severity in combination with a variety of application protocols and procedures cause wide heterogenity of this treatment principle. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic characteristics and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classification of conventional anti-allergic drugs and immunological implications of immunotherapy are summarized in this review, and insights on fetal programming of allergies are introduced. We propose a potential perspective of treatment with anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving mediators, such as lipoxins, resolvins and protectins; these are lipid mediators physiologically generated during the immune response from arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. This proposal fits with the recently appreciated approaches to allergy prevention for the newborn child by a balanced maternal nutrition and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption.

[Methods of testing inactivated antirabies vaccines].

PubMed

Nedosekov, V V; Vishniakov, I F; Gruzdev, K N

2001-01-01

Methods for evaluating the potency of inactivated rabies vaccines are reviewed. Shortcomings of the traditional NIH method and advantages of modern rapid immunological in vitro methods (antibody binding test, radial immunodiffusion test, enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay) for estimation of antigenic activity of vaccines are discussed.

The Effect of UV-C Pasteurization on Bacteriostatic Properties and Immunological Proteins of Donor Human Milk

PubMed Central

Christen, Lukas; Lai, Ching Tat; Hartmann, Ben; Hartmann, Peter E.; Geddes, Donna T.

2013-01-01

Background Human milk possesses bacteriostatic properties, largely due to the presence of immunological proteins. Heat treatments such as Holder pasteurization reduce the concentration of immunological proteins in human milk and consequently increase the bacterial growth rate. This study investigated the bacterial growth rate and the immunological protein concentration of ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiated, Holder pasteurized and untreated human milk. Methods Samples (n=10) of untreated, Holder pasteurized and UV-C irradiated human milk were inoculated with E. coli and S. aureus and the growth rate over 2 hours incubation time at 37°C was observed. Additionally, the concentration of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme of untreated and treated human milk was analyzed. Results The bacterial growth rate of untreated and UV-C irradiated human milk was not significantly different. The bacterial growth rate of Holder pasteurized human milk was double compared to untreated human milk (p<0.001). The retention of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme after UV-C irradiation was 89%, 87%, and 75% respectively, which were higher than Holder treated with 49%, 9%, and 41% respectively. Conclusion UV-C irradiation of human milk preserves significantly higher levels of immunological proteins than Holder pasteurization, resulting in bacteriostatic properties similar to those of untreated human milk. PMID:24376898

Quantitative analysis of periodontal pathogens by ELISA and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Hamlet, Stephen M

2010-01-01

The development of analytical methods enabling the accurate identification and enumeration of bacterial species colonizing the oral cavity has led to the identification of a small number of bacterial pathogens that are major factors in the etiology of periodontal disease. Further, these methods also underpin more recent epidemiological analyses of the impact of periodontal disease on general health. Given the complex milieu of over 700 species of microorganisms known to exist within the complex biofilms found in the oral cavity, the identification and enumeration of oral periodontopathogens has not been an easy task. In recent years however, some of the intrinsic limitations of the more traditional microbiological analyses previously used have been overcome with the advent of immunological and molecular analytical methods. Of the plethora of methodologies reported in the literature, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which combines the specificity of antibody with the sensitivity of simple enzyme assays and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), has been widely utilized in both laboratory and clinical applications. Although conventional PCR does not allow quantitation of the target organism, real-time PCR (rtPCR) has the ability to detect amplicons as they accumulate in "real time" allowing subsequent quantitation. These methods enable the accurate quantitation of as few as 10(2) (using rtPCR) to 10(4) (using ELISA) periodontopathogens in dental plaque samples.

Systems Biology in Immunology – A Computational Modeling Perspective

PubMed Central

Germain, Ronald N.; Meier-Schellersheim, Martin; Nita-Lazar, Aleksandra; Fraser, Iain D. C.

2011-01-01

Systems biology is an emerging discipline that combines high-content, multiplexed measurements with informatic and computational modeling methods to better understand biological function at various scales. Here we present a detailed review of the methods used to create computational models and conduct simulations of immune function, We provide descriptions of the key data gathering techniques employed to generate the quantitative and qualitative data required for such modeling and simulation and summarize the progress to date in applying these tools and techniques to questions of immunological interest, including infectious disease. We include comments on what insights modeling can provide that complement information obtained from the more familiar experimental discovery methods used by most investigators and why quantitative methods are needed to eventually produce a better understanding of immune system operation in health and disease. PMID:21219182

Scleroderma "en coup de sabre" With Epilepsy and Uveitis Successfully Treated With Tocilizumab.

PubMed

Osminina, Maria; Geppe, Nathalia; Afonina, Elena

2018-06-18

Case history of a small girl outlet with epilepsy, followed by scleroderma skin damage and uveitis, neurovasculitis with white matter foci in brain on the side of skin lesion in two months, immunologic disease activity. Resistance to conventional immunosuppressive therapy forced us to initiate the treatment with tocilizumab. It was well tolerated and led to significant improvement of brain, ocular and skin manifestations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

Treatment of children with severe cases of yersiniosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordeets, A. V.; Beniova, S. N.; Shapovalov, E. G.; Malashenkova, V. G.; Sedulina, O. F.

2001-04-01

A study is made of a low-intensity laser radiation technique to treat severe cases of yersiniosis. This technique was tested in 43 children affected by severe cases of pseudotuberculosis and in 32 children suffering from intestinal yersiniosis. Comparing laser therapy and a conventional treatment revealed that these approaches produced significantly different therapeutic and immunological effects. It was found that low-intensity laser radiation combined with drug therapy resulted in a reduction of intoxication duration, diarrhea, hospitalization time, and drug doses. Moreover, the combined application of laser radiation and rug preparations enabled an efficient recovery of the immune state.

Antifungal Therapy for Systemic Mycosis and the Nanobiotechnology Era: Improving Efficacy, Biodistribution and Toxicity.

PubMed

Souza, Ana C O; Amaral, Andre C

2017-01-01

Fungal diseases have been emerging as an important public health problem worldwide with the increase in host predisposition factors due to immunological dysregulations, immunosuppressive and/or anticancer therapy. Antifungal therapy for systemic mycosis is limited, most of times expensive and causes important toxic effects. Nanotechnology has become an interesting strategy to improve efficacy of traditional antifungal drugs, which allows lower toxicity, better biodistribution, and drug targeting, with promising results in vitro and in vivo . In this review, we provide a discussion about conventional antifungal and nanoantifungal therapies for systemic mycosis.

21 CFR 866.5590 - Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. 866.5590... Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A lipoprotein X immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques lipoprotein X (a high...

21 CFR 866.5590 - Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. 866.5590... Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A lipoprotein X immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques lipoprotein X (a high...

21 CFR 866.5590 - Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. 866.5590... Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A lipoprotein X immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques lipoprotein X (a high...

21 CFR 866.5590 - Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. 866.5590... Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A lipoprotein X immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques lipoprotein X (a high...

21 CFR 866.5590 - Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. 866.5590... Lipoprotein X immunolog-ical test system. (a) Identification. A lipoprotein X immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques lipoprotein X (a high...

Immunologic responses of bison to vaccination with Brucella abortus strain RB51: comparison of parenteral to ballistic delivery via compressed pellets or photopolymerized hydrogels.

PubMed

Olsen, Steven C; Christie, R J; Grainger, D W; Stoffregen, W S

2006-02-27

This study compared responses of bison calves to 10(10)CFU of Brucella abortus strain RB51 (SRB51) delivered by parenteral or ballistic methods. Two types of biobullet payloads were evaluated; compacted SRB51 pellets or SRB51 encapsulated in photopolymerized poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels. Bison were vaccinated with saline, parenteral SRB51 alone, or in combination with Spirovac, or ballistically with compressed SRB51 or hydrogel biobullets. Bison parenterally vaccinated with SRB51 had greater (P<0.05) immunologic responses when compared to control bison. Co-administration of Spirovac as an adjuvant did not influence immunologic responses. As compared to compressed SRB51 biobullets, ballistic vaccination with hydrogel biobullets increased cellular immune responses at some sampling times. Our data suggest that hydrogel formulations of SRB51 may be a superior alternative to compressed SRB51 tablets for ballistic vaccination of bison. Although preliminary, data suggests that immunologic responses of bison to SRB51 hydrogel bullets are similar to responses after parenteral vaccination with SRB51.

Gamma irradiation reduces the immunological toxicity of doxorubicin, anticancer drug

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2009-07-01

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

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modelling approaches in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology☆

PubMed Central

Barker, Charlotte I.S.; Germovsek, Eva; Hoare, Rollo L.; Lestner, Jodi M.; Lewis, Joanna; Standing, Joseph F.

2014-01-01

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modelling is used to describe and quantify dose–concentration–effect relationships. Within paediatric studies in infectious diseases and immunology these methods are often applied to developing guidance on appropriate dosing. In this paper, an introduction to the field of PKPD modelling is given, followed by a review of the PKPD studies that have been undertaken in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology. The main focus is on identifying the methodological approaches used to define the PKPD relationship in these studies. The major findings were that most studies of infectious diseases have developed a PK model and then used simulations to define a dose recommendation based on a pre-defined PD target, which may have been defined in adults or in vitro. For immunological studies much of the modelling has focused on either PK or PD, and since multiple drugs are usually used, delineating the relative contributions of each is challenging. The use of dynamical modelling of in vitro antibacterial studies, and paediatric HIV mechanistic PD models linked with the PK of all drugs, are emerging methods that should enhance PKPD-based recommendations in the future. PMID:24440429

Recommendations for Competency in Allergy Training for Undergraduates Qualifying as Medical Practitioners: A Position Paper of the World Allergy Organization

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

The Council acknowledges specific comments from: The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) (Amal H Assa'ad); The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) (Mark Dykewicz, D. Betty Lew, Bryan L. Martin); The Argentine Association of Allergy and Immunology (Ledit RF Ardusso); The Argentine Society of Allergy and Immunopathology (Estrella Asayag); The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) (Jill Smith); The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Stephen Durham); The Brazilian Society of Allergy and Immunopathology (Nelson Rosario); The Bulgarian Society of Allergology (Vasil Dimitrov); The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) (Richard Warrington); The Chilean Society of Allergy and Immunology (Jessica Salinas); The Chinese Society of Allergology (Zhang Hongyu, Yin Jia); The Czech Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (Jiri Litzman); The Danish Society of Allergology (Lone Winther, Peter Plaschke); The Egyptian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Kamal Maurice Hanna); The Egyptian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (Yehia El-Gamal); The German Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Thilo Jakob, Claus Bachert, Bernhard Przybilla); The Hungarian Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (Kristof Nekam); The Icelandic Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Björn R. Lúðvíksson); The Italian Association of Territorial and Hospital Allergists (Riccardo Asero); The Italian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Luigi Fontana); The Japanese Society of Allergology (Sankei Nishima); The Korean Academy of Asthma Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Joon Sung Lee, Hae-Sim Park); The Latvian Association of Allergists (Ieva Cirule); The Lebanese Society of Allergy & Immunology (Fares Zaitoun); The Mongolian Society of Allergology (S. Munkhbayarlakh); The Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society (Singapore) (Chng Hiok Hee); The Allergy Society of South Africa (Sharon Kling); The Spanish Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Tomás Chivato); The Swiss Society for Allergology and Immunology (SSAI-SGAI) (Beat A. Imhof, Andreas Bircher); The Allergy and Immunology Society of Thailand (Pakit Vichyanond); The Turkish National Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Omer Kalayci); and The Venezuelan Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (Luis F Sarmiento). PMID:23283109

Imagining 'reactivity': allergy within the history of immunology.

PubMed

Jamieson, Michelle

2010-12-01

An allergy is commonly understood to be an overreaction of the immune system to harmless substances that are misrecognised as foreign. This concept of allergy as an abnormal, misdirected immune response-a biological fault-stems from the idea that the immune system is an inherently defensive operation designed to protect the individual through an innate capacity to discriminate between the benign and toxic, or self and nonself. However, this definition of allergy represents a radical departure from its original formulation. Literally meaning 'altered reactivity', the term was coined in 1906 by Austrian paediatrician Clemens von Pirquet, to describe the fundamentally mutable nature of the immune response. This paper argues that the conventional interpretation of allergy-as-pathology derives from specific concepts of 'organism', 'response', and 'normal' immune function that have-for over a century-governed the perception and study of immune phenomena within immunology. Through an examination of Louis Pasteur's conceptualisation of the host body/microorganism relationship, I argue that immunology is founded on a view of the organism as a discrete, autonomous entity, and on a concomitant notion of the immune response as essentially reactive. Revisiting the concept of 'altered reactivity', this paper points to the fact that allergy was initially posited as a general theory of immune responsiveness and, importantly, one that poses a significant challenge to orthodox notions of immunopathology. It suggests that Pirquet's unique view of immune responsiveness presents an account of organismic or biological identity that encapsulates, rather than reduces, its ecological complexity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local activation of p53 in the tumor microenvironment overcomes immune suppression and enhances antitumor immunity

PubMed Central

Guo, Gang; Yu, Miao; Xiao, Wei; Celis, Esteban; Cui, Yan

2017-01-01

Mutations in tumor suppressor p53 remain a vital mechanism of tumor escape from apoptosis and senescence. Emerging evidence suggests that p53 dysfunction also fuels inflammation and supports tumor immune evasion, thereby serving as an immunological driver of tumorigenesis. Therefore, targeting p53 in the tumor microenvironment (TME) also represents an immunologically desirable strategy for reversing immunosuppression and enhancing antitumor immunity. Using a pharmacological p53 activator nutlin-3a, we show that local p53 activation in TME comprising overt tumor infiltrating leukocytes (TILeus) induces systemic antitumor immunity and tumor regression, but not in TME with scarce TILeus, such as B16 melanoma. Maneuvers that recruit leukocytes to TME, such as TLR3 ligand in B16 tumors, greatly enhanced nutlin-induced antitumor immunity and tumor control. Mechanistically, nutlin-3a-induced antitumor immunity was contingent on two non-redundant but immunologically synergistic p53-dependent processes: reversal of immunosuppression in TME and induction of tumor immunogenic cell death (ICD), leading to activation and expansion of polyfunctional CD8 CTLs and tumor regression. Our study demonstrates that unlike conventional tumoricidal therapies, which rely on effective p53 targeting in each tumor cell and often associate with systemic toxicity, this immune-based strategy requires only limited local p53 activation to alter the immune landscape of TME and subsequently amplify immune response to systemic antitumor immunity. Hence, targeting the p53 pathway in TME can be exploited to reverse immunosuppression and augment therapeutic benefits beyond tumoricidal effects to harness tumor-specific, durable, and systemic antitumor immunity with minimal toxicity. PMID:28280037

[Effect of intensity modulated radiation therapy on oral mucosa and immune function in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

PubMed

Liang, Shaoqiang; Zhang, Ning; Chen, Lusi; Zhang, Yang; Zheng, Zhenhe; Luo, Weijun; Xu, Tao; Lü, Zhiqian; Li, Shao'en

2018-05-28

To study the potential effects of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on clinical efficacy, oral mucosa reaction and immunological foundation; and to explore the effect of immunological changes on clinical efficacy and oral mucosa reaction in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
 Methods: A total of 200 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, who came from First Department of Nasopharyngeal Radiotherapy, the First People's Hospital of Foshan from October 2008 to November 2011, were selected. The patients were treated with nasopharyngeal radiotherapy, and divided into an observation group and a control group (n=100 in each group). The control group underwent common conventional two-dimensional radiotherapy treatment, while the observation group underwent IMRT. The 5-year survival rates and recurrence rates were recorded at follow-up. After the radiotherapy, the oral mucosa in the patients were evaluated by the classification standard of acute radioactive mucositis by American Radiotherapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and the number of T lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment was detected.
 Results: There were significant difference in non-regional-recurrence survival rate, disease-free survival rate, local recurrence rate between the above 2 groups (all P<0.05), but no significant difference in the distant metastasis-free survival rate (P>0.05). The acute oral mucosa reactions of grade 1, 2, 3, 4 in the control group were 8.00%, 20.00%, 12.00%, 7.00%, respectively, and those were 7.00%, 22.00%, 15.00%, 1.00% respectively. There was no significant difference in the acute response of oral mucosa in grade 1, 2 and 3 in the 2 groups (all P>0.05), but there was significant difference in the grade 4 (P<0.05). There were significantly difference in CD8+, CD4+/ CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment in the above 2 groups (all P<0.01); there were also significantly difference after treatment between the observation group and the control group (all P<0.01).
 Conclusion: In the process of treatment in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the use of IMRT on the basis of chemotherapy is more effective than the conventional two-dimensional radiotherapy, which can reduce the proportion of grade 4 (severe) acute oral mucosa reaction. It may be related to the protective effect of IMRT on immune function in the patients.

Dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of Toxocara infection using a rat model.

PubMed

Paller, Vachel Gay V; Besana, Cyrelle M; Valdez, Isabel Kristine M

2017-12-01

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic disease usually caused by dog and cat roundworms, Toxocara canis and T. cati. Detection and diagnosis is difficult in paratenic and accidental hosts, including humans, as they cannot be detected through conventional methods such as fecal examination. Diagnosis therefore relies on immunological methods and molecular methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western Blot, which are both time-consuming and requires sophisticated equipment. In the Philippines, only a few studies are available on Toxocara seroprevalence. Therefore, there is a need to adapt methods for serodiagnosis of Toxocara infection in humans for the Philippine setting. A dot enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) was standardized using T. canis excretory-secretory antigens. Test sera were collected from laboratory rats (Sprague-Dawley strain) experimentally infected with embryonated eggs of T. canis and Ascaris suum as well as rice field rats naturally infected with Taenia taeniaeformis and Nippostrongylus sp. Optimum conditions used were 20 µg/ml antigen concentration and 1:10 serum dilution. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were 90% (95% CI 55.5-99.7%), 100% (95% CI 69.2-100.0%), 100% (95% CI 66.4-100%), and 90.9% (95% CI 58.7-99.8%), respectively. Dot-ELISA has the potential to be developed as a cheaper, simpler, and more practical method for detection of anti- Toxocara antibodies on accidental hosts. This is a preliminary study conducted on experimental animals before optimization and standardization for human serum samples.

21 CFR 866.5230 - Colostrum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5230 Colostrum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A colostrum immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Colostrum immunological test system. 866.5230...

21 CFR 866.5570 - Lactoferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5570 Lactoferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A lactoferrin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lactoferrin immunological test system. 866.5570...

21 CFR 866.5340 - Ferritin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5340 Ferritin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A ferritin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ferritin immunological test system. 866.5340...

21 CFR 866.5735 - Prothrombin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5735 Prothrombin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A prothrombin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Prothrombin immunological test system. 866.5735...

21 CFR 866.5680 - Myoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5680 Myoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A myoglobin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Myoglobin immunological test system. 866.5680...

21 CFR 866.5715 - Plasminogen immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5715 Plasminogen immunological test system. (a) Identification. A plasminogen immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Plasminogen immunological test system. 866.5715...

21 CFR 866.5470 - Hemoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5470 Hemoglobin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemoglobin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hemoglobin immunological test system. 866.5470...

21 CFR 866.5880 - Transferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5880 Transferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A transferrin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Transferrin immunological test system. 866.5880...

21 CFR 866.5060 - Prealbumin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5060 Prealbumin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A prealbumin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Prealbumin immunological test system. 866.5060...

21 CFR 866.5460 - Haptoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5460 Haptoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A haptoglobin immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Haptoglobin immunological test system. 866.5460...

Indications for laser therapy in diverse models of periodontitis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunin, Anatoly A.; Erina, Stanislava V.; Sokolova, Irina A.; Pankova, Svetlana N.; Ippolitov, Yu. A.; Lepechina, L. I.; Malinovskaya, L. A.; Chitrina, L. L.

1996-11-01

Parodontal diseases have an immunological pathogenic mechanism leading to various manifestations and can not be referred to as a common inflammation. The home and foreign research points at active and immunological reaction with the following distraction surrounding tissues of the tooth. Histochemical and biochemical examinations show metabolic disturbances of parodontal tissues. A total sample size of 604 people suffering from average height of chronic generalized parodontitis was examined in the survey. Immunological and histochemical tests were taken before and after a course of laser therapy with the use of helium-neon laser 'YAGODA', an inhibitory and stimulating dosage irradiations and anti-inflammatory dosage irradiations with infrared laser 'UZOR'. We selected a group of patients with the decreased local immunological status on the ground of immunological tests. Histochemical tests shaped the next group with the passive and active forms of parodontitis pathology. The tests data resulted in a method of laser therapy. The investigations confirm that the chronic generalized parodontitis has a shift in tissue immunity of the oral cavity and cell-bound metabolic disturbance of gum epithelium. It is expedient to use the anti-inflammatory dosage irradiations with infrared laser 'UZOR' to correct immunity, and in case of and active process to realize the DNA and RNA synthesis by means of increasing the irradiation with the apparatus 'YAGODA'. The irradiation decreases in case of a passive process.

21 CFR 866.5400 - Alpha-globulin immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5400 Alpha-globulin immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-globulin immunological... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-globulin immuno-logical test system. 866...

21 CFR 866.5350 - Fibrinopeptide A immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5350 Fibrinopeptide A immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A fibrinopeptide A immunological... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fibrinopeptide A immuno-logical test system. 866...

ImmPort, toward repurposing of open access immunological assay data for translational and clinical research.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Sanchita; Dunn, Patrick; Thomas, Cristel G; Smith, Barry; Schaefer, Henry; Chen, Jieming; Hu, Zicheng; Zalocusky, Kelly A; Shankar, Ravi D; Shen-Orr, Shai S; Thomson, Elizabeth; Wiser, Jeffrey; Butte, Atul J

2018-02-27

Immunology researchers are beginning to explore the possibilities of reproducibility, reuse and secondary analyses of immunology data. Open-access datasets are being applied in the validation of the methods used in the original studies, leveraging studies for meta-analysis, or generating new hypotheses. To promote these goals, the ImmPort data repository was created for the broader research community to explore the wide spectrum of clinical and basic research data and associated findings. The ImmPort ecosystem consists of four components-Private Data, Shared Data, Data Analysis, and Resources-for data archiving, dissemination, analyses, and reuse. To date, more than 300 studies have been made freely available through the Shared Data portal (www.immport.org/immport-open), which allows research data to be repurposed to accelerate the translation of new insights into discoveries.

A trial of patient-oriented problem-solving system for immunology teaching in China: a comparison with dialectic lectures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The most common teaching method used in China is lecturing, but recently, efforts have been widely undertaken to promote the transition from teacher-centered to student-centered education. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching-learning method that permits students to work in small groups to solve clinical problems, promotes self-learning, encourages clinical reasoning and develops long-lasting memory. To our best knowledge, however, POPS has never been applied in teaching immunology in China. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching immunology and assess students’ and teachers’ perception to POPS. Methods 321 second-year medical students were divided into two groups: I and II. Group I, comprising 110 students, was taught by POPS, and 16 immunology teachers witnessed the whole teaching process. Group II including the remaining 211 students was taught through traditional lectures. The results of the pre- and post-test of both groups were compared. Group I students and teachers then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis before a discussion meeting attended only by the teachers was held. Results Significant improvement in the mean difference between the pre- and post-test scores of those in Groups I and II was seen, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS teaching. Most students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps them to understand topics and creates interest, and 88.12% of students favored POPS over simple lectures. Moreover, while they responded that POPS facilitated student learning better than lectures, teachers pointed out that limited teaching resources would make it difficult for wide POPS application in China. Conclusions While POPS can break up the monotony of dialectic lectures and serve as a better teaching method, it may not be feasible for the current educational environment in China. The main reason for this is the relative shortage of teaching resources such as space, library facilities and well-trained teachers. PMID:23356717

21 CFR 866.5170 - Breast milk immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5170 Breast milk immunological test system. (a) Identification. A breast milk immunological test system is a device... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Breast milk immunological test system. 866.5170...

21 CFR 866.5360 - Cohn fraction IV immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5360 Cohn fraction IV immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A Cohn fraction IV immunological... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cohn fraction IV immuno-logical test system. 866...

21 CFR 866.5040 - Albumin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

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

Immune response in melanoma: an in-depth analysis of the primary tumor and corresponding sentinel lymph node

PubMed Central

Ma, Michelle W.; Medicherla, Ratna C.; Qian, Meng; de Miera, Eleazar Vega-Saenz; Friedman, Erica B.; Berman, Russell S.; Shapiro, Richard L.; Pavlick, Anna C.; Ott, Patrick A.; Bhardwaj, Nina; Shao, Yongzhao; Osman, Iman; Darvishian, Farbod

2013-01-01

The sentinel lymph node is the initial site of metastasis. Down-regulation of anti-tumor immunity plays a role in nodal progression. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between immune modulation and sentinel lymph node positivity, correlating it with outcome in melanoma patients. Lymph node/primary tissues from melanoma patients prospectively accrued and followed at New York University Medical Center were evaluated for the presence of regulatory T-cells (Foxp3+) and dendritic cells (conventional: CD11c+, mature: CD86+) using immunohistochemistry. Primary melanoma immune cell profiles from sentinel lymph node-positive/-negative patients were compared. Logistic regression models inclusive of standard-of-care/immunologic primary tumor characteristics were constructed to predict the risk of sentinel lymph node positivity. Immunological responses in the positive sentinel lymph node were also compared to those in the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin and matched negative sentinel lymph node. Decreased immune response was defined as increased regulatory T-cells or decreased dendritic cells. Associations between the expression of these immune modulators, clinicopathologic variables, and clinical outcome were evaluated using univariate/multivariate analyses. Primary tumor conventional dendritic cells and regression were protective against sentinel lymph node metastasis (odds ratio=0.714, 0.067; P=0.0099, 0.0816, respectively). Anti-tumor immunity was down-regulated in the positive sentinel lymph node with an increase in regulatory T-cells compared to the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin (P=0.0005) and matched negative sentinel lymph node (P=0.0002). The positive sentinel lymph node also had decreased numbers of conventional dendritic cells compared to the negative sentinel lymph node (P<0.0001). Adding sentinel lymph node regulatory T-cell expression improved the discriminative power of a recurrence risk assessment model using clinical stage. Primary tumor regression was associated with prolonged disease-free (P=0.025) and melanoma-specific (P=0.014) survival. Our results support an assessment of local immune profiles in both the primary tumor and sentinel lymph node to help guide therapeutic decisions. PMID:22425909

IgE sensitization to Anisakis pegreffii in Italy: Comparison of two methods for the diagnosis of allergic anisakiasis.

PubMed

Mattiucci, S; Colantoni, A; Crisafi, B; Mori-Ubaldini, F; Caponi, L; Fazii, P; Nascetti, G; Bruschi, F

2017-07-01

IgE sensitization to Anisakis pegreffii in Italian subjects suffering from gastro-allergic anisakiasis (GAA) (N=5), or showing chronic urticaria (CU+) after fish consumption (N=100), was investigated. A control group (N=5) was also included. IgE response was analysed by immunoblotting (WB) assay, using both excretory/secretory products (ESPs) and crude extract (CE) of A. pegreffii larvae. The results were compared with those achieved by the conventional immunological method for Anisakis allergy (ie, immunoCAP). Among the 110 subjects, 28 showed IgE positivity with both WB and iCAP methods; 13 proved IgE reactivity, in WB assay, to ESP antigens of A. pegreffii, here provisionally indicated as Ani s 1-like, Ani s 7-like, Ani s 13-like; only 15 sera have shown IgE-WB reaction to Ani s 7-like and Ani s 13-like. iCAP and WB exhibited a high concordance value (κ=1.00) when iCAP value was <0.35 (negative result) and >50.0 (positive result). In the sera samples recorded as positive to Anisakis allergy, Ani s 1-like was responsible for 46.4% of the sensitivity, while Ani s 7-like and Ani s 13-like for 100%. They could be considered as major antigens in the diagnosis of allergic anisakiasis caused by A. pegreffii. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Tumour-cytolytic human monocyte-derived macrophages: a simple and efficient method for the generation and long-term cultivation as non-adherent cells in a serum-free medium.

PubMed

Streck, R J; Hurley, E L; Epstein, D A; Pauly, J L

1992-01-01

We report a simple and efficient culture procedure for the generation of tumour-cytolytic human monocyte-derived macrophages (MAC). In this method, normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, isolated using a conventional Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient procedure, are cultured as a heterogenous leukocyte population in Teflon or other hydrophobic cultureware, in a commercially available serum-free culture medium (M-SFM) that has been formulated specifically for the cultivation and ex vivo stimulation of human monocytes and MAC, and in the absence of exogenous mitogens, antigens, cytokines or other stimulants. This procedure features a negative-selection technique that takes advantage of the differential survival of blood leukocytes. Using the prescribed in vitro conditions, lymphocytes survived relatively poorly, whereas monocytes differentiated in the absence of exogenous stimulants into mature tumour-cytolytic MAC. The MAC were present as non-adherent, single cells that expressed good viability (greater than 95%) for a prolonged period (greater than 60 days). When compared to conventional procedures for generating MAC, the prescribed technique is thought to offer several important advantages in that it: (a) eliminates the tedious and cumbersome monocyte isolation procedures, thus providing a significant savings not only in time and money but also in eliminating repetitive cell manipulations that have often been associated with damage to monocyte morphology and/or function; (b) reduces the loss of monocyte subsets that are not recovered during specific isolation procedures; (c) facilitates harvesting a single cell, non-adherent suspension of immunocompetent MAC suitable for various examinations including analyses defining MAC morphology, cytochemistry, phenotype and function; and (d) eliminates variability and artifacts associated with different sera that are utilised frequently as medium supplements. The utility of the prescribed method is illustrated by the results of ongoing studies in which scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy are being used to define MAC function in different immunological reactions, and examples of these observations are presented herein.

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

PubMed

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

2016-12-01

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

Clinical experience with induction therapy in renal transplantation

PubMed Central

MUNTEAN, ADRIANA; LUCAN, MIHAI; BARBOS, ADRIAN; ELEC, ALINA; IACOB, GHEORGHITA; LOGA, LUMINITA; DICAN, LUCIA

2013-01-01

Introduction Acute rejection (AR) is a major determinant of renal allograft survival. The incorporation of new immunosuppressive agents explains the improvement seen in the results of transplantation in recent years. Objective To assess the optimal immunosuppression regimen according to the immunological risk of renal transplant patients. Method We performed a retrospective study of 977 consecutive patients transplanted in our institution between January 2000 and December 2011. Recipients were classified according to the immunological risk (high, intermediate and low) and the type of induction therapy received. We evaluated the incidence of early acute rejection (eAR) and late acute rejection (lAR) and their influence on graft and patients survival in relation to the immunological risk and induction regimen used. Results The incidence of eAR was 5.4%, 6.4% and 1.4% in relation with the immunological risk, high, intermediate and low respectively. The most commonly used induction immunosuppression was rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG), followed by methylprednisolone and basiliximab. No statistical difference was found between the incidence of eAR according to the type of induction therapy and immunological risk. The graft survival was significantly better for the cases without eAR at 1 year (98.6% versus 94.4%, p=0.019), and 3 years (94.9% versus 88.9%, p=0.056). The patients survival was significantly better for those without eAR at 1 year after transplant (95.7% vs. 88.9%, p=0.051), 3 years (93.1% vs. 83.3%, p=0.008) and 5 years (92.2% vs. 79.6%, p=0.001). The incidence of lAR was between 0 and 7.1% according to the induction therapy, lacking any statistical significance (p=0.450). Conclusion Tailoring the induction immunosuppression according to the immunological risk reduces the incidence of early acute rejection. PMID:26527980

Imaging Vesicular Traffic at the Immune Synapse.

PubMed

Bouchet, Jérôme; Del Río-Iñiguez, Iratxe; Alcover, Andrés

2017-01-01

Immunological synapse formation is the result of a profound T cell polarization process that involves the coordinated action of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, as well as intracellular vesicle traffic. Endosomal vesicle traffic ensures the targeting of the T cell receptor (TCR) and various signaling molecules to the synapse, being necessary for the generation of signaling complexes downstream of the TCR. Here we describe the microscopy imaging methods that we currently use to unveil how TCR and signaling molecules are associated with endosomal compartments and deliver their cargo to the immunological synapse.

Structural and Practical Identifiability Issues of Immuno-Epidemiological Vector-Host Models with Application to Rift Valley Fever.

PubMed

Tuncer, Necibe; Gulbudak, Hayriye; Cannataro, Vincent L; Martcheva, Maia

2016-09-01

In this article, we discuss the structural and practical identifiability of a nested immuno-epidemiological model of arbovirus diseases, where host-vector transmission rate, host recovery, and disease-induced death rates are governed by the within-host immune system. We incorporate the newest ideas and the most up-to-date features of numerical methods to fit multi-scale models to multi-scale data. For an immunological model, we use Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) time-series data obtained from livestock under laboratory experiments, and for an epidemiological model we incorporate a human compartment to the nested model and use the number of human RVFV cases reported by the CDC during the 2006-2007 Kenya outbreak. We show that the immunological model is not structurally identifiable for the measurements of time-series viremia concentrations in the host. Thus, we study the non-dimensionalized and scaled versions of the immunological model and prove that both are structurally globally identifiable. After fixing estimated parameter values for the immunological model derived from the scaled model, we develop a numerical method to fit observable RVFV epidemiological data to the nested model for the remaining parameter values of the multi-scale system. For the given (CDC) data set, Monte Carlo simulations indicate that only three parameters of the epidemiological model are practically identifiable when the immune model parameters are fixed. Alternatively, we fit the multi-scale data to the multi-scale model simultaneously. Monte Carlo simulations for the simultaneous fitting suggest that the parameters of the immunological model and the parameters of the immuno-epidemiological model are practically identifiable. We suggest that analytic approaches for studying the structural identifiability of nested models are a necessity, so that identifiable parameter combinations can be derived to reparameterize the nested model to obtain an identifiable one. This is a crucial step in developing multi-scale models which explain multi-scale data.

New immuno-PCR assay for detection of low concentrations of shiga toxin 2 and its variants.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenlan; Bielaszewska, Martina; Pulz, Matthias; Becker, Karsten; Friedrich, Alexander W; Karch, Helge; Kuczius, Thorsten

2008-04-01

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains secrete toxins that are major virulence factors and diagnostic targets, but some STEC strains secrete Stx in amounts that cannot be detected using conventional cell cytotoxicity or immunological assays. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more-sensitive Stx detection methods. We describe the development of an assay that can detect low concentrations of Stx2 and its variants. An immuno-PCR Stx2 assay was developed based on an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) combining antibody capture and DNA amplification to increase the signal. The immuno-PCR assay detected 10 pg/ml of purified Stx2, compared to 1 ng/ml Stx2 detected by commercial EIA. Consequently, immuno-PCR detected Stx2 and its variants in STEC strains that produce the toxins at levels that are nondetectable by using the EIA, as well as the Stx2 in EIA-negative enriched stool cultures from patients. Our data demonstrate that the immuno-PCR developed here is a highly sensitive and specific method for the detection of trace amounts of Stx2 and Stx2 variants. It is therefore suitable for use by clinical microbiological laboratories to improve the toxin detection in clinical samples.

New Immuno-PCR Assay for Detection of Low Concentrations of Shiga Toxin 2 and Its Variants▿

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wenlan; Bielaszewska, Martina; Pulz, Matthias; Becker, Karsten; Friedrich, Alexander W.; Karch, Helge; Kuczius, Thorsten

2008-01-01

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains secrete toxins that are major virulence factors and diagnostic targets, but some STEC strains secrete Stx in amounts that cannot be detected using conventional cell cytotoxicity or immunological assays. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more-sensitive Stx detection methods. We describe the development of an assay that can detect low concentrations of Stx2 and its variants. An immuno-PCR Stx2 assay was developed based on an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) combining antibody capture and DNA amplification to increase the signal. The immuno-PCR assay detected 10 pg/ml of purified Stx2, compared to 1 ng/ml Stx2 detected by commercial EIA. Consequently, immuno-PCR detected Stx2 and its variants in STEC strains that produce the toxins at levels that are nondetectable by using the EIA, as well as the Stx2 in EIA-negative enriched stool cultures from patients. Our data demonstrate that the immuno-PCR developed here is a highly sensitive and specific method for the detection of trace amounts of Stx2 and Stx2 variants. It is therefore suitable for use by clinical microbiological laboratories to improve the toxin detection in clinical samples. PMID:18272709

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

PubMed

Yirdaw, Kesetebirhan Delele; Hattingh, Susan

2015-01-01

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

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

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Immunological monitoring is part of the standard of care for patients on antiretroviral treatment. Yet, little is known about the routine implementation of immunological laboratory monitoring and utilization in clinical care in Ethiopia. This study assessed the pattern of immunological monitoring, immunological response, level of immunological treatment failure and factors related to it among patients on antiretroviral therapy in selected hospitals in southern Ethiopia. A retrospective longitudinal analytic study was conducted using documents of patients started on antiretroviral therapy. Adequacy of timely immunological monitoring was assessed every six months the first year and every one year thereafter. Immunological response was assessed every six months at cohort level. Immunological failure was based on the criteria: fall of follow-up CD4 cell count to baseline (or below), or CD4 levels persisting below 100 cells/mm3, or 50% fall from on-treatment peak value. A total of 1,321 documents of patients reviewed revealed timely immunological monitoring were inadequate. There was adequate immunological response, with pediatric patients, females, those with less advanced illness (baseline WHO Stage I or II) and those with higher baseline CD4 cell count found to have better immunological recovery. Thirty-nine patients (3%) were not evaluated for immunological failure because they had frequent treatment interruption. Despite overall adequate immunological response at group level, the prevalence of those who ever experienced immunological failure was 17.6% (n=226), while after subsequent re-evaluation it dropped to 11.5% (n=147). Having WHO Stage III/IV of the disease or a higher CD4 cell count at baseline was identified as a risk for immunological failure. Few patients with confirmed failure were switched to second line therapy. These findings highlight the magnitude of the problem of immunological failure and the gap in management. Prioritizing care for high risk patients may help in effective utilization of meager resources. PMID:25961732

Search for biomarkers of asbestos exposure and asbestos-induced cancers in investigations of the immunological effects of asbestos.

PubMed

Matsuzaki, Hidenori; Kumagai-Takei, Naoko; Lee, Suni; Maeda, Megumi; Sada, Nagisa; Hatayama, Tamayo; Yamamoto, Shoko; Ikeda, Miho; Yoshitome, Kei; Min, Yu; Nishimura, Yasumitsu; Otsuki, Takemi

2017-06-09

The immunological effects of asbestos exposure on various lymphocytes such as the regulatory T cell (Treg), responder CD4+ T helper cell (Tresp), CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), and natural killer (NK) cells were investigated. Results show that asbestos exposure impairs antitumor immunity through enhancement of regulatory T cell function and volume, reduction of CXCR3 chemokine receptor in responder CD4+ T helper cells, and impairment of the killing activities of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and NK cells. These findings were used to explore biological markers associated with asbestos exposure and asbestos-induced cancers and suggested the usefulness of serum/plasma IL-10 and TGF-β, surface CXCR3 expression in Tresp, the secreting potential of IFN-γ in Tresp, intracellular perforin level in CTL, and surface expression NKp46 in NK cells. Although other unexplored cytokines in serum/plasma and molecules in these immunological cells, including Th17, should be investigated by experimental procedures in addition to a comprehensive analysis of screening methods, biomarkers based on immunological alterations may be helpful in clinical situations to screen the high-risk population exposed to asbestos and susceptible to asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma.

[Inflammatory bowel diseases: an immunological approach].

PubMed

Sepúlveda, Sofía E; Beltrán, Caroll J; Peralta, Alexis; Rivas, Paola; Rojas, Néstor; Figueroa, Carolina; Quera, Rodrigo; Hermoso, Marcela A

2008-03-01

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are inflammatory diseases with a multifactorial component that involve the intestinal tract. The two relevant IBD syndromes are Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). One factor involved in IBD development is a genetic predisposition, associated to NOD2/CARD15 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms that might favor infectious enterocolitis that is possibly associated to the development of IBD. The identification of specific immunologic alterations in IBD and their relationship to the etiology of the disease is a relevant research topic. The role of intra and extracellular molecules, such as transcription factors and cytokines that are involved in the inflammatory response, needs to be understood. The relevance of immunologic molecules that might drive the immune response to a T helper (Th) 1, Th 2 or the recently described Th 17 phenotype, has been demonstrated in animal models and clinical studies with IBD patients. CD and UC predominantly behave with a Th 1 and Th 2 immune phenotype, respectively. Recently, an association between CD and Th 17 has been reported. The knowledge acquired from immunologic and molecular research will help to develop accurate diagnostic methods and efficient therapies.

Adipose tissue as an immunological organ

PubMed Central

Grant, Ryan W.; Dixit, Vishwa Deep

2014-01-01

Objective This review will focus on the immunological aspects of adipose tissue and its potential role in development of chronic inflammation that instigates obesity-associated co-morbidities. Design and Methods The review utilized PubMed searches of current literature to examine adipose tissue leukocytosis. Results The adipose tissue of obese subjects becomes inflamed and contributes to the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Numerous immune cells including B cells, T cells, macrophages and neutrophils have been identified in adipose tissue, and obesity influences both the quantity and the nature of immune cell subtypes which emerges as an active immunological organ capable of modifying whole body metabolism through paracrine and endocrine mechanisms. Conclusion Adipose tissue is a large immunologically active organ during obesity that displays hallmarks of both and innate and adaptive immune response. Despite the presence of hematopoietic lineage cells in adipose tissue, it is presently unclear whether the adipose compartment has a direct role in immune-surveillance or host defense. Understanding the interactions between leukocytes and adipocytes may reveal the clinically relevant pathways that control adipose tissue inflammation and is likely to reveal mechanism by which obesity contributes to increased susceptibility to both metabolic and certain infectious disease. PMID:25612251

Rapid detection of Bacillus anthracis spores using a super-paramagnetic lateral-flow immunological detection system.

PubMed

Wang, Dian-Bing; Tian, Bo; Zhang, Zhi-Ping; Deng, Jiao-Yu; Cui, Zong-Qiang; Yang, Rui-Fu; Wang, Xu-Ying; Wei, Hong-Ping; Zhang, Xian-En

2013-04-15

There is an urgent need for convenient, sensitive, and specific methods to detect the spores of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, because of the bioterrorism threat posed by this bacterium. In this study, we firstly develop a super-paramagnetic lateral-flow immunological detection system for B. anthracis spores. This system involves the use of a portable magnetic assay reader, super-paramagnetic iron oxide particles, lateral-flow strips and two different monoclonal antibodies directed against B. anthracis spores. This detection system specifically recognises as few as 400 pure B. anthracis spores in 30 min. This system has a linear range of 4×10³-10⁶ CFU ml⁻¹ and reproducible detection limits of 200 spores mg⁻¹ milk powder and 130 spores mg⁻¹ soil for simulated samples. In addition, this approach shows no obvious cross-reaction with other related Bacillus spores, even at high concentrations, and has no significant dependence on the duration of the storage of the immunological strips. Therefore, this super-paramagnetic lateral-flow immunological detection system is a promising tool for the rapid and sensitive detection of Bacillus anthracis spores under field conditions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recertification in allergy and immunology: an historical review with special emphasis on the 1983 examination.

PubMed

Slavin, R G; Des Prez, L; Mansmann, H C; Meskauskas, J A; Pierson, W

1985-03-01

Recertification offers a method of evaluating a diplomate's cognitive knowledge of allergy and immunology. In 1983 candidates for the American Board of Allergy and Immunology recertification examination were offered the entire certifying examination but were informed that they would, for recertification purposes, be held responsible only for a subset of questions judged to be particularly clinically relevant. All 40 candidates elected to take the entire certifying examination. Differences between the performance of certifying and recertifying candidates on the recertifying questions were small. Except for the five-choice questions, the differences in performance between the two groups on the remaining questions were also small in an absolute sense. Recertification performance was not related to the time of original certification. Ninety-eight percent of the candidates completed a questionnaire after the examination. Ninety percent stated that they would encourage their colleagues to participate in the recertification process.

21 CFR 866.5090 - Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5090 Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test...

21 CFR 866.5750 - Radioallergosorbent (RAST) immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5750 Radioallergosorbent (RAST) immunological test system. (a) Identification. A... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Radioallergosorbent (RAST) immunological test...

21 CFR 866.5500 - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5500 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system. (a) Identification. A... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test...

Advances in biosensor development for the screening of antibiotic residues in food products of animal origin - A comprehensive review.

PubMed

Gaudin, Valérie

2017-04-15

Antibiotic residues may be found in food of animal origin, since veterinary drugs are used for preventive and curative purposes to treat animals. The control of veterinary drug residues in food is necessary to ensure consumer safety. Screening methods are the first step in the control of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin. Conventional screening methods are based on different technologies, microbiological methods, immunological methods or physico-chemical methods (e.g. thin-layer chromatography, HPLC, LC-MS/MS). Screening methods should be simple, quick, inexpensive and specific, with low detection limits and high sample throughput. Biosensors can meet some of these requirements. Therefore, the development of biosensors for the screening of antibiotic residues has been increasing since the 1980s. The present review provides extensive and up-to-date findings on biosensors for the screening of antibiotic residues in food products of animal origin. Biosensors are constituted of a bioreceptor and a transducer. In the detection of antibiotic residues, even though antibodies were the first bioreceptors to be used, new kinds of bioreceptors are being developed more and more (enzymes, aptamers, MIPs); their advantages and drawbacks are discussed in this review. The different categories of transducers (electrochemical, mass-based biosensors, optical and thermal) and their potential applications for the screening of antibiotic residues in food are presented. Moreover, the advantages and drawbacks of the different types of transducers are discussed. Lastly, outlook and the future development of biosensors for the control of antibiotic residues in food are highlighted. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Ratio of Circulating IFNγ (+) "Th17 Cells" in Memory Th Cells Is Inversely Correlated with the Titer of Anti-CCP Antibodies in Early-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Based on Flow Cytometry Methods of the Human Immunology Project.

PubMed

Kotake, Shigeru; Nanke, Yuki; Yago, Toru; Kawamoto, Manabu; Kobashigawa, Tsuyoshi; Yamanaka, Hisashi

2016-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease with chronic joint inflammation characterized by activated T cells. IL-17 and Th17 cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA. Recently, plasticity in helper T cells has been demonstrated; Th17 cells can convert to Th1 cells. However, it remains to be elucidated whether this conversion occurs in the early phase of RA. Here, we validated the methods of the Human Immunology Project using only the cell-surface marker through measuring the actual expression of IL-17 and IFNγ. We also evaluated the expression of CD161 in human Th17 cells. We then tried to identify Th17 cells, IL-17(+)Th17 cells, and IFNγ (+)Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of early-onset RA patients using the standardized method of the Human Immunology Project. Our findings validated the method and the expression of CD161. The ratio of IFNγ (+)Th17 cells in memory T cells was inversely correlated to the titers of anti-CCP antibodies in the early-onset RA patients. These findings suggest that Th17 cells play important roles in the early phase of RA and that anti-IL-17 antibodies should be administered to patients with early phase RA, especially those with high titers of CCP antibodies.

Ratio of Circulating IFNγ + “Th17 Cells” in Memory Th Cells Is Inversely Correlated with the Titer of Anti-CCP Antibodies in Early-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Based on Flow Cytometry Methods of the Human Immunology Project

PubMed Central

Kotake, Shigeru; Nanke, Yuki; Yago, Toru; Kawamoto, Manabu; Kobashigawa, Tsuyoshi; Yamanaka, Hisashi

2016-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease with chronic joint inflammation characterized by activated T cells. IL-17 and Th17 cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA. Recently, plasticity in helper T cells has been demonstrated; Th17 cells can convert to Th1 cells. However, it remains to be elucidated whether this conversion occurs in the early phase of RA. Here, we validated the methods of the Human Immunology Project using only the cell-surface marker through measuring the actual expression of IL-17 and IFNγ. We also evaluated the expression of CD161 in human Th17 cells. We then tried to identify Th17 cells, IL-17+Th17 cells, and IFNγ +Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of early-onset RA patients using the standardized method of the Human Immunology Project. Our findings validated the method and the expression of CD161. The ratio of IFNγ +Th17 cells in memory T cells was inversely correlated to the titers of anti-CCP antibodies in the early-onset RA patients. These findings suggest that Th17 cells play important roles in the early phase of RA and that anti-IL-17 antibodies should be administered to patients with early phase RA, especially those with high titers of CCP antibodies. PMID:27294146

Quantification of HTLV-1 Clonality and TCR Diversity

PubMed Central

Laydon, Daniel J.; Melamed, Anat; Sim, Aaron; Gillet, Nicolas A.; Sim, Kathleen; Darko, Sam; Kroll, J. Simon; Douek, Daniel C.; Price, David A.; Bangham, Charles R. M.; Asquith, Becca

2014-01-01

Estimation of immunological and microbiological diversity is vital to our understanding of infection and the immune response. For instance, what is the diversity of the T cell repertoire? These questions are partially addressed by high-throughput sequencing techniques that enable identification of immunological and microbiological “species” in a sample. Estimators of the number of unseen species are needed to estimate population diversity from sample diversity. Here we test five widely used non-parametric estimators, and develop and validate a novel method, DivE, to estimate species richness and distribution. We used three independent datasets: (i) viral populations from subjects infected with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1; (ii) T cell antigen receptor clonotype repertoires; and (iii) microbial data from infant faecal samples. When applied to datasets with rarefaction curves that did not plateau, existing estimators systematically increased with sample size. In contrast, DivE consistently and accurately estimated diversity for all datasets. We identify conditions that limit the application of DivE. We also show that DivE can be used to accurately estimate the underlying population frequency distribution. We have developed a novel method that is significantly more accurate than commonly used biodiversity estimators in microbiological and immunological populations. PMID:24945836

[Prof. Morawiecki: the oculist and outstanding expert in immunology, immunopathology and serology].

PubMed

Raczyńska, K; Iwaszkiewicz-Bilikiewicz, B

2000-01-01

Jerzy Morawiecki (1910-1997) was a man with versatile interests. Being an assistant of Professor Władysław Szumowski in the Jagiellonian University he published papers devoted to the history of medicine. After getting his medical degree in 1937 he worked in the Public Health Department in Warsaw under the very well known Ludwik Hirszfeld. There he carried out pioneer studies on the blood groups, the very beginning of a new science - immunology which moulded the scientific interests to which he was faithful for the rest of his life. Under the Nazi occupation of Warsaw he managed to send his paper on blood groups to Switzerland where it was published in 1941. Between 1946 and 1992 he published 18 papers in the field of immunology mainly of the eye. He did pioneer work on the precipitation of antigens and antibodies. The phenomenon of precipitation lines in the cornea is quoted in the literature as the "Morawiecki phenomenon" or as "Morawiecki' lines". He presented the original hypothesis of immunotherapy of intravitreal hemorrhages - the method of acceleration of hemorrhage absorption. The use of Anti-RhD antibodies subsequently became the most effective method of intraocular hemorrhages.

21 CFR 866.5180 - Fecal calprotectin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5180 Fecal calprotectin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A fecal calprotectin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fecal calprotectin immunological test system. 866...

21 CFR 866.5560 - Lactic dehydrogenase immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5560 Lactic dehydrogenase immunological test system. (a) Identification. A lactic dehydrogenase... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lactic dehydrogenase immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5660 - Multiple autoantibodies immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5660 Multiple autoantibodies immunological test system. (a) Identification. A multiple autoantibodies... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Multiple autoantibodies immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5870 - Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5870 Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. A thyroid autoantibody... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5110 - Antiparietal antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5110 Antiparietal antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antiparietal antibody... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Antiparietal antibody immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5100 - Antinuclear antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5100 Antinuclear antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antinuclear antibody... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Antinuclear antibody immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5240 - Complement components immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5240 Complement components immunological test system. (a) Identification. A complement components... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Complement components immunological test system...

Combination delivery of TGF-β inhibitor and IL-2 by nanoscale liposomal polymeric gels enhances tumour immunotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jason; Wrzesinski, Stephen H.; Stern, Eric; Look, Michael; Criscione, Jason; Ragheb, Ragy; Jay, Steven M.; Demento, Stacey L.; Agawu, Atu; Licona Limon, Paula; Ferrandino, Anthony F.; Gonzalez, David; Habermann, Ann; Flavell, Richard A.; Fahmy, Tarek M.

2012-10-01

The tumour microenvironment thwarts conventional immunotherapy through multiple immunologic mechanisms, such as the secretion of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which stunts local tumour immune responses. Therefore, high doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a conventional cytokine for metastatic melanoma, induces only limited responses. To overcome the immunoinhibitory nature of the tumour microenvironment, we developed nanoscale liposomal polymeric gels (nanolipogels; nLGs) of drug-complexed cyclodextrins and cytokine-encapsulating biodegradable polymers that can deliver small hydrophobic molecular inhibitors and water-soluble protein cytokines in a sustained fashion to the tumour microenvironment. nLGs releasing TGF-β inhibitor and IL-2 significantly delayed tumour growth, increased survival of tumour-bearing mice, and increased the activity of natural killer cells and of intratumoral-activated CD8+ T-cell infiltration. We demonstrate that the efficacy of nLGs in tumour immunotherapy results from a crucial mechanism involving activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses.

Comparison of deferasirox and deferoxamine effects on iron overload and immunological changes in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia

PubMed Central

Al-Kuraishy, Hayder M.; Al-Gareeb, Ali I.

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Beta-thalassemias are a cluster of inherited (autosomal recessive) hematological disorders prevalent in the Mediterranean area due to defects in synthesis of β chains of hemoglobin. The aim of present study was to compare the effects of deferasirox and deferoxamine on iron overload and immunological changes in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major and intermedia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study involved 64 patients with known cases of β-thalassemia major or intermedia that has been treated with blood transfusion and iron chelators. Serum ferritin, serum iron, serum total iron binding, unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), and immunological parameters were assessed in deferoxamine and deferasirox-treated patients. RESULTS: In deferoxamine-treated patients, serum ferritin levels were high (8160.33 ± 233.75 ng/dL) compared to deferasirox-treated patients (3000.62 ± 188.23 ng/dL; P < 0.0001), also there were significant differences in serum iron, total iron-binding capacity and UIBC (P < 0.0001) in deferasirox-treated patients compared to deferoxamine-treated patients. Immunological changes between two treated groups showed insignificant differences in levels of complements (C3 and C4) and immunoglobulin levels (IgM, IgG, and IgA) P > 0.05. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that deferasirox is more effective than deferoxamine regarding the iron overload but not in the immunological profile in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia. PMID:28316434

AntiJen: a quantitative immunology database integrating functional, thermodynamic, kinetic, biophysical, and cellular data

PubMed Central

Toseland, Christopher P; Clayton, Debra J; McSparron, Helen; Hemsley, Shelley L; Blythe, Martin J; Paine, Kelly; Doytchinova, Irini A; Guan, Pingping; Hattotuwagama, Channa K; Flower, Darren R

2005-01-01

AntiJen is a database system focused on the integration of kinetic, thermodynamic, functional, and cellular data within the context of immunology and vaccinology. Compared to its progenitor JenPep, the interface has been completely rewritten and redesigned and now offers a wider variety of search methods, including a nucleotide and a peptide BLAST search. In terms of data archived, AntiJen has a richer and more complete breadth, depth, and scope, and this has seen the database increase to over 31,000 entries. AntiJen provides the most complete and up-to-date dataset of its kind. While AntiJen v2.0 retains a focus on both T cell and B cell epitopes, its greatest novelty is the archiving of continuous quantitative data on a variety of immunological molecular interactions. This includes thermodynamic and kinetic measures of peptide binding to TAP and the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), peptide-MHC complexes binding to T cell receptors, antibodies binding to protein antigens and general immunological protein-protein interactions. The database also contains quantitative specificity data from position-specific peptide libraries and biophysical data, in the form of diffusion co-efficients and cell surface copy numbers, on MHCs and other immunological molecules. The uses of AntiJen include the design of vaccines and diagnostics, such as tetramers, and other laboratory reagents, as well as helping parameterize the bioinformatic or mathematical in silico modeling of the immune system. The database is accessible from the URL: . PMID:16305757

21 CFR 866.5080 - Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5080 Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5120 - Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5120 Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antismooth... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test...

Evaluation of soluble CD30 as an immunologic marker in heart transplant recipients.

PubMed

Spiridon, C; Hunt, J; Mack, M; Rosenthal, J; Anderson, A; Eichhorn, E; Magee, M; Dewey, T; Currier, M; Nikaein, A

2006-12-01

CD30 is an immunologic molecule that belongs to the TNF-R superfamily. CD30 serves as a T-cell signal transducing molecule that is expressed by a subset of activated T lymphocytes, CD45RO+ memory T cells. Augmentation of soluble CD30 during kidney transplant rejection has been reported. Our study sought to determine whether the level of sCD30 prior to heart transplant could categorize patients into high versus low immunologic risk for a poor outcome. A significant correlation was observed between high levels of soluble CD30 and a reduced incidence of infection. None of the 35 patients with high pretransplant levels of sCD30 level (>90 U/mL) developed infections posttransplantation. However, 9 of 65 patients who had low levels of sCD30 (<90 U/mL) developed infections posttransplantation (P < .02). No remarkable differences were noted among the other clinical parameters. The results also showed that the high-definition flow-bead (HDB) assay detected both weak and strong class I and class II HLA antibodies, some of which (weak class II HLA Abs) were undetectable by the anti-human globulin cytotoxicity method. In addition, more antibody specificities were detected by HDB. In conclusion, we have observed that high levels of sCD30 prior to heart transplant may be associated with greater immunologic ability and therefore produce a protective effect on the development of infection post heart transplant. We have also shown that the HDB assay is superior to the visual cytotoxicity method to detect HLA antibodies, especially those to class II HLA antigens.

The complex contributions of genetics and nutrition to immunity in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Unckless, Robert L; Rottschaefer, Susan M; Lazzaro, Brian P

2015-03-01

Both malnutrition and undernutrition can lead to compromised immune defense in a diversity of animals, and "nutritional immunology" has been suggested as a means of understanding immunity and determining strategies for fighting infection. The genetic basis for the effects of diet on immunity, however, has been largely unknown. In the present study, we have conducted genome-wide association mapping in Drosophila melanogaster to identify the genetic basis for individual variation in resistance, and for variation in immunological sensitivity to diet (genotype-by-environment interaction, or GxE). D. melanogaster were reared for several generations on either high-glucose or low-glucose diets and then infected with Providencia rettgeri, a natural bacterial pathogen of D. melanogaster. Systemic pathogen load was measured at the peak of infection intensity, and several indicators of nutritional status were taken from uninfected flies reared on each diet. We find that dietary glucose level significantly alters the quality of immune defense, with elevated dietary glucose resulting in higher pathogen loads. The quality of immune defense is genetically variable within the sampled population, and we find genetic variation for immunological sensitivity to dietary glucose (genotype-by-diet interaction). Immune defense was genetically correlated with indicators of metabolic status in flies reared on the high-glucose diet, and we identified multiple genes that explain variation in immune defense, including several that have not been previously implicated in immune response but which are confirmed to alter pathogen load after RNAi knockdown. Our findings emphasize the importance of dietary composition to immune defense and reveal genes outside the conventional "immune system" that can be important in determining susceptibility to infection. Functional variation in these genes is segregating in a natural population, providing the substrate for evolutionary response to pathogen pressure in the context of nutritional environment.

21 CFR 866.5630 - Beta-2-microglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5630 Beta-2-microglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A beta-2-microglobulin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beta-2-microglobulin immunological test system...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) immunological test system. 866.5530 Section 866.5530 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5530 Immunoglobulin G (Fc fragment specific) immunological test system. (a...

21 CFR 866.5620 - Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5620 Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-2-macroglobulin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) immunological test system. 866.5540 Section 866.5540 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5540 Immunoglobulin G (Fd fragment specific) immunological test system. (a...

21 CFR 866.5130 - Alpha-1-antitrypsin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5130 Alpha-1-antitrypsin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-antitrypsin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-1-antitrypsin immunological test system. 866...

21 CFR 866.5800 - Seminal fluid (sperm) immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5800 Seminal fluid (sperm) immunological test system. (a) Identification. A seminal fluid (sperm... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Seminal fluid (sperm) immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5600 - Low-density lipoprotein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5600 Low-density lipoprotein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A low-density lipoprotein... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Low-density lipoprotein immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5890 - Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5890 Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system. (a) Identification. An inter... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test...

21 CFR 866.5065 - Human allotypic marker immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5065 Human allotypic marker immunological test system. (a) Identification. A human allotypic marker... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Human allotypic marker immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5765 - Retinol-binding protein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5765 Retinol-binding protein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A retinol-binding protein... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Retinol-binding protein immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5380 - Free secretory component immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5380 Free secretory component immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A free... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Free secretory component immuno-logical test...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tumor-associated antigen immunological test system... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Tumor Associated Antigen immunological Test Systems § 866.6010 Tumor-associated antigen immunological test system. (a) Identification. A...

Experiments with Writing to Teach Microbiology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannon, Robert E.

1990-01-01

Described are the experiences of one teacher with the teaching of writing in college level microbiology, virology, and immunology courses. Assignments, methods, evaluation, and student responses are discussed. (CW)

21 CFR 866.5270 - C-reactive protein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5270 C-reactive protein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A C-reactive protein... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false C-reactive protein immuno-logical test system. 866...

21 CFR 866.5440 - Beta-2-glycoprotein III immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5440 Beta-2-glycoprotein III immunological test system. (a) Identification. A beta-2-glycoprotein III... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beta-2-glycoprotein III immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5200 - Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5200 Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system. (a) Identification. A carbonic... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test...

21 CFR 866.5430 - Beta-2-glycoprotein I immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5430 Beta-2-glycoprotein I immunological test system. (a) Identification. A beta-2-glycoprotein I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Beta-2-glycoprotein I immunological test system...

21 CFR 866.5260 - Complement C3b inactivator immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5260 Complement C3b inactivator immunological test system. (a) Identification. A complement... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Complement C3b inactivator immunological test...

21 CFR 866.5580 - Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5580 Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-lipoprotein... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system...

Contributions of Conventional and Heavy-Chain IgG to Immunity in Fetal, Neonatal, and Adult Alpacas▿

PubMed Central

Daley-Bauer, L. P.; Purdy, S. R.; Smith, M. C.; Gagliardo, L. F.; Davis, W. C.; Appleton, J. A.

2010-01-01

In addition to conventional immunoglobulins, camelids produce antibodies that do not incorporate light chains into their structures. These so-called heavy-chain (HC) antibodies have incited great interest in the biomedical community, as they have considerable potential for biotechnological and therapeutic application. Recently, we have begun to elucidate the immunological functions of HC antibodies, yet little is known about their significance in maternal immunity or about the B lymphocytes that produce them. This study describes the application of isotype-specific reagents toward physiological assessments of camelid IgGs and the B cells that produce them. We document the specificities of monoclonal antibodies that distinguish two conventional IgG1 isotypes and two HC IgG3 variants produced by alpacas. Next, we report that the relative concentrations of five isotypes are similar in serum, milk, and colostrum; however, following passive transfer, the concentrations of HC IgG2 and IgG3 declined more rapidly than the concentration of conventional IgG1 in the sera of neonates. Finally, we assessed the distribution of B cells of distinct isotypes within lymphoid tissues during fetal and adult life. We detected IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 in lymphocytes located in lymph node follicles, suggesting that HC B cells affinity mature and/or class switch. One IgG3 isotype was present in B cells located in ileal Peyer's patches, and one conventional IgG1 isotype was detected in splenic marginal zone B cells. Our findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to HC antibodies and are compatible with functional specialization among conventional and HC IgGs in the alpaca. PMID:20926693

The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems

PubMed Central

McGlone, John J.

2013-01-01

Simple Summary More pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. Making production systems and practices more sustainable will benefit the animals, the planet and people. A system is presented by which production practices are evaluated using a sustainability matrix. The matrix shows why some practices are more common in some countries and regions and the impediments to more sustainable systems. This method can be used to assess the sustainability of production practices in the future where objective, science-based information is presented alongside ethical and economic information to make the most informed decisions. Finally, this paper points to current pork production practices that are more and less sustainable. Abstract Among land animals, more pork is eaten in the world than any other meat. The earth holds about one billion pigs who deliver over 100 mmt of pork to people for consumption. Systems of pork production changed from a forest-based to pasture-based to dirt lots and finally into specially-designed buildings. The world pork industry is variable and complex not just in production methods but in economics and cultural value. A systematic analysis of pork industry sustainability was performed. Sustainable production methods are considered at three levels using three examples in this paper: production system, penning system and for a production practice. A sustainability matrix was provided for each example. In a comparison of indoor vs. outdoor systems, the food safety/zoonoses concerns make current outdoor systems unsustainable. The choice of keeping pregnant sows in group pens or individual crates is complex in that the outcome of a sustainability assessment leads to the conclusion that group penning is more sustainable in the EU and certain USA states, but the individual crate is currently more sustainable in other USA states, Asia and Latin America. A comparison of conventional physical castration with immunological castration shows that the less-common immunological castration method is more sustainable (for a number of reasons). This paper provides a method to assess the sustainability of production systems and practices that take into account the best available science, human perception and culture, animal welfare, the environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and economics (including the cost of production and solving world hunger). This tool can be used in countries and regions where the table values of a sustainability matrix change based on local conditions. The sustainability matrix can be used to assess current systems and predict improved systems of the future. PMID:26487410

21 CFR 866.5330 - Factor XIII, A, S, immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5330 Factor XIII, A, S, immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A factor XIII, A, S... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Factor XIII, A, S, immuno-logical test system. 866...

The effect of daily consumption of probiotic and conventional yoghurt on oxidant and anti-oxidant parameters in plasma of young healthy women.

PubMed

Fabian, Elisabeth; Elmadfa, Ibrahim

2007-03-01

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the potential beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria, particularly concerning their immune-modulating effects. Considering the involvement of free radicals in immunological processes, we tried to verify and compare the effects of probiotic (Lactobacillus casei) and conventional yoghurt on antioxidant and oxidant parameters in plasma of humans. In this study female volunteers consumed 100 g/day of probiotic (n = 17) or conventional yoghurt (n = 16) for two weeks (T1-T2) and 200 g/day for another two weeks (T2-T3). A wash-out phase lasting two weeks followed. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), albumin, and bilirubin were determined photometrically, uric acid was determined by enzymatic methods, and vitamin E, carotenoids, malondialdehyde (MDA), and conjugated dienes (CD) were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the period of continuous yoghurt intake (T1-T3), mean concentrations of the antioxidants vitamin E, lycopene, and zeaxanthin decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in the probiotic and in the control group. The average concentrations of lutein, beta-carotene, albumin, uric acid, and bilirubin decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in the probiotic group, only. These alterations led to a significant (p < 0.001) decrease of the average TAC values during the period T1-T3 in both tested groups. In the interval of daily yoghurt consumption (T1-T3) the mean plasma levels of oxidant parameters MDA and CD increased significantly in the probiotic (MDA: p < 0.01; CD: p < 0.001) and the control group (CD: p < 0.01). The average activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) was quite constant throughout the study in both groups. The mean activities of GSH-Px and catalase decreased significantly (p < 0.001) in the probiotic group, only after consuming yoghurt daily for four weeks (T1-T3). Although several parameters changed significantly during the study, no significant differences were observed between both investigated groups. Therefore, the results indicate a possible influence of both probiotic and conventional yoghurt on the plasma levels of antioxidant and oxidant parameters.

Virological and immunological failure of HAART and associated risk factors among adults and adolescents in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Hailu, Genet Gebrehiwet; Hagos, Dawit Gebregziabher; Hagos, Amlsha Kahsay; Dejene, Tsehaye Asmelash

2018-01-01

Background Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome associated morbidity and mortality has reduced significantly since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. As a result of increasing access to highly active antiretroviral therapy, the survival and quality of life of the patients has significantly improved globally. Despite this promising result, regular monitoring of people on antiretroviral therapy is recommended to ensure whether there is an effective treatment response or not. This study was designed to assess virological and immunological failure of highly active antiretroviral therapy users among adults and adolescents in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia, where scanty data are available. Methods A retrospective follow up study was conducted from September 1 to December 30, 2016 to assess the magnitude and factors associated with virological and immunological failure among 260 adults and adolescents highly active antiretroviral therapy users who started first line ART between January 1, 2008 to March 1, 2016. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. SPSS Version21 statistical software was used for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated to virological and immunological failure. Statistical association was declared significant if p-value was ≤ 0.05. Result A total of 30 (11.5%) and 17 (6.5%) participants experienced virological and immunological failure respectively in a median time of 36 months of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Virological failure was associated with non-adherence to medications, aged < 40 years old, having CD4+ T-cells count < 250 cells/μL and male gender. Similarly, immunological failure was associated with non-adherence, tuberculosis co-infection and Human immunodeficiency virus RNA ≥1000 copies/mL. Conclusions The current result shows that immunological and virological failure is a problem in a setting where highly active antiretroviral therapy has been largely scale up. The problem is more in patients with poor adherence. This will in turn affect the global targets of 90% viral suppression by 2020. This may indicate the need for more investment and commitment to improving patient adherence in the study area. PMID:29715323

A trial of patient-oriented problem-solving system for immunology teaching in China: a comparison with dialectic lectures.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiren; Liu, Wei; Han, Junfeng; Guo, Sheng; Wu, Yuzhang

2013-01-28

The most common teaching method used in China is lecturing, but recently, efforts have been widely undertaken to promote the transition from teacher-centered to student-centered education. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching-learning method that permits students to work in small groups to solve clinical problems, promotes self-learning, encourages clinical reasoning and develops long-lasting memory. To our best knowledge, however, POPS has never been applied in teaching immunology in China. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching immunology and assess students' and teachers' perception to POPS. 321 second-year medical students were divided into two groups: I and II. Group I, comprising 110 students, was taught by POPS, and 16 immunology teachers witnessed the whole teaching process. Group II including the remaining 211 students was taught through traditional lectures. The results of the pre- and post-test of both groups were compared. Group I students and teachers then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis before a discussion meeting attended only by the teachers was held. Significant improvement in the mean difference between the pre- and post-test scores of those in Groups I and II was seen, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS teaching. Most students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps them to understand topics and creates interest, and 88.12% of students favored POPS over simple lectures. Moreover, while they responded that POPS facilitated student learning better than lectures, teachers pointed out that limited teaching resources would make it difficult for wide POPS application in China. While POPS can break up the monotony of dialectic lectures and serve as a better teaching method, it may not be feasible for the current educational environment in China. The main reason for this is the relative shortage of teaching resources such as space, library facilities and well-trained teachers.

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AFP-L3% immunological test system. 866.6030 Section 866.6030 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Tumor Associated Antigen immunological Test Systems § 866.6030 AFP-L3% immunological test...

Panel 5: Microbiology and Immunology Panel

PubMed Central

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

2014-01-01

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

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

PubMed

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

2012-12-01

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

The Use of Biotin to Demonstrate Immunohistochemistry, Western Blotting, and Dot Blots in University Practical Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millar, Thomas James; Knighton, Ronald; Chuck, Jo-Anne

2012-01-01

Immunological detection of proteins is an essential method to demonstrate to undergraduate biology students, however, is often difficult in resource and time poor student laboratory sessions. This method describes a failsafe method to rapidly and economically demonstrate this technique using biotinylated proteins or biotin itself as targets for…

Nutritional and immunological correlates of memory and neurocognitive development among HIV infected children living in Kayunga, Uganda

PubMed Central

Horacio, Ruiseñor-Escudero; Itziar, Familiar-Lopez; Alla, Sikorskii; Nikita, Jambulingam; Noelline, Nakasujja; Robert, Opoka; Judith, Bass; Michael, Boivin

2015-01-01

Objective To identify the nutritional and immunological correlates of memory and neurocognitive development as measured by the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and by the Color Object Association Test (COAT) among children in Uganda. Design This analysis uses baseline data collected between 2008 and 2010 from 119 HIV-infected children ages 1–6 years participating in a randomized controlled trial of an interventional parenting program in Kayunga, Uganda. Methods Peripheral blood draws were performed to determine immunological biomarkers. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models were used to relate MSEL and COAT scores to sociodemographic characteristics, weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ), antiretroviral therapy (ART) status and immunological biomarkers. Results 111 children were included in the final analysis. Lower levels of CD4+ CD38+ T-cells (p=0.04) were associated to higher Immediate and Total Recall scores (p=0.04). Higher levels of CD8+ HLA-DR+ T-cells were associated with higher Total Recall score (p=0.04) of the COAT. Higher CD4+ CD38+ HLA-DR+ T-cells levels were associated with higher Gross Motor scores of the MSEL (p=0.02). WAZ was positively correlated to Visual Reception, Fine Motor, Expressive Language and composite score of the MSEL. Conclusions Overall, WAZ was a stronger predictor of neurocognitive outcomes assessed by the MSEL. CD4+ CD38+ T-cells were more specifically associated with memory-related outcomes. Future research should include immunological markers and standardized neurocognitive tests to further understand this relationship. PMID:26605506

Buffalo's Center for Immunology: A New Answer to an Old Dilemma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Noel R.; Bogazzi, Pierluigi E.

1972-01-01

The Center for Immunology at the University of Buffalo provides a viable resource for educating medical students in immunology until a department of immunology can be developed within the medical school. (HS)

Modulation of Human Allogeneic and Syngeneic Pluripotent Stem Cells and Immunological Implications for Transplantation

PubMed Central

Sackett, S.D.; Brown, M.E.; Tremmel, D.M.; Ellis, T.; Burlingham, W.J.; Odorico, J.S.

2016-01-01

Tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising source of cells for building various regenerative medicine therapies; from simply transplanting cells to reseeding decellularized organs to reconstructing multicellular tissues. Although reprogramming strategies for producing iPSCs have improved, the clinical use of iPSCs is limited by the presence of unique human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, the main immunologic barrier to transplantation. In order to overcome the immunological hurdles associated with allogeneic tissues and organs, the generation of patient-histocompatible iPSCs (autologous or HLA-matched cells) provides an attractive platform for personalized medicine. However, concerns have been raised as to the fitness, safety and immunogenicity of iPSC derivatives because of variable differentiation potential of different lines and the identification of genetic and epigenetic aberrations that can occur during the reprogramming process. In addition, significant cost and regulatory barriers may deter commercialization of patient specific therapies in the short-term. Nonetheless, recent studies provide some evidence of immunological benefit for using autologous iPSCs. Yet, more studies are needed to evaluate the immunogenicity of various autologous and allogeneic human iPSC-derived cell types as well as test various methods to abrogate rejection. Here, we present perspectives of using allogeneic vs autologous iPSCs for transplantation therapies and the advantages and disadvantages of each related to differentiation potential, immunogenicity, genetic stability and tumorigenicity. We also review the current literature on the immunogenicity of syngeneic iPSCs and discuss evidence that questions the feasibility of HLA-matched iPSC banks. Finally, we will discuss emerging methods of abrogating or reducing host immune responses to PSC derivatives. PMID:26970668

Modulation of human allogeneic and syngeneic pluripotent stem cells and immunological implications for transplantation.

PubMed

Sackett, S D; Brown, M E; Tremmel, D M; Ellis, T; Burlingham, W J; Odorico, J S

2016-04-01

Tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising source of cells for building various regenerative medicine therapies; from simply transplanting cells to reseeding decellularized organs to reconstructing multicellular tissues. Although reprogramming strategies for producing iPSCs have improved, the clinical use of iPSCs is limited by the presence of unique human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, the main immunologic barrier to transplantation. In order to overcome the immunological hurdles associated with allogeneic tissues and organs, the generation of patient-histocompatible iPSCs (autologous or HLA-matched cells) provides an attractive platform for personalized medicine. However, concerns have been raised as to the fitness, safety and immunogenicity of iPSC derivatives because of variable differentiation potential of different lines and the identification of genetic and epigenetic aberrations that can occur during the reprogramming process. In addition, significant cost and regulatory barriers may deter commercialization of patient specific therapies in the short-term. Nonetheless, recent studies provide some evidence of immunological benefit for using autologous iPSCs. Yet, more studies are needed to evaluate the immunogenicity of various autologous and allogeneic human iPSC-derived cell types as well as test various methods to abrogate rejection. Here, we present perspectives of using allogeneic vs. autologous iPSCs for transplantation therapies and the advantages and disadvantages of each related to differentiation potential, immunogenicity, genetic stability and tumorigenicity. We also review the current literature on the immunogenicity of syngeneic iPSCs and discuss evidence that questions the feasibility of HLA-matched iPSC banks. Finally, we will discuss emerging methods of abrogating or reducing host immune responses to PSC derivatives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A probe-based qRT-PCR method to profile immunological gene expression in blood of captive beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

PubMed Central

Wang, Jiann-Hsiung; Chou, Shih-Jen; Li, Tsung-Hsien; Leu, Ming-Yih; Ho, Hsiao-Kuan

2017-01-01

Cytokines are fundamental for a functioning immune system, and thus potentially serve as important indicators of animal health. Quantitation of mRNA using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is an established immunological technique. It is particularly suitable for detecting the expression of proteins against which monoclonal antibodies are not available. In this study, we developed a probe-based quantitative gene expression assay for immunological assessment of captive beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) that is one of the most common cetacean species on display in aquariums worldwide. Six immunologically relevant genes (IL-2Rα, -4, -10, -12, TNFα, and IFNγ) were selected for analysis, and two validated housekeeping genes (PGK1 and RPL4) with stable expression were used as reference genes. Sixteen blood samples were obtained from four animals with different health conditions and stored in RNAlater™ solution. These samples were used for RNA extraction followed by qRT-PCR analysis. Analysis of gene transcripts was performed by relative quantitation using the comparative Cq method with the integration of amplification efficiency and two reference genes. The expression levels of each gene in the samples from clinically healthy animals were normally distributed. Transcript outliers for IL-2Rα, IL-4, IL-12, TNFα, and IFNγ were noticed in four samples collected from two clinically unhealthy animals. This assay has the potential to identify immune system deviation from normal state, which is caused by health problems. Furthermore, knowing the immune status of captive cetaceans could help both trainers and veterinarians in implementing preventive approaches prior to disease onset. PMID:28970970

A probe-based qRT-PCR method to profile immunological gene expression in blood of captive beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

PubMed

Tsai, Ming-An; Chen, I-Hua; Wang, Jiann-Hsiung; Chou, Shih-Jen; Li, Tsung-Hsien; Leu, Ming-Yih; Ho, Hsiao-Kuan; Yang, Wei Cheng

2017-01-01

Cytokines are fundamental for a functioning immune system, and thus potentially serve as important indicators of animal health. Quantitation of mRNA using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is an established immunological technique. It is particularly suitable for detecting the expression of proteins against which monoclonal antibodies are not available. In this study, we developed a probe-based quantitative gene expression assay for immunological assessment of captive beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas ) that is one of the most common cetacean species on display in aquariums worldwide. Six immunologically relevant genes (IL-2Rα, -4, -10, -12, TNFα, and IFNγ) were selected for analysis, and two validated housekeeping genes (PGK1 and RPL4) with stable expression were used as reference genes. Sixteen blood samples were obtained from four animals with different health conditions and stored in RNA later ™ solution. These samples were used for RNA extraction followed by qRT-PCR analysis. Analysis of gene transcripts was performed by relative quantitation using the comparative Cq method with the integration of amplification efficiency and two reference genes. The expression levels of each gene in the samples from clinically healthy animals were normally distributed. Transcript outliers for IL-2Rα, IL-4, IL-12, TNFα, and IFNγ were noticed in four samples collected from two clinically unhealthy animals. This assay has the potential to identify immune system deviation from normal state, which is caused by health problems. Furthermore, knowing the immune status of captive cetaceans could help both trainers and veterinarians in implementing preventive approaches prior to disease onset.

Immunopharmacology 2011: an updated report of clinical achievements and perspectives.

PubMed

Landys Chovel, Mario; Perea, Silvio; de los Ángeles Robinson, María; Rodeiro, Idania; Delgado, René; Ochoa, Rolando F; Hernández, Ana María

2011-11-01

On 26-30 June 2011 the Cuban Society of Pharmacology organized the Second International Congress on Immunopharmacology (Immunopharmacology 2011), held at the beautiful Convention Centre 'Plaza América' and the Meliá Varadero Hotel, in Varadero beach, Cuba. The main topics of the congress were immunopharmacology (including inflammation, cancer immunotherapy and immunomodulation), neuroimmunology, and the pharmacology of cytochrome P450 and transporters, among other relevant and updated related topics. Immunopharmacology 2011 offered an outstanding scientific program with the active contribution of 90 speakers from 23 foreign countries, as well as more than 170 Cuban researchers from the most important local institutions devoted to the development of immunology and pharmacology sciences.

Update on Islet Transplantation

PubMed Central

McCall, Michael; James Shapiro, A.M.

2012-01-01

Clinical islet transplantation has progressed considerably over the past 12 years, and >750 patients with type 1 diabetes have received islet transplants internationally over this time. Many countries are beginning to accept the transition from research to accepted and funded clinical care, especially for patients with brittle control that cannot be stabilized by more conventional means. Major challenges remain, including the need for more than one donor, and the requirement for potent, chronic immunosuppression. Combining immunological tolerance both to allo- and autoantigens, and a limitless expandable source of stem cell- or xenograft-derived insulin-secreting cells represent remaining hurdles in moving this effective treatment to a potential cure for all those with type 1 or 2 diabetes. PMID:22762022

Adherence to Drug-Refill Is a Useful Early Warning Indicator of Virologic and Immunologic Failure among HIV Patients on First-Line ART in South Africa

PubMed Central

El-Khatib, Ziad; Katzenstein, David; Marrone, Gaetano; Laher, Fatima; Mohapi, Lerato; Petzold, Max; Morris, Lynn; Ekström, Anna Mia

2011-01-01

Background Affordable strategies to prevent treatment failure on first-line regimens among HIV patients are essential for the long-term success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO recommends using routinely collected data such as adherence to drug-refill visits as early warning indicators. We examined the association between adherence to drug-refill visits and long-term virologic and immunologic failure among non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) recipients in South Africa. Methods In 2008, 456 patients on NNRTI-based ART for a median of 44 months (range 12–99 months; 1,510 person-years) were enrolled in a retrospective cohort study in Soweto. Charts were reviewed for clinical characteristics before and during ART. Multivariable logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis assessed associations with virologic (two repeated VL>50 copies/ml) and immunologic failure (as defined by WHO). Results After a median of 15 months on ART, 19% (n = 88) and 19% (n = 87) had failed virologically and immunologically respectively. A cumulative adherence of <95% to drug-refill visits was significantly associated with both virologic and immunologic failure (p<0.01). In the final multivariable model, risk factors for virologic failure were incomplete adherence (OR 2.8, 95%CI 1.2–6.7), and previous exposure to single-dose nevirapine or any other antiretrovirals (adj. OR 2.1, 95%CI 1.2–3.9), adjusted for age and sex. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the virologic failure rate by month 48 was 19% vs. 37% among adherent and non-adherent patients respectively (logrank p value = 0.02). Conclusion One in five failed virologically after a median of 15 months on ART. Adherence to drug-refill visits works as an early warning indicator for both virologic and immunologic failure. PMID:21408071

Humans with chronic granulomatous disease maintain humoral immunologic memory despite low frequencies of circulating memory B cells

PubMed Central

Santich, Brian H.; Kim, Jin Young; Posada, Jacqueline G.; Ho, Jason; Buckner, Clarisa M.; Wang, Wei; Kardava, Lela; Garofalo, Mary; Marciano, Beatriz E.; Manischewitz, Jody; King, Lisa R.; Khurana, Surender; Chun, Tae-Wook; Golding, Hana; Fauci, Anthony S.; Malech, Harry L.

2012-01-01

CD27+ memory B cells are reduced in the blood of patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) for reasons and consequences that remain unclear. Here we confirm not only decreased CD27+ but also IgG+ B cells in the blood of CGD patients compared with healthy donors (HDs). However, among IgG+ B cells, the ratio of CD27− to CD27+ was significantly higher in CGD patients compared with HDs. Similar to conventional memory B cells, CD27−IgG+ B cells of CGD patients expressed activation markers and had undergone somatic hypermutation, albeit at levels lower than their CD27+ counterparts. Functional analyses revealed slight reductions in frequencies of total IgG but not influenza-specific memory B-cell responses, as measured by Elispot in CGD patients compared with HDs. Serum IgG levels and influenza-specific antibodies were also normal in these CGD patients. Finally, we provide evidence that influenza-specific memory B cells can be present within the CD27−IgG+ B-cell compartment. Together, these findings show that, despite reduced circulating CD27+ memory B cells, CGD patients maintain an intact humoral immunologic memory, with potential contribution from CD27− B cells. PMID:23074274

Humans with chronic granulomatous disease maintain humoral immunologic memory despite low frequencies of circulating memory B cells.

PubMed

Moir, Susan; De Ravin, Suk See; Santich, Brian H; Kim, Jin Young; Posada, Jacqueline G; Ho, Jason; Buckner, Clarisa M; Wang, Wei; Kardava, Lela; Garofalo, Mary; Marciano, Beatriz E; Manischewitz, Jody; King, Lisa R; Khurana, Surender; Chun, Tae-Wook; Golding, Hana; Fauci, Anthony S; Malech, Harry L

2012-12-06

CD27(+) memory B cells are reduced in the blood of patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) for reasons and consequences that remain unclear. Here we confirm not only decreased CD27(+) but also IgG(+) B cells in the blood of CGD patients compared with healthy donors (HDs). However, among IgG(+) B cells, the ratio of CD27(-) to CD27(+) was significantly higher in CGD patients compared with HDs. Similar to conventional memory B cells, CD27(-)IgG(+) B cells of CGD patients expressed activation markers and had undergone somatic hypermutation, albeit at levels lower than their CD27(+) counterparts. Functional analyses revealed slight reductions in frequencies of total IgG but not influenza-specific memory B-cell responses, as measured by Elispot in CGD patients compared with HDs. Serum IgG levels and influenza-specific antibodies were also normal in these CGD patients. Finally, we provide evidence that influenza-specific memory B cells can be present within the CD27(-)IgG(+) B-cell compartment. Together, these findings show that, despite reduced circulating CD27(+) memory B cells, CGD patients maintain an intact humoral immunologic memory, with potential contribution from CD27(-) B cells.

In-silico insights on the prognostic potential of immune cell infiltration patterns in the breast lobular epithelium

PubMed Central

Alfonso, J. C. L.; Schaadt, N. S.; Schönmeyer, R.; Brieu, N.; Forestier, G.; Wemmert, C.; Feuerhake, F.; Hatzikirou, H.

2016-01-01

Scattered inflammatory cells are commonly observed in mammary gland tissue, most likely in response to normal cell turnover by proliferation and apoptosis, or as part of immunosurveillance. In contrast, lymphocytic lobulitis (LLO) is a recurrent inflammation pattern, characterized by lymphoid cells infiltrating lobular structures, that has been associated with increased familial breast cancer risk and immune responses to clinically manifest cancer. The mechanisms and pathogenic implications related to the inflammatory microenvironment in breast tissue are still poorly understood. Currently, the definition of inflammation is mainly descriptive, not allowing a clear distinction of LLO from physiological immunological responses and its role in oncogenesis remains unclear. To gain insights into the prognostic potential of inflammation, we developed an agent-based model of immune and epithelial cell interactions in breast lobular epithelium. Physiological parameters were calibrated from breast tissue samples of women who underwent reduction mammoplasty due to orthopedic or cosmetic reasons. The model allowed to investigate the impact of menstrual cycle length and hormone status on inflammatory responses to cell turnover in the breast tissue. Our findings suggested that the immunological context, defined by the immune cell density, functional orientation and spatial distribution, contains prognostic information previously not captured by conventional diagnostic approaches. PMID:27659691

Translational science and the hidden research system in universities and academic hospitals: a case study.

PubMed

Lander, Bryn; Atkinson-Grosjean, Janet

2011-02-01

Innovation systems (IS) and science policy scholarship predominantly focus on linkages between universities and industry, and the commercial translation of academic discoveries. Overlooked in such analyses are important connections between universities and academic hospitals, and the non-commercial aspects of translational science. The two types of institutions tend to be collapsed into a single entity-'the university'-and relational flows are lost. Yet the distinctions and flows between the two are crucial elements of translational science and the biomedical innovation system. This paper explores what has been called the 'hidden research system' that connects hospitals, universities, and their resources, with the clinical and scientific actors who make the linkages possible. Then, using a novel conceptual model of translational science, we examine the individual interactions and dynamics involved in a particular example of the biomedical innovation system at work: the diagnosis of IRAK-4 deficiency, a rare immunological disorder, and the translational flows that result. Contra to conventional IS analyses, we are able to point to the strong role of public-sector institutions, and the weak role of the private-sector, in the translational processes described here. Our research was conducted within a Canadian network of scientists and clinician-scientists studying the pathogenomics of immunological disorders and innate immunity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In-silico insights on the prognostic potential of immune cell infiltration patterns in the breast lobular epithelium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfonso, J. C. L.; Schaadt, N. S.; Schönmeyer, R.; Brieu, N.; Forestier, G.; Wemmert, C.; Feuerhake, F.; Hatzikirou, H.

2016-09-01

Scattered inflammatory cells are commonly observed in mammary gland tissue, most likely in response to normal cell turnover by proliferation and apoptosis, or as part of immunosurveillance. In contrast, lymphocytic lobulitis (LLO) is a recurrent inflammation pattern, characterized by lymphoid cells infiltrating lobular structures, that has been associated with increased familial breast cancer risk and immune responses to clinically manifest cancer. The mechanisms and pathogenic implications related to the inflammatory microenvironment in breast tissue are still poorly understood. Currently, the definition of inflammation is mainly descriptive, not allowing a clear distinction of LLO from physiological immunological responses and its role in oncogenesis remains unclear. To gain insights into the prognostic potential of inflammation, we developed an agent-based model of immune and epithelial cell interactions in breast lobular epithelium. Physiological parameters were calibrated from breast tissue samples of women who underwent reduction mammoplasty due to orthopedic or cosmetic reasons. The model allowed to investigate the impact of menstrual cycle length and hormone status on inflammatory responses to cell turnover in the breast tissue. Our findings suggested that the immunological context, defined by the immune cell density, functional orientation and spatial distribution, contains prognostic information previously not captured by conventional diagnostic approaches.

Engineering approaches to immunotherapy.

PubMed

Swartz, Melody A; Hirosue, Sachiko; Hubbell, Jeffrey A

2012-08-22

As the science of immunology grows increasingly mechanistic, motivation for developing quantitative, design-based engineering approaches has also evolved, both for therapeutic interventions and for elucidating immunological pathways in human disease. This has seeded the nascent field of "immunoengineering," which seeks to apply engineering analyses and design approaches to problems in translational immunology. For example, cell engineers are creating ways to tailor and use immune cells as living therapeutics; protein engineers are devising new methods of rapid antibody discovery; biomaterials scientists are guiding vaccine delivery and immune-cell activation with novel constructs; and systems immunologists are deciphering the evolution and maintenance of T and B cell receptor repertoires, which could help guide vaccine design. The field is multidisciplinary and collaborative, with engineers and immunologists working together to better understand and treat disease. We discuss the scientific progress in this young, yet rapidly evolving research area, which has yielded numerous start-up companies that are betting on impact in clinical and commercial translation in the near future.

Models and the mosaic of scientific knowledge. The case of immunology.

PubMed

Baetu, Tudor M

2014-03-01

A survey of models in immunology is conducted and distinct kinds of models are characterized based on whether models are material or conceptual, the distinctiveness of their epistemic purpose, and the criteria for evaluating the goodness of a model relative to its intended purpose. I argue that the diversity of models in interdisciplinary fields such as immunology reflects the fact that information about the phenomena of interest is gathered from different sources using multiple methods of investigation. To each model is attached a description specifying how information about a phenomenon of interest has been acquired, highlighting points of commonality and difference between the methodological and epistemic histories of the information encapsulated in different models. These points of commonality and difference allow investigators to integrate findings from different models into more comprehensive explanatory accounts, as well as to troubleshoot anomalies and faulty accounts by going back to the original building blocks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional mechanisms of resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy

PubMed Central

Ascierto, Maria L.; Makohon-Moore, Alvin; Lipson, Evan J.; Taube, Janis M.; McMiller, Tracee L.; Berger, Alan E.; Fan, Jinshui; Kaunitz, Genevieve J.; Cottrell, Tricia R.; Kohutek, Zachary A.; Favorov, Alexander; Makarov, Vladimir; Riaz, Nadeem; Chan, Timothy A.; Cope, Leslie; Hruban, Ralph H.; Pardoll, Drew M.; Taylor, Barry S.; Solit, David B.; Iacobuzio-Donahue, Christine A; Topalian, Suzanne L.

2017-01-01

Purpose To explore factors associated with response and resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy, we analyzed multiple disease sites at autopsy in a patient with widely metastatic melanoma who had a heterogeneous response. Materials and Methods Twenty-six melanoma specimens (four pre-mortem, 22 post-mortem) were subjected to whole-exome sequencing. Candidate immunologic markers and gene expression were assessed in ten cutaneous metastases showing response or progression during therapy. Results The melanoma was driven by biallelic inactivation of NF1. All lesions had highly concordant mutational profiles and copy number alterations, indicating linear clonal evolution. Expression of candidate immunologic markers was similar in responding and progressing lesions. However, progressing cutaneous metastases were associated with over-expression of genes associated with extracellular matrix and neutrophil function. Conclusions Although mutational and immunologic differences have been proposed as the primary determinants of heterogeneous response/resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies, respectively, differential lesional gene expression profiles may also dictate anti-PD-1 outcomes. PMID:28193624

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

PubMed

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

2012-07-07

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

Structure and Computation in Immunoreagent Design: From Diagnostics to Vaccines.

PubMed

Gourlay, Louise; Peri, Claudio; Bolognesi, Martino; Colombo, Giorgio

2017-12-01

Novel immunological tools for efficient diagnosis and treatment of emerging infections are urgently required. Advances in the diagnostic and vaccine development fields are continuously progressing, with reverse vaccinology and structural vaccinology (SV) methods for antigen identification and structure-based antigen (re)design playing increasingly relevant roles. SV, in particular, is predicted to be the front-runner in the future development of diagnostics and vaccines targeting challenging diseases such as AIDS and cancer. We review state-of-the-art methodologies for structure-based epitope identification and antigen design, with specific applicative examples. We highlight the implications of such methods for the engineering of biomolecules with improved immunological properties, potential diagnostic and/or therapeutic uses, and discuss the perspectives of structure-based rational design for the production of advanced immunoreagents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vistas in applied mathematics: Numerical analysis, atmospheric sciences, immunology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balakrishnan, A.V.; Dorodnitsyn, A.A.; Lions, J.L.

1986-01-01

Advances in the theory and application of numerical modeling techniques are discussed in papers contributed, primarily by Soviet scientists, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Gurii I. Marchuk. Topics examined include splitting techniques for computations of industrial flows, the mathematical foundations of the k-epsilon turbulence model, splitting methods for the solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, the approximation of inhomogeneous hyperbolic boundary-value problems, multigrid methods, and the finite-element approximation of minimal surfaces. Consideration is given to dynamic modeling of moist atmospheres, satellite observations of the earth radiation budget and the problem of energy-active ocean regions, a numerical modelmore » of the biosphere for use with GCMs, and large-scale modeling of ocean circulation. Also included are several papers on modeling problems in immunology.« less

Frequent and seasonally variable sublethal anthrax infections are accompanied by short-lived immunity in an endemic system

PubMed Central

Cizauskas, Carrie A.; Bellan, Steven E.; Turner, Wendy C.; Vance, Russell E.; Getz, Wayne M.

2014-01-01

Summary Few studies have examined host-pathogen interactions in wildlife from an immunological perspective, particularly in the context of seasonal and longitudinal dynamics. In addition, though most ecological immunology studies employ serological antibody assays, endpoint titer determination is usually based on subjective criteria and needs to be made more objective. Despite the fact that anthrax is an ancient and emerging zoonotic infectious disease found worldwide, its natural ecology is not well understood. In particular, little is known about the adaptive immune responses of wild herbivore hosts against Bacillus anthracis. Working in the natural anthrax system of Etosha National Park, Namibia, we collected 154 serum samples from plains zebra (Equus quagga), 21 from springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), and 45 from African elephants (Loxodonta africana) over 2-3 years, resampling individuals when possible for seasonal and longitudinal comparisons. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure anti-anthrax antibody titers and developed three increasingly conservative models to determine endpoint titers with more rigorous, objective mensuration. Between 52-87% of zebra, 0-15% of springbok, and 3-52% of elephants had measurable anti-anthrax antibody titers, depending on the model used. While the ability of elephants and springbok to mount anti-anthrax adaptive immune responses is still equivocal, our results indicate that zebra in ENP often survive sublethal anthrax infections, encounter most B. anthracis in the wet season, and can partially booster their immunity to B. anthracis. Thus, rather than being solely a lethal disease, anthrax often occurs as a sublethal infection in some susceptible hosts. Though we found that adaptive immunity to anthrax wanes rapidly, subsequent and frequent sublethal B. anthracis infections cause maturation of anti-anthrax immunity. By triggering host immune responses, these common sublethal infections may act as immunomodulators and affect population dynamics through indirect immunological and co-infection effects. In addition, with our three endpoint titer models, we introduce more mensuration rigor into serological antibody assays, even under the often-restrictive conditions that come with adapting laboratory immunology methods to wild systems. With these methods we identified significantly more zebras responding immunologically to anthrax than have previous studies using less comprehensive titer analyses. PMID:24499424

Development of a label-free immunosensor system for detecting plasma cortisol levels in fish.

PubMed

Wu, Haiyun; Ohnuki, Hitoshi; Hibi, Kyoko; Ren, Huifeng; Endo, Hideaki

2016-02-01

Fishes display a wide variation in their physiological responses to stress, which is clearly evident in the plasma corticosteroid changes, chiefly cortisol levels in fish. In the present study, we describe a novel label-free immunosensor for detecting plasma cortisol levels. The method is based on immunologic reactions and amperometric measurement using cyclic voltammetry. For the immobilization of the antibody on the surface of sensing electrode, we used a self-assembled monolayer of thiol-containing compounds. Using this electrode, we detect the CV signal change caused by the generation of antigen-antibody complex. The immunosensor showed a response to cortisol levels, and the anodic peak value linearly decreased with a correlation coefficient of 0.990 in diluted plasma. The specificity of the label-free immunosensor system was investigated using other steroid hormones, such as 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one, progesterone, estriol, estradiol, and testosterone. The specific detection of cortisol was suggested by a minimal change from -0.32 to 0.51 μA in the anodic peak value of the other steroid hormones. The sensor system was used to determine the plasma cortisol levels in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and the results were compared with those of the same samples determined using the conventional method (ELISA). A good correlation was obtained between values determined using both methods (correlation coefficient 0.993). These findings suggest that the proposed label-free immunosensor could be useful for rapid and convenient analysis of cortisol levels in fish plasma samples.

Recent developments in detection and enumeration of waterborne bacteria: a retrospective minireview.

PubMed

Deshmukh, Rehan A; Joshi, Kopal; Bhand, Sunil; Roy, Utpal

2016-12-01

Waterborne diseases have emerged as global health problems and their rapid and sensitive detection in environmental water samples is of great importance. Bacterial identification and enumeration in water samples is significant as it helps to maintain safe drinking water for public consumption. Culture-based methods are laborious, time-consuming, and yield false-positive results, whereas viable but nonculturable (VBNCs) microorganisms cannot be recovered. Hence, numerous methods have been developed for rapid detection and quantification of waterborne pathogenic bacteria in water. These rapid methods can be classified into nucleic acid-based, immunology-based, and biosensor-based detection methods. This review summarizes the principle and current state of rapid methods for the monitoring and detection of waterborne bacterial pathogens. Rapid methods outlined are polymerase chain reaction (PCR), digital droplet PCR, real-time PCR, multiplex PCR, DNA microarray, Next-generation sequencing (pyrosequencing, Illumina technology and genomics), and fluorescence in situ hybridization that are categorized as nucleic acid-based methods. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence are classified into immunology-based methods. Optical, electrochemical, and mass-based biosensors are grouped into biosensor-based methods. Overall, these methods are sensitive, specific, time-effective, and important in prevention and diagnosis of waterborne bacterial diseases. © 2016 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A high polymerized grass pollen extract is efficacious and safe in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study using a novel up-dosing cluster-protocol

PubMed Central

Klimek, L; Uhlig, J; Mösges, R; Rettig, K; Pfaar, O

2014-01-01

Background Cluster immunotherapy represents an interesting alternative to conventional up-dosing schedules because it allows achieving the maintenance dose within a shorter time interval. In this study, the efficacy and safety of cluster immunotherapy with a high polymerized allergen extract of a grass/rye pollen mixture have been evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Methods In total, 121 patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis due to grass pollen were randomized 1 : 1 to verum or placebo group. A short cluster up-dosing schedule of only 1 week was applied to achieve the maintenance dose which was administered monthly during the study period of 1 year. Total combined symptom and medication score (TCS) was defined as primary outcome parameter. Secondary outcome parameters were individual symptom and medication scores, ‘well days,’ global improvement as well as immunological effects and nasal allergen challenge. The safety profile was evaluated based on the European academy of allergy and clinical immunology grading system. Results Significant reduction in the verum compared to the placebo group (intention-to-treat, population, verum: n = 55; placebo: n = 47) was found regarding TCS (P = 0.005), rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score (RTSS, P = 0.006), and total rescue medication score (TRMS, P = 0.002). Additionally, secondary outcomes such as ‘well days,’ nasal challenge results, and increase of specific IgG4 were in favor of the active treatment. All systemic adverse reactions (0.8% of all injections in the verum group) were of mild intensity. No severe reactions related to the study medication were observed. Conclusion Cluster immunotherapy with high polymerized grass pollen extracts resulted in significant clinical efficacy and has been shown to be a safe treatment for grass pollen-allergic patients. PMID:25130503

Efficacy of ferulic acid encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles against Candida albicans biofilm.

PubMed

Panwar, Richa; Pemmaraju, Suma C; Sharma, Asvene K; Pruthi, Vikas

2016-06-01

Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen is a major causative agent of superficial to systemic life-threating biofilm infections on indwelling medical devices. These biofilms acts as double edge swords owing to their resistance towards antibiotics and immunological barriers. To overcome this threat ferulic acid encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (FA-CSNPs) were formulated to assess its efficacy as an antibiofilm agent against C. albicans. These FA-CSNPs were synthesized using ionotropic gelation method and observed through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and fluorescent microscopy. Assessment of successful encapsulation and stability of ferulic acid into chitosan nanoparticles was made using Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), (1)H NMR and thermal analyses. Synthesized FA-CSNPs, were found to be cytocompatible, when tested using Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK-293) cell lines. XTT assay revealed that FA-CSNPs reduced the cell metabolic activity of C. albicans upto 22.5% as compared to native ferulic acid (63%) and unloaded CSNPs (88%) after 24 h incubation. Disruption of C. albicans biofilm architecture was visualized by FESEM. Results highlighted the potential of FA-CSNPs to be used as an effective alternative to the conventional antifungal therapeutics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The research on the influences of hyperthermal perfusion chemotherapy combined with immunologic therapy on the immunologic function and levels of circulating tumor cells of the advanced colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis.

PubMed

Sun, J-J; Fan, G-L; Wang, X-G; Xu, K

2017-07-01

To investigated the influence of hyperthermal perfusion chemotherapy combined with immunologic therapy on the immunologic function and levels of circulating tumor cells of the advanced colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis. We enrolled 98 advanced colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis that were admitted to this hospital for treatment and were randomly divided into two groups, the observation group (n = 49) and the control group (n = 49). We administered systemic vein chemotherapy for patients in the control group, and hyperthermal perfusion chemotherapy for the patients in the observation group in order to compare the subgroup levels of T lymphocytes, NK cells and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, and IgM) in the immune system of patients in both groups. We also assayed the circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the peripheral blood of patients in both groups using the cell search method, and compared the efficacy using response evaluation criteria in solid tumors and the survival rates of patients in both groups using the Kaplan-Meier method. After two treatment courses, the levels of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ of the patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group, but the levels of CD8+ of patients in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (p< 0.05). The levels of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) in the observation group were higher than the control group (p < 0.05). The levels of NK cell cells were significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). The objective response rate, as well as the disease control rate of the observation group, were remarkably higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the observation group enjoyed a prolonged survival time, higher survival rate and significantly lower positive rate of CTC (p < 0.05). Better efficacy and tolerance, fewer toxic and side effects, improvement in the immunologic functions of patients for the indirect anti-tumor effect, a significant decrease in CTC of patients, and a higher long-term survival rate have been achieved in the treatment with hyperthermal perfusion chemotherapy combined with immunologic therapy for the advanced colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis. Thus, it can serve as the preferable drug for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer with liver metastasis.

Quantitative imaging assay for NF-κB nuclear translocation in primary human macrophages

PubMed Central

Noursadeghi, Mahdad; Tsang, Jhen; Haustein, Thomas; Miller, Robert F.; Chain, Benjamin M.; Katz, David R.

2008-01-01

Quantitative measurement of NF-κB nuclear translocation is an important research tool in cellular immunology. Established methodologies have a number of limitations, such as poor sensitivity, high cost or dependence on cell lines. Novel imaging methods to measure nuclear translocation of transcriptionally active components of NF-κB are being used but are also partly limited by the need for specialist imaging equipment or image analysis software. Herein we present a method for quantitative detection of NF-κB rel A nuclear translocation, using immunofluorescence microscopy and the public domain image analysis software ImageJ that can be easily adopted for cellular immunology research without the need for specialist image analysis expertise and at low cost. The method presented here is validated by demonstrating the time course and dose response of NF-κB nuclear translocation in primary human macrophages stimulated with LPS, and by comparison with a commercial NF-κB activation reporter cell line. PMID:18036607

Effects of Different Palliative Jaundice Reducing Methods on Immunologic Functions in Patients with Advanced Malignant Obstructive Jaundice.

PubMed

Tang, Kun; Sui, Lu-Lu; Xu, Gang; Zhang, Tong; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Xiao-Fang

2017-08-01

This study aimed to investigate the effects of three treatment methods on the immunological function of patients with advanced malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). Patients with advanced MOJ were randomly divided into three groups according to biliary drainage methods. Detection of levels of multi-indices were investigated in different time periods. After drainage, the levels of complement 3 (C3) and complement 4 (C4) were increased. Forteen days post-operation, the levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) in the group undergoing palliative surgery decreased significantly compared to those in both percutaneous transhepatic cholangio drainage (PTCD) and endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) groups. The level of serum endotoxin in the group undergoing palliative surgery decreased gradually. Palliative surgery for reducing jaundice is superior to PTCD and ERBD in improving immune function of patients with MOJ. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

In vivo assessment of the effect of taxifolin glycoside on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions using biomedical tools in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, J Y; Lee, O S; Ha, S; Kim, J H; Park, G; Kim, J K; Oh, C H

2015-07-01

Noninvasive methods of assessment are widely used in clinical trials. However, such methods have not been established in atopic dermatitis (AD), which is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. To demonstrate, using biomedical tools, the benefits of a new substance, taxifolin glycoside (TAX), in an AD model, the NC/Nga mouse. We evaluated the efficacy of topical TAX for AD by measuring clinical skin severity score, cytokine expression and serum IgE level, and by using biomedical measures (vapometry and corneometry). Topical TAX was applied to AD-induced NC/Nga mice for 3 weeks. The anti-inflammatory effects of this compound were demonstrated noninvasively using biomedical tools and immunological assays. Our method of AD assessment using biomedical tools is more objective and accurate than visual inspection. The results obtained using the biomedical tools were identical to those obtained using immunological assays. In vivo biomedical tools are useful for diagnosing and monitoring treatment effects in AD. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

Pilot study of a novel vacuum-assisted method for decellularization of tracheae for clinical tissue engineering applications.

PubMed

Lange, P; Greco, K; Partington, L; Carvalho, C; Oliani, S; Birchall, M A; Sibbons, P D; Lowdell, M W; Ansari, T

2017-03-01

Tissue engineered tracheae have been successfully implanted to treat a small number of patients on compassionate grounds. The treatment has not become mainstream due to the time taken to produce the scaffold and the resultant financial costs. We have developed a method for decellularization (DC) based on vacuum technology, which when combined with an enzyme/detergent protocol significantly reduces the time required to create clinically suitable scaffolds. We have applied this technology to prepare porcine tracheal scaffolds and compared the results to scaffolds produced under normal atmospheric pressures. The principal outcome measures were the reduction in time (9 days to prepare the scaffold) followed by a reduction in residual DNA levels (DC no-vac: 137.8±48.82 ng/mg vs. DC vac 36.83±18.45 ng/mg, p<0.05.). Our approach did not impact on the collagen or glycosaminoglycan content or on the biomechanical properties of the scaffolds. We applied the vacuum technology to human tracheae, which, when implanted in vivo showed no significant adverse immunological response. The addition of a vacuum to a conventional decellularization protocol significantly reduces production time, whilst providing a suitable scaffold. This increases clinical utility and lowers production costs. To our knowledge this is the first time that vacuum assisted decellularization has been explored. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

42 CFR 493.833 - Condition: Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Condition: Diagnostic immunology. 493.833 Section..., Or Any Combination of These Tests § 493.833 Condition: Diagnostic immunology. The specialty of diagnostic immunology includes for purposes of proficiency testing the subspecialties of syphilis serology...

42 CFR 493.833 - Condition: Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Condition: Diagnostic immunology. 493.833 Section..., Or Any Combination of These Tests § 493.833 Condition: Diagnostic immunology. The specialty of diagnostic immunology includes for purposes of proficiency testing the subspecialties of syphilis serology...

42 CFR 493.833 - Condition: Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Condition: Diagnostic immunology. 493.833 Section..., Or Any Combination of These Tests § 493.833 Condition: Diagnostic immunology. The specialty of diagnostic immunology includes for purposes of proficiency testing the subspecialties of syphilis serology...

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

PubMed

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

2012-10-01

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

42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

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

42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Diagnostic immunology. 493.921 Section 493.921... Testing Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.921 Diagnostic immunology. The subspecialties under the specialty of immunology for which a program may offer proficiency testing are syphilis...

42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Diagnostic immunology. 493.921 Section 493.921... Testing Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.921 Diagnostic immunology. The subspecialties under the specialty of immunology for which a program may offer proficiency testing are syphilis...

42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Diagnostic immunology. 493.921 Section 493.921... Testing Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.921 Diagnostic immunology. The subspecialties under the specialty of immunology for which a program may offer proficiency testing are syphilis...

42 CFR 493.921 - Diagnostic immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Diagnostic immunology. 493.921 Section 493.921... Testing Proficiency Testing Programs by Specialty and Subspecialty § 493.921 Diagnostic immunology. The subspecialties under the specialty of immunology for which a program may offer proficiency testing are syphilis...

Need for immunologic stimulators during immunosuppression produced by major cancer surgery.

PubMed Central

Cole, W H; Humphrey, L

1985-01-01

Although surgery, radiology, and anticancer chemicals have been effective in the treatment of cancer, the immunologic phase of therapy deserves more effort and thought, because the possibilities are considerable. However, the immunologic phase is so complicated that, without the advances made during the past few years, little could be expected from immunology. The focus of this paper is on the immunosuppression produced by major cancer operations, at which time the patient needs immunologic help. PMID:3893336

Immunologic Regulation in Pregnancy: From Mechanism to Therapeutic Strategy for Immunomodulation

PubMed Central

Chen, Shyi-Jou; Liu, Yung-Liang; Sytwu, Huey-Kang

2012-01-01

The immunologic interaction between the fetus and the mother is a paradoxical communication that is regulated by fetal antigen presentation and/or by recognition of and reaction to these antigens by the maternal immune system. There have been significant advances in understanding of abnormalities in the maternal-fetal immunologic relationship in the placental bed that can lead to pregnancy disorders. Moreover, immunologic recognition of pregnancy is vital for the maintenance of gestation, and inadequate recognition of fetal antigens may cause abortion. In this paper, we illustrate the complex immunologic aspects of human reproduction in terms of the role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA), immune cells, cytokines and chemokines, and the balance of immunity in pregnancy. In addition, we review the immunologic processes of human reproduction and the current immunologic therapeutic strategies for pathological disorders of pregnancy. PMID:22110530

An experimental test of the effects of behavioral and immunological defenses against vectors: do they interact to protect birds from blood parasites?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Blood-feeding arthropods can harm their hosts in many ways, such as through direct tissue damage and anemia, but also by distracting hosts from foraging or watching for predators. Blood-borne pathogens transmitted by arthropods can further harm the host. Thus, effective behavioral and immunological defenses against blood-feeding arthropods may provide important fitness advantages to hosts if they reduce bites, and in systems involving pathogen transmission, if they lower pathogen transmission rate. Methods We tested whether Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) have effective behavioral and immunological defenses against a blood-feeding hippoboscid fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis) and, if so, whether the two defenses interact. The fly vectors the blood parasite Haemoproteus columbae; we further tested whether these defenses reduced the transmission success of blood parasites when birds were exposed to infected flies. We compared four experimental treatments in which hosts had available both purported defenses, only one of the defenses, or no defenses against the flies. Results We found that preening and immunological defenses were each effective in decreasing the survival and reproductive success of flies. However, the two defenses were additive, rather than one defense enhancing or decreasing the effectiveness of the other defense. Neither defense reduced the prevalence of H. columbae, nor the intensity of infection in birds exposed to infected flies. Conclusions Flies experience reduced fitness when maintained on hosts with immunological or preening defenses. This suggests that if vectors are given a choice among hosts, they may choose hosts that are less defended, which could impact pathogen transmission in a system where vectors can choose among hosts. PMID:24620737

HLA-typing analysis following allogeneic bone grafting for sinus lifting.

PubMed

Piaia, Marcelo; Bub, Carolina Bonet; Succi, Guilherme de Menezes; Torres, Margareth; Costa, Thiago Henrique; Pinheiro, Fabricio Costa; Napimoga, Marcelo Henrique

2017-03-01

According to the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants, in 2015, 19,408 bone transplants were performed in Brazil, over 90% by Dental Surgeons. The surgical technique itself has a respectable number of reports regarding its clinical efficacy, as measured by long-term survival of dental implants in grafted areas. Uncertainty remains, however, as to whether fresh frozen grafts from human bone donors remain immunologically innocuous in the body of the host. Six male with no previous medical history of note, including systemic diseases, surgery or blood transfusion were selected. These patients underwent reconstructive procedures (sinus lifting) using fresh frozen human bone from a tissue bank. All patients had venous blood samples collected prior to surgery and 6 months after the procedure. Anti-HLA analysis for the detection of HLA (human leukocyte antigen) antibodies was performed using methods such as the LABScreen PRA Class I and Class II, LABScreen Single Antigen Class I and Class II, Luminex Platform. Reactive individuals to the screening tests (LABScreen PRA) were further investigated to determine the specificity of the antibodies detected (LABScreen Single Antigen) with a cutoff value of median fluorescence intensity ≥500. As a result, it was observed that two patients (33%) were positive in screening tests, one presenting with anti-HLA Class I and II sensitization and the other with anti-HLA class II. The specificity analysis showed that the patients sensitized to HLA class II presented 4 specificities, 3 of which immunologically relevant. In the second individual, 23 specificities were identified, 6 of which immunologically important for HLA class I and 4 specificities for HLA class II, 3 of these were immunologically important. All specificities detected had average fluorescence. These findings are suggestive that sinus-lifting procedures with allogeneic bone can induce immunological sensitization.

AZT Impairs Immunological Recovery on First-line ART: Collaborative analysis of cohort studies in Southern Africa

PubMed Central

WANDELER, Gilles; GSPONER, Thomas; MULENGA, Lloyd; GARONE, Daniela; WOOD, Robin; MASKEW, Mhairi; PROZESKY, Hans; HOFFMANN, Christopher; EHMER, Jochen; DICKINSON, Diana; DAVIES, Mary-Ann; EGGER, Matthias; KEISER, Olivia

2013-01-01

Objectives Zidovudine (AZT) is recommended for first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource limited settings. AZT may, however, lead to anemia and impaired immunological response. We compared CD4 counts over 5 years between patients starting ART with and without AZT in Southern Africa. Design Cohort study Methods Patients aged ≥16 years who started first-line ART in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia or Lesotho were included. We used linear mixed-effect models to compare CD4 cell count trajectories between patients on AZT-containing regimens and patients on other regimens, censoring follow-up at first treatment change. Impaired immunological recovery, defined as a CD4 count below 100 cells/μl at 1 year, was assessed in logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for baseline CD4 count and haemoglobin level, age, gender, type of regimen, viral load monitoring and calendar year. Results 72,597 patients starting ART, including 19,758 (27.2%) on AZT, were analysed. Patients on AZT had higher CD4 cell counts (150 vs.128 cells/μl) and haemoglobin level (12.0 vs. 11.0 g/dl) at baseline, and were less likely to be female than those on other regimens. Adjusted differences in CD4 counts between regimens containing and not containing AZT were −16 cells/μl (95% CI −18 to −14) at 1 year and −56 cells/μl (95% CI −59 to −52) at 5 years. Impaired immunological recovery was more likely with AZT compared to other regimens (odds ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.22–1.61). Conclusions In Southern Africa AZT is associated with inferior immunological recovery compared to other backbones. Replacing AZT with another NRTI could avoid unnecessary switches to second-line ART. PMID:23660577

Practices to improve identification of Adult Antiretroviral Therapy failure at the Lighthouse Trust clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi

PubMed Central

Vorkas, Charles Kyriakos; Tweya, Hannock; Mzinganjira, Dalitso; Dickie, George; Weigel, Ralf; Phiri, Sam; Hosseinipour, Mina C.

2011-01-01

Summary Background Evaluating treatment failure is critical when deciding to modify antiretroviral therapy (ART). Virologic Assessment Forms (VAFs) were implemented in July 2008 as a prerequisite for ordering viral load. The form requires assessment of clinical and immunologic status. Methods Using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), we retrospectively evaluated patients who met 2006 WHO guidelines for immunologic failure (≥15 years old; on ART ≥6 months; CD4 count 50% drop from peak OR CD4 persistently <100 cells) at the Lighthouse Trust clinic from 12/2007–12/2009. We compared virologic screening, VAF implementation and ART modification during the same period using Fisher’s exact tests and unpaired t-tests as appropriate. Results Of 7,000 enrolled ART patients ≥ 15 years old with at least two CD4 counts, 10% had immunologic failure with a median follow-up time on ART of 1.4 years (IQR: 0.8–2.3). Forty (6%) viral loads were ordered: 14 (35%) were detectable (>400 HIV RNA copies/mL) and 1 (7%) patient was switched to second-line therapy. Overall, 259 VAFs were completed: 67% for immunologic failure and 33% for WHO Stage 4 condition. Before VAF implementation, 1% of patients had viral loads drawn during routine care, whereas afterwards, 8% did (p<0.0001; 95% CI 0.03–0.08). Conclusions Clinicians did not identify a large proportion of immunologic failure patients for screening. Implementation of VAFs produced little improvement in virologic screening during routine care. Better training and monitoring systems are needed. PMID:22039960

Immunological and molecular epidemiological characteristics of acute and fulminant viral hepatitis A

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Hepatitis A virus is an infection of liver; it is hyperendemic in vast areas of the world including India. In most cases it causes an acute self limited illness but rarely fulminant. There is growing concern about change in pattern from asymptomatic childhood infection to an increased incidence of symptomatic disease in the adult population. Objective In-depth analysis of immunological, viral quantification and genotype of acute and fulminant hepatitis A virus. Methods Serum samples obtained from 1009 cases of suspected acute viral hepatitis was employed for different biochemical and serological examination. RNA was extracted from blood serum, reverse transcribed into cDNA and amplified using nested PCR for viral quantification, sequencing and genotyping. Immunological cell count from freshly collected whole blood was carried out by fluorescence activated cell sorter. Results Fulminant hepatitis A was mostly detected with other hepatic viruses. CD8+ T cells count increases in fulminant hepatitis to a significantly high level (P = 0.005) compared to normal healthy control. The immunological helper/suppressor (CD4+/CD8+) ratio of fulminant hepatitis was significantly lower compared to acute cases. The serologically positive patients were confirmed by RT-PCR and total of 72 (69.2%) were quantified and sequenced. The average quantitative viral load of fulminant cases was significantly higher (P < 0.05). There was similar genotypic distribution in both acute and fulminant category, with predominance of genotype IIIA (70%) compared to IA (30%). Conclusions Immunological factors in combination with viral load defines the severity of the fulminant hepatitis A. Phylogenetic analysis of acute and fulminant hepatitis A confirmed genotypes IIIA as predominant against IA with no preference of disease severity. PMID:21605420

42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Condition: General immunology. 493.1208 Section 493....1208 Condition: General immunology. If the laboratory provides services in the subspecialty of General immunology, the laboratory must meet the requirements specified in §§ 493.1230 through 493.1256, and §§ 493...

42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

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

Graduate Students' Interest in Immunology as a Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2017-01-01

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

21 CFR 866.5510 - Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... test system. 866.5510 Section 866.5510 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866.5510 Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system. (a) Identification...

21 CFR 866.5860 - Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. (b) Classification. Class I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system. 866... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866...

21 CFR 866.5860 - Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. (b) Classification. Class I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system. 866... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866...

21 CFR 866.5860 - Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. (b) Classification. Class I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system. 866... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866...

21 CFR 866.5860 - Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. (b) Classification. Class I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system. 866... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866...

21 CFR 866.5860 - Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. (b) Classification. Class I... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Total spinal fluid immuno-logical test system. 866... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test Systems § 866...

21 CFR 866.5210 - Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... (copper-transporting serum protein) in serum, other body fluids, or tissues. Measurements of ceruloplasmin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5210 Section 866.5210 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

21 CFR 866.5210 - Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (copper-transporting serum protein) in serum, other body fluids, or tissues. Measurements of ceruloplasmin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5210 Section 866.5210 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

21 CFR 866.5210 - Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... (copper-transporting serum protein) in serum, other body fluids, or tissues. Measurements of ceruloplasmin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5210 Section 866.5210 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

21 CFR 866.5210 - Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... (copper-transporting serum protein) in serum, other body fluids, or tissues. Measurements of ceruloplasmin... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Ceruloplasmin immunolog-ical test system. 866.5210 Section 866.5210 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

21 CFR 866.5230 - Colostrum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Colostrum immunological test system. 866.5230... Colostrum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A colostrum immunological test system is a device... colostrum. Colostrum is a substance excreted by the mammary glands during pregnancy and until production of...

42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Condition: General immunology. 493.1208 Section 493....1208 Condition: General immunology. If the laboratory provides services in the subspecialty of General immunology, the laboratory must meet the requirements specified in §§ 493.1230 through 493.1256, and §§ 493...

42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Condition: General immunology. 493.1208 Section 493....1208 Condition: General immunology. If the laboratory provides services in the subspecialty of General immunology, the laboratory must meet the requirements specified in §§ 493.1230 through 493.1256, and §§ 493...

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

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

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

42 CFR 493.1208 - Condition: General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Condition: General immunology. 493.1208 Section 493....1208 Condition: General immunology. If the laboratory provides services in the subspecialty of General immunology, the laboratory must meet the requirements specified in §§ 493.1230 through 493.1256, and §§ 493...

21 CFR 866.5170 - Breast milk immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Breast milk immunological test system. 866.5170... milk immunological test system. (a) Identification. A breast milk immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques the breast milk proteins. (b...

21 CFR 866.5170 - Breast milk immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Breast milk immunological test system. 866.5170... milk immunological test system. (a) Identification. A breast milk immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques the breast milk proteins. (b...

21 CFR 866.5170 - Breast milk immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Breast milk immunological test system. 866.5170... milk immunological test system. (a) Identification. A breast milk immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques the breast milk proteins. (b...

21 CFR 866.5170 - Breast milk immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Breast milk immunological test system. 866.5170... milk immunological test system. (a) Identification. A breast milk immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques the breast milk proteins. (b...

Laparoscopic versus conventional open surgery for immune function in patients with colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Liu, Chuanyuan; Liu, Jungang; Zhang, Sen

2011-11-01

To systematically evaluate the immune function in patients with colorectal cancer after laparoscopic surgery (LS) and conventional open surgery (OS). PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library were searched and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the immunological difference between LS and OS were included. Two authors extracted data and assessed trial quality. Eleven studies including 695 patients were analysed. Immune-competent cells demonstrated no significant differences between LS and OS in six trials. Eight trials assessed various perioperative plasma cytokine concentrations with no significant differences in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels between LS and OS. However, meta-analysis showed higher T suppressor lymphocytes (CD8+) counts on postoperative days (POD) 1-3 and lower plasma levels of CRP on POD 0-1 in LS group compared with OS group. Although LS groups displayed higher T suppressor lymphocyte (CD8+) counts on postoperative days (POD) 1-3 and lower plasma levels of CRP on POD 0-1, there is no sufficient evidence to support superior preservation of global immune function with LS compared to OS.

In vitro evaluation of immunological properties of extracellular polysaccharides produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains

PubMed Central

KISHIMOTO, Mana; NOMOTO, Ryohei; OSAWA, Ro

2014-01-01

We investigated the variation in immunological properties of the extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) produced by different Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains as well as that of their monosaccharide composition. The monosaccharide composition of each EPS produced by L. delbrueckii strains, as determined by thin layer chromatography (TLC), showed an appreciable variation in a strain-dependent manner, which could be broadly assigned to 4 TLC groups. Meanwhile, the immunological properties of the EPSs produced by 10 L. delbrueckii strains were evaluated in a semi-intestinal model using a Transwell co-culture system, which employed human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells on the apical side and murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells on the basolateral side. Each EPS was added to the apical side to allow direct contact with Caco-2 cells and incubated for 6 hr. After incubation, the amounts of TNF-α and several cytokines that had been released by either RAW264.7 or Caco-2 cells were then quantified by cytotoxic activity on L929 cells or the RT-PCR method. It was found that the EPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells express different profiles of cytokine production via Caco-2 cells but that the profile difference could not be related to the above TLC grouping. The evidence suggests that the EPSs of L. delbrueckii strains are diverse not only in their biochemical structure but also in their immunological properties. PMID:25625033

In vitro evaluation of immunological properties of extracellular polysaccharides produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains.

PubMed

Kishimoto, Mana; Nomoto, Ryohei; Osawa, Ro

2015-01-01

We investigated the variation in immunological properties of the extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) produced by different Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains as well as that of their monosaccharide composition. The monosaccharide composition of each EPS produced by L. delbrueckii strains, as determined by thin layer chromatography (TLC), showed an appreciable variation in a strain-dependent manner, which could be broadly assigned to 4 TLC groups. Meanwhile, the immunological properties of the EPSs produced by 10 L. delbrueckii strains were evaluated in a semi-intestinal model using a Transwell co-culture system, which employed human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells on the apical side and murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells on the basolateral side. Each EPS was added to the apical side to allow direct contact with Caco-2 cells and incubated for 6 hr. After incubation, the amounts of TNF-α and several cytokines that had been released by either RAW264.7 or Caco-2 cells were then quantified by cytotoxic activity on L929 cells or the RT-PCR method. It was found that the EPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells express different profiles of cytokine production via Caco-2 cells but that the profile difference could not be related to the above TLC grouping. The evidence suggests that the EPSs of L. delbrueckii strains are diverse not only in their biochemical structure but also in their immunological properties.

Concepts and applications for influenza antigenic cartography

PubMed Central

Cai, Zhipeng; Zhang, Tong; Wan, Xiu-Feng

2011-01-01

Influenza antigenic cartography projects influenza antigens into a two or three dimensional map based on immunological datasets, such as hemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization assays. A robust antigenic cartography can facilitate influenza vaccine strain selection since the antigenic map can simplify data interpretation through intuitive antigenic map. However, antigenic cartography construction is not trivial due to the challenging features embedded in the immunological data, such as data incompleteness, high noises, and low reactors. To overcome these challenges, we developed a computational method, temporal Matrix Completion-Multidimensional Scaling (MC-MDS), by adapting the low rank MC concept from the movie recommendation system in Netflix and the MDS method from geographic cartography construction. The application on H3N2 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A viruses demonstrates that temporal MC-MDS is effective and efficient in constructing influenza antigenic cartography. The web sever is available at http://sysbio.cvm.msstate.edu/AntigenMap. PMID:21761589

Development of an Electrochemical DNA Biosensor to Detect a Foodborne Pathogen.

PubMed

Nordin, Noordiana; Yusof, Nor Azah; Radu, Son; Hushiarian, Roozbeh

2018-06-03

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is a common foodborne pathogen that contributes to a large proportion of public health problems globally, significantly affecting the rate of human mortality and morbidity. Conventional methods for the detection of V. parahaemolyticus such as culture-based methods, immunological assays, and molecular-based methods require complicated sample handling and are time-consuming, tedious, and costly. Recently, biosensors have proven to be a promising and comprehensive detection method with the advantages of fast detection, cost-effectiveness, and practicality. This research focuses on developing a rapid method of detecting V. parahaemolyticus with high selectivity and sensitivity using the principles of DNA hybridization. In the work, characterization of synthesized polylactic acid-stabilized gold nanoparticles (PLA-AuNPs) was achieved using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field-emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV). We also carried out further testing of stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility of the PLA-AuNPs. We found that the PLA-AuNPs formed a sound structure of stabilized nanoparticles in aqueous solution. We also observed that the sensitivity improved as a result of the smaller charge transfer resistance (Rct) value and an increase of active surface area (0.41 cm 2 ). The development of our DNA biosensor was based on modification of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) with PLA-AuNPs and using methylene blue (MB) as the redox indicator. We assessed the immobilization and hybridization events by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). We found that complementary, non-complementary, and mismatched oligonucleotides were specifically distinguished by the fabricated biosensor. It also showed reliably sensitive detection in cross-reactivity studies against various food-borne pathogens and in the identification of V. parahaemolyticus in fresh cockles.

21 CFR 866.5820 - Systemic lupus erythema-tosus immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Systemic lupus erythema-tosus immunological test... Systems § 866.5820 Systemic lupus erythema-tosus immunological test system. (a) Identification. A systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to...

Immunological Demyelination Triggers Macrophage/Microglial Cells Activation without Inducing Astrogliosis

PubMed Central

Sears-Kraxberger, Ilse; Keirstead, Hans S.

2013-01-01

The glial scar formed by reactive astrocytes and axon growth inhibitors associated with myelin play important roles in the failure of axonal regeneration following central nervous system (CNS) injury. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that immunological demyelination of the CNS facilitates regeneration of severed axons following spinal cord injury. In the present study, we evaluate whether immunological demyelination is accompanied with astrogliosis. We compared the astrogliosis and macrophage/microglial cell responses 7 days after either immunological demyelination or a stab injury to the dorsal funiculus. Both lesions induced a strong activated macrophage/microglial cells response which was significantly higher within regions of immunological demyelination. However, immunological demyelination regions were not accompanied by astrogliosis compared to stab injury that induced astrogliosis which extended several millimeters above and below the lesions, evidenced by astroglial hypertrophy, formation of a glial scar, and upregulation of intermediate filaments glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Moreover, a stab or a hemisection lesion directly within immunological demyelination regions did not induced astrogliosis within the immunological demyelination region. These results suggest that immunological demyelination creates a unique environment in which astrocytes do not form a glial scar and provides a unique model to understand the putative interaction between astrocytes and activated macrophage/microglial cells. PMID:24319469

A review of current and future molecular diagnostic tests for use in the microbiology laboratory.

PubMed

Jannes, Geert; De Vos, Daniel

2006-01-01

Nucleic acid-based diagnostics gradually are replacing or complementing culture-based, biochemical, and immunological assays in routine microbiology laboratories. Similar to conventional tests, the first-generation deoxyribonucleic acid assays determined only a single analyte. Recent improvements in detection technologies have paved the way for the development of multiparameter assays using macroarrays or micro-arrays, while the introduction of closed-tube real-time polymerase chain reaction systems has resulted in the development of rapid microbial diagnostics with a reduced contamination risk. The use of these new molecular technologies is not restricted to detection and identification of microbial pathogens but also can be used for genotyping, allowing one to determine antibiotic resistance or to perform microbial fingerprinting.

21 CFR 866.5700 - Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Whole human plasma or serum immunological test... Systems § 866.5700 Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A whole human plasma or serum immunological test system is a device that consists of reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5700 - Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Whole human plasma or serum immunological test... Systems § 866.5700 Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A whole human plasma or serum immunological test system is a device that consists of reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5700 - Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Whole human plasma or serum immunological test... Systems § 866.5700 Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A whole human plasma or serum immunological test system is a device that consists of reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5700 - Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Whole human plasma or serum immunological test... Systems § 866.5700 Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A whole human plasma or serum immunological test system is a device that consists of reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5700 - Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Whole human plasma or serum immunological test... Systems § 866.5700 Whole human plasma or serum immunological test system. (a) Identification. A whole human plasma or serum immunological test system is a device that consists of reagents used to measure by...

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

PubMed

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

2014-12-01

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

Laser immunotherapy for advanced solid tumors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naylor, Mark; Li, Xiaosong; Hode, Tomas; Alleruzzo, Lu; Raker, Joseph; Lam, Siu Kit; Zhou, Feifan; Chen, Wei

2017-02-01

Immunologically oriented therapy (immunotherapy) has arguably proved to be the most effective method for treating advanced melanoma, the prototypical chemotherapy-resistant solid tumor. The efficacy and benefit of immunotherapy for other tumors, including those that are at least partly responsive to chemotherapy, is less well established. Breast cancer, one of the most common of the solid tumors in humans, is partially responsive to traditional chemotherapy. We believe that breast cancer patients, like melanoma patients, will benefit from the application of immunotherapy techniques. Here we review the different forms of laser immunotherapy (LIT), a key type of immunologically oriented therapy, discuss its use in melanoma and in breast cancer, and discuss its potentially pivotal role in the immunotherapy armamentarium.

Advantages of laparoscopic compared to conventional surgery are not related to an innate immune response of peritoneal immune activation: an animal study in rats.

PubMed

Lingohr, Philipp; Dohmen, Jonas; Matthaei, Hanno; Schwandt, Timo; Stein, Kathy; Hong, Gun-Soo; Steitz, Julia; Longerich, Thomas; Bölke, Edwin; Wehner, Sven; Kalff, Jörg C

2017-06-01

Laparoscopic surgery (LS) has proved superior compared to conventional surgery (CS) regarding morbidity, length of hospital stay, rate of wound infection and time until recovery. An improved preservation of the postoperative immune function is assumed to contribute to these benefits though the role of the local peritoneal immune response is still poorly understood. Our study investigates the peritoneal immune response subsequent to abdominal surgery and compares it between laparoscopic and conventional surgery to find an immunological explanation for the clinically proven benefits of LS. Wistar rats (N = 140) underwent laparoscopic cecum resection (LCR; N = 28), conventional cecum resection (CCR; N = 28), laparoscopic sham operation (LSO; N = 28), conventional sham operation (CSO; N = 28), or no surgical treatment (CTRL; N = 28). Postoperatively, peritoneal lavages were performed, leukocytes isolated and analyzed regarding immune function and phagocytosis activity. Immune function was inhibited postoperatively in animals undergoing LCR or CCR compared to CTRL reflected by a lower TNF-α (CTRL 3956.65 pg/ml, LCR 2018.48 pg/ml (p = 0.023), CCR 2793.78 pg/ml (n.s.)) and IL-6 secretion (CTRL 625.84 pg/ml, LCR 142.84 pg/ml (p = 0.009), CCR 169.53 pg/ml (p = 0.01)). Phagocytosis was not affected in rats undergoing any kind of surgery compared to CTRL. Neither cytokine secretion nor phagocytosis activity differed significantly between laparoscopic and conventional surgery. According to our findings the benefits associated with LS compared to CS cannot be explained by differences in the postoperative peritoneal innate immune response. Further studies are needed to elucidate the causes for a more favorable postoperative outcome in patients after LS compared to CS.

Isolation, purification, and immunological activities of a low-molecular-weight polysaccharide from the Lingzhi or Reishi medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (higher Basidiomycetes).

PubMed

Zhu, Lina; Luo, Xi; Tang, Qingjiu; Liu, Yanfang; Zhou, Shuai; Yang, Yan; Zhang, Jingsong

2013-01-01

To obtain a low-molecular-weight polysaccharide with immuno-enhancing activity, hot water extract of Ganoderma lucidum fruit bodies was separated by membrane ultrafiltration, anion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography, and the immunological activities of fractions were assessed on the basis of nitric oxide production by RAW 264.7 macrophages. A novel polysaccharide (TB3-2-2) was successfully isolated and purified. TB3-2-2 is a homogeneous polysaccharide, with a relative molecular weight of 5.11 × 103 Da, identified by high-performance liquid chromatography and was composed of galactose and glucose in a molar ratio of 2:3 determined by high-performance anion exchange chromatography. TB3-2-2 had a carbohydrate content of 99%, as measured using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. Proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocytes and the expression level of interleukin-6 was significantly increased by TB3-2-2. Results indicate that the low-molecular-weight polysaccharide with immunological activity in G. lucidum is worthy of further research and development.

Laboratory tests for identification or exclusion of heparin induced thrombocytopenia: HIT or miss?

PubMed

Favaloro, Emmanuel J

2018-02-01

Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially fatal condition that arises subsequent to formation of antibodies against complexes containing heparin, usually platelet-factor 4-heparin ("anti-PF4-heparin"). Assessment for HIT involves both clinical evaluation and, if indicated, laboratory testing for confirmation or exclusion, typically using an initial immunological assay ("screening"), and only if positive, a secondary functional assay for confirmation. Many different immunological and functional assays have been developed. The most common contemporary immunological assays comprise enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], chemiluminescence, lateral flow, and particle gel techniques. The most common functional assays measure platelet aggregation or platelet activation events (e.g., serotonin release assay; heparin-induced platelet activation (HIPA); flow cytometry). All assays have some sensitivity and specificity to HIT antibodies, but differ in terms of relative sensitivity and specificity for pathological HIT, as well as false negative and false positive error rate. This brief article overviews the different available laboratory methods, as well as providing a suggested approach to diagnosis or exclusion of HIT. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Work-related asthma: diagnosis and prognosis of immunological occupational asthma and work-exacerbated asthma.

PubMed

Muñoz, X; Cruz, M J; Bustamante, V; Lopez-Campos, J L; Barreiro, E

2014-01-01

The incidence and prevalence of asthma are increasing. One reason for this trend is the rise in adult-onset asthma, especially occupational asthma, which is 1 of the 2 forms of work-related asthma. Occupational asthma is defined as asthma caused by agents that are present exclusively in the workplace. The presence of pre-existing asthma does not rule out the possibility of developing occupational asthma. A distinction has traditionally been made between immunological occupational asthma (whether IgE-mediated or not) and nonimmunological occupational asthma caused by irritants, the most characteristic example of which is reactive airway dysfunction syndrome. The other form of work-related asthma is known as work-exacerbated asthma, which affects persons with pre-existing or concurrent asthma that is worsened by work-related factors. It is important to differentiate between the 2 entities because their treatment, prognosis, and medical and social repercussions can differ widely. In this review, we discuss diagnostic methods, treatment, and avoidance/nonavoidance of the antigen in immunological occupational asthma and work-exacerbated asthma. Key words: Specific inhalation challenge. Peak expiratory flow. Workplace. Irritants.

Autoimmune retinopathy with RPE hypersensitivity and 'negative ERG' in X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome.

PubMed

Schuster, Andreas; Apfelstedt-Sylla, Eckart; Pusch, Carsten M; Zrenner, Eberhart; Thirkill, Charles E

2005-01-01

To report the clinical, electrophysiological, and immunological features of a patient with X-linked hyper-IgM immunodeficiency syndrome type 1 (HIGM1) accompanied by a novel type of autoimmune retinopathy, including retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) hypersensitivity. Comprehensive ophthalmological examinations, electrophysiological function testing, and inquiries into the immunological status of a 13-year-old presenting with subacute loss of vision in association with a molecularly confirmed diagnosis of HIGM1 were performed. The patient was genotyped by a PCR-based sequence tag content mapping strategy to define the genetic defect within the causative X-HIM gene TNFSF5. Since conventional allogenic bone marrow transplantation has been reported to cure HIGM1, a peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation was performed. (1) The patient's reduced visual acuity included prolonged dark adaptation and visual field constriction. Electrophysiology revealed a 'negative ERG' indicating post-receptoral dysfunction. (2) Initial immunological examination of the patient's serum identified abnormal antibody activity with components of the photoreceptors and the inner nuclear layer. The patient later developed indications of RPE hypersensitivity. A massively reduced light-peak to dark-trough ratio of the EOG slow oscillations (L/D ratio) corresponded to impaired RPE-photoreceptor complex function. (3) Molecular genetic analyses revealed the patient to be nullizygous for the tumor necrosis factor ligand member 5 gene (TNFSF5; CD40LG). A large chromosomal deletion of approximately 27.6-32.3 kb in size was identified in Xq26. (4) The transplant with its associated immunomodulation appeared to worsen rather than improve the patient's condition. The fundus appearance and electrophysiological function testing revealed indications of atypical retinal degeneration. However, the clinical course and the serological findings were consistent with those of ocular autoimmunity involving both antiretinal activity and RPE hypersensitivity. In this case, peripheral stem-cell transfusion with its associated chemotherapy failed to benefit the patient's vision; indications of autoimmunity appeared to increase following this treatment.

Adherence to and effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection: assessing the bidirectional relationship.

PubMed

Lamiraud, Karine; Moatti, Jean-Paul; Raffi, François; Carrieri, Maria-Patrizia; Protopopescu, Camelia; Michelet, Christian; Schneider, Luminita; Collin, Fideline; Leport, Catherine; Spire, Bruno

2012-05-01

It is well established that high adherence to HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) is a major determinant of virological and immunologic success. Furthermore, psychosocial research has identified a wide range of adherence factors including patients' subjective beliefs about the effectiveness of HAART. Current statistical approaches, mainly based on the separate identification either of factors associated with treatment effectiveness or of those associated with adherence, fail to properly explore the true relationship between adherence and treatment effectiveness. Adherence behavior may be influenced not only by perceived benefits-which are usually the focus of related studies-but also by objective treatment benefits reflected in biological outcomes. Our objective was to assess the bidirectional relationship between adherence and response to treatment among patients enrolled in the ANRS CO8 APROCO-COPILOTE study. We compared a conventional statistical approach based on the separate estimations of an adherence and an effectiveness equation to an econometric approach using a 2-equation simultaneous system based on the same 2 equations. Our results highlight a reciprocal relationship between adherence and treatment effectiveness. After controlling for endogeneity, adherence was positively associated with treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, CD4 count gain after baseline was found to have a positive significant effect on adherence at each observation period. This immunologic parameter was not significant when the adherence equation was estimated separately. In the 2-equation model, the covariances between disturbances of both equations were found to be significant, thus confirming the statistical appropriacy of studying adherence and treatment effectiveness jointly. Our results, which suggest that positive biological results arising as a result of high adherence levels, in turn reinforce continued adherence and strengthen the argument that patients who do not experience rapid improvement in their immunologic and clinical statuses after HAART initiation should be prioritized when developing adherence support interventions. Furthermore, they invalidate the hypothesis that HAART leads to "false reassurance" among HIV-infected patients.

The Probiotic Compound VSL#3 Modulates Mucosal, Peripheral, and Systemic Immunity Following Murine Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Treatment

PubMed Central

Ekmekciu, Ira; von Klitzing, Eliane; Fiebiger, Ulrike; Neumann, Christian; Bacher, Petra; Scheffold, Alexander; Bereswill, Stefan; Heimesaat, Markus M.

2017-01-01

There is compelling evidence linking the commensal intestinal microbiota with host health and, in turn, antibiotic induced perturbations of microbiota composition with distinct pathologies. Despite the attractiveness of probiotic therapy as a tool to beneficially alter the intestinal microbiota, its immunological effects are still incompletely understood. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of the probiotic formulation VSL#3 consisting of eight distinct bacterial species (including Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, B. longum, B. infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. paracasei, and L. delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus) in reversing immunological effects of microbiota depletion as compared to reassociation with a complex murine microbiota. To address this, conventional mice were subjected to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy for 8 weeks and perorally reassociated with either VSL#3 bacteria or a complex murine microbiota. VSL#3 recolonization resulted in restored CD4+ and CD8+ cell numbers in the small and large intestinal lamina propria as well as in B220+ cell numbers in the former, whereas probiotic intervention was not sufficient to reverse the antibiotic induced changes of respective cell populations in the spleen. However, VSL#3 application was as efficient as complex microbiota reassociation to attenuate the frequencies of regulatory T cells, activated dendritic cells and memory/effector T cells in the small intestine, colon, mesenteric lymph nodes, and spleen. Whereas broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment resulted in decreased production of cytokines such as IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-22, and IL-10 by CD4+ cells in respective immunological compartments, VSL#3 recolonization was sufficient to completely recover the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 without affecting pro-inflammatory mediators. In summary, the probiotic compound VSL#3 has an extensive impact on mucosal, peripheral, and systemic innate as well as adaptive immunity, exerting beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in intestinal as well as systemic compartments. Hence, VSL#3 might be considered a therapeutic immunomodulatory tool following antibiotic therapy. PMID:28529928

Immunological responses induced by the combination of phototherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of metastatic tumors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wei R.; Naylor, Mark F.; Nordquist, Robert E.; Teague, T. Kent; Liu, Hong

2008-02-01

Combination therapy using laser photothermal interaction and immunological stimulation has demonstrated its ability to induce immunological responses. Glycated chitosan (GC), an immunological stimulant, and imiquimod, a new type of immune response modifier (IRM), when used in conjunction with laser phototherapy, have shown to have a great immunological stimulation function. Specifically, imiquimod can help release cytokines from immunocompetent cells, stimulate TH1 lymphocyte responses (CD8+ T-cells), and recruit additional dendritic cells. To study the effects of immunoadjuvnats in combination of laser photo-irradiation, we treated animal tumors with laser-ICG-GC combination and late-stage melanoma patients with laser-ICG-imiquimod combination. At designated times, tumors, blood, and spleens in both treated and untreated animals were colleted for analysis. The major immunological indicators, such as IL-6, IL-12, IFN-gamma, CD4, and CD8 were analyzed. The same immunological analysis was also performed for melanoma patients treated by the laser-imiquimod combination.

Consensus Communication on Early Peanut Introduction and Prevention of Peanut Allergy in High-Risk Infants.

PubMed

Fleischer, David M; Sicherer, Scott; Greenhawt, Matthew; Campbell, Dianne; Chan, Edmond; Muraro, Antonella; Halken, Susanne; Katz, Yitzhak; Ebisawa, Motohiro; Eichenfield, Lawrence; Sampson, Hugh; Lack, Gideon; Du Toit, George; Roberts, Graham; Bahnson, Henry; Feeney, Mary; Hourihane, Jonathan; Spergel, Jonathan; Young, Michael; As'aad, Amal; Allen, Katrina; Prescott, Susan; Kapur, Sandeep; Saito, Hirohisa; Agache, Ioana; Akdis, Cezmi A; Arshad, Hasan; Beyer, Kirsten; Dubois, Anthony; Eigenmann, Philippe; Fernandez-Rivas, Monserrat; Grimshaw, Kate; Hoffman-Sommergruber, Karin; Host, Arne; Lau, Susanne; O'Mahony, Liam; Mills, Clare; Papadopoulos, Nikolaus; Venter, Carina; Agmon-Levin, Nancy; Kessel, Aaron; Antaya, Richard; Drolet, Beth; Rosenwasser, Lanny

2016-01-01

The purpose of this brief communication is to highlight emerging evidence regarding potential benefits of supporting early rather than delayed peanut introduction during the period of complementary food introduction in infants. This document should be considered as interim guidance based on consensus among the following organizations: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Israel Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Japanese Society for Allergology, Society for Pediatric Dermatology, and World Allergy Organization. More formal guidelines regarding early-life, complementary feeding practices and the risk of allergy development will follow in the next year from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-sponsored Working Group and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. © 2015 the Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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

PubMed

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

2001-01-01

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

21 CFR 866.5380 - Free secretory component immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... body fluids. Measurement of free secretory component (protein molecules) aids in the diagnosis or... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

21 CFR 866.5380 - Free secretory component immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... body fluids. Measurement of free secretory component (protein molecules) aids in the diagnosis or... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

21 CFR 866.5380 - Free secretory component immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... body fluids. Measurement of free secretory component (protein molecules) aids in the diagnosis or... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

21 CFR 866.5380 - Free secretory component immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... body fluids. Measurement of free secretory component (protein molecules) aids in the diagnosis or... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

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

PubMed

Croy, B Anne; Baines, Malcolm G

2004-10-01

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

Intratumoral CpG-B promotes anti-tumoral neutrophil, cDC, and T cell cooperation without reprograming tolerogenic pDC.

PubMed

Humbert, Marion; Guery, Leslie; Brighouse, Dale; Lemeille, Sylvain; Hugues, Stephanie

2018-03-27

Cancer immunotherapies utilize distinct mechanisms to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate cancer cells. Therapeutic vaccines, aimed at inducing active immune responses against an existing cancer, are highly dependent on the immunological microenvironment, where many immune cell types display high levels of plasticity and, depending on the context, promote very different immunological outcomes. Among them, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), known to be highly immunogenic upon inflammation, are maintained in a tolerogenic state by the tumor microenvironment. Here we report that intratumoral (i.t.) injection of established solid tumors with CpG oligonucleotides-B (CpG-B) inhibits tumor growth. Interestingly, control of tumor growth was independent of tumor-associated (TA) pDC, which remained refractory to CpG-B stimulation and whose depletion did not alter the efficacy of the treatment. Instead, tumor growth inhibition subsequent to i.t. CpG-B injection depended on the recruitment of neutrophils into the milieu, resulting in the activation of conventional dendritic cells (cDC), subsequent increased anti-tumor T cell priming in draining lymph nodes, and enhanced effector T cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. These results reinforce the concept that intratumoral delivery of TLR9 agonists alters the tumor microenvironment by improving the anti-tumor activity of both innate and adaptive immune cells. Copyright ©2018, American Association for Cancer Research.

[Ulcerative colitis: exceptional consequence after rituximab therapy].

PubMed

Sekkach, Y; Hammi, S; Elqatni, M; Fatihi, J; Badaoui, M; Elomri, N; Mekouar, F; Smaali, J; Jira, M; Amezyane, T; Abouzahir, A; Ghafir, D

2011-09-01

Possible adverse complications related to rituximab (RTX) are low, some of which are extremely rare. The authors describe one situation visibly waning exceptional treatment with RTX for SLE refractory to conventional therapies. The authors report a patient of 34 years followed for months for an illness in its bullous lupus, with cutaneous, articular, hematologic and immunologic. Given a corticosteroid resistance, several therapeutic background based hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide and methotrexate, were initiated without any improvement. Immunomodulatory therapy type RTX was introduced to this form refractory at a rate of 375mg/m(2)/week. The waning of the second infusion, the patient presented a sudden intense abdominal pain syndrome, revealing an acute catarrhal appendicitis. At distance from the appendectomy, the consequences of which were favorable, treatment with RTX was resumed. In the aftermath of the third infusion, the patient presented in table tract marked by profuse watery diarrhea whose explorations reveal a morphological endoscopic appearance of erythematous, ulcerative colitis, reversible upon discontinuation of treatment. Histological data revealed important infiltrates composed mainly of CD8T lymphocytes. Gastrointestinal immunological consequences to the requirements of the targeted therapies deserved very careful and rigorous monitoring. However, at the slightest sign of digestive, a detailed morphological exploration is essential, to avoid in particular surgical emergency, evolution without treatment could engage in short-term vital prognosis. 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Facial transplantation: A concise update

PubMed Central

Barrera-Pulido, Fernando; Gomez-Cia, Tomas; Sicilia-Castro, Domingo; Garcia-Perla-Garcia, Alberto; Gacto-Sanchez, Purificacion; Hernandez-Guisado, Jose-Maria; Lagares-Borrego, Araceli; Narros-Gimenez, Rocio; Gonzalez-Padilla, Juan D.

2013-01-01

Objectives: Update on clinical results obtained by the first worldwide facial transplantation teams as well as review of the literature concerning the main surgical, immunological, ethical, and follow-up aspects described on facial transplanted patients. Study design: MEDLINE search of articles published on “face transplantation” until March 2012. Results: Eighteen clinical cases were studied. The mean patient age was 37.5 years, with a higher prevalence of men. Main surgical indication was gunshot injuries (6 patients). All patients had previously undergone multiple conventional surgical reconstructive procedures which had failed. Altogether 8 transplant teams belonging to 4 countries participated. Thirteen partial face transplantations and 5 full face transplantations have been performed. Allografts are varied according to face anatomical components and the amount of skin, muscle, bone, and other tissues included, though all were grafted successfully and remained viable without significant postoperative surgical complications. The patient with the longest follow-up was 5 years. Two patients died 2 and 27 months after transplantation. Conclusions: Clinical experience has demonstrated the feasibility of facial transplantation as a valuable reconstructive option, but it still remains considered as an experimental procedure with unresolved issues to settle down. Results show that from a clinical, technical, and immunological standpoint, facial transplantation has achieved functional, aesthetic, and social rehabilitation in severely facial disfigured patients. Key words:Face transplantation, composite tissue transplantation, face allograft, facial reconstruction, outcomes and complications of face transplantation. PMID:23229268

Immunological, anti-angiogenic and clinical effects of intratumoral interleukin 12 electrogene therapy combined with metronomic cyclophosphamide in dogs with spontaneous cancer: A pilot study.

PubMed

Cicchelero, Laetitia; Denies, Sofie; Vanderperren, Katrien; Stock, Emmelie; Van Brantegem, Leen; de Rooster, Hilde; Sanders, Niek N

2017-08-01

The immunological, anti-angiogenic and clinical effects of metronomic cyclophosphamide and 3 consecutive intratumoral interleukin (IL)-12 gene therapy (electrogene therapy (EGT)) treatments were evaluated in 6 dogs with spontaneous cancer. In all dogs, a decrease in peripheral leukocytes 2 days after IL-12 EGT coincided with erythema and swelling of the tumor. In the tumor, a transient increase in IL-12 levels was measured, whereas a continuous increase in interferon γ (IFNγ) and thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1) were determined in contrast to a continuous decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In the serum, a transient increase in IL-12 and IL-10 levels were noted in contrast to a transient decrease in VEGF and TSP-1. The treatment resulted in a significant anti-angiogenic effect. Although all primary tumors continued to progress in time, this progression was slower than before treatment according to the contrast-enhanced ultrasound data. Besides the encouraging immunostimulatory and anti-angiogenic effects observed in all dogs we also noticed in 4 out of 6 dogs clinically relevant improvements in quality of life and weight. These results hold great promise for combinatorial strategies of IL-12 EGT and metronomic chemotherapy with conventional antitumor (immuno)therapies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunological signature of the different clinical stages of the HTLV-1 infection: establishing serum biomarkers for HTLV-1-associated disease morbidity.

PubMed

Starling, Ana Lúcia Borges; Coelho-Dos-Reis, Jordana Grazziela Alves; Peruhype-Magalhães, Vanessa; Pascoal-Xavier, Marcelo Antônio; Gonçalves, Denise Utsch; Béla, Samantha Ribeiro; Lambertucci, José Roberto; Labanca, Ludimila; Souza Pereira, Silvio Roberto; Teixeira-Carvalho, Andréa; Ribas, João Gabriel; Trindade, Bruno Caetano; Faccioli, Lucia Helena; Carneiro-Proietti, Anna Bárbara Freitas; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis

2015-01-01

This study aimed at establishing the immunological signature and an algorithm for clinical management of the different clinical stages of the HTLV-1-infection based on serum biomarkers. A panel of serum biomarkers was evaluated by four sets of innovative/non-conventional data analysis approaches in samples from 87 HTLV-1 patients: asymptomatic carriers (AC), putative HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (pHAM/TSP) and HAM/TSP. The analysis of cumulative curves and molecular signatures pointed out that HAM/TSP presented a pro-inflammatory profile mediated by CXCL10/LTB-4/IL-6/TNF-α/IFN-γ, counterbalanced by IL-4/IL-10. The analysis of biomarker networks showed that AC presented a strongly intertwined pro-inflammatory/regulatory net with IL-4/IL-10 playing a central role, while HAM/TSP exhibited overall immune response toward a predominant pro-inflammatory profile. At last, the classification and regression trees proposed for clinical practice allowed for the construction of an algorithm to discriminate AC, pHAM and HAM/TSP patients with the elected biomarkers: IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4 and CysLT. These findings reveal a complex interaction among chemokine/leukotriene/cytokine in HTLV-1 infection and suggest the use of the selected but combined biomarkers for the follow-up/diagnosis of disease morbidity of HTLV-1-infected individuals.

From the Macro to the Micro: Gel Mapping to Differentiate between Sporozoites of Two Immunologically Distinct Strains of Eimeria maxima (Strains M6 and Guelph)

PubMed Central

Liu, Hongbin; Al Nasr, Ibrahim; Liu, Xianyong; Suo, Xun; Barta, John

2015-01-01

Two immunologically distinct strains of E. maxima were examined in this study: the M6 strain and the Guelph strain. The differential expression between the sporozoites of the two strains of E. maxima was determined by image analysis of 100 μg of protein from each strain separated by standard one- and conventional two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to differences in both molecular weight and the electrophoretic mobility, differences in the intensity of polypeptide bands for example, GS 136.4 and M6 169 were explored. Pooled gels were prepared from each strain. A representative 2D-PAGE gel spanning a non-linear pH range of 3–10 of E. maxima strain M6 consisted of approximately 694 polypeptide spots with about 67 (9.6%) of the polypeptide spots being unique relative to the other strain. E. maxima strain GS had about 696 discernable polypeptide spots with 69 spots (9.9%) that differed from those of the M6 strain. In-depth characterization of the variable polypeptide spots; unique polypeptide spots (absence or presence) and shared polypeptide spots with modifications may lead to novel vaccine target in the form of multi-component, multi-stage, multi-immunovariant strains, multi-species subunit vaccine, and diagnostic probe for E. maxima. PMID:26641262

From the Macro to the Micro: Gel Mapping to Differentiate between Sporozoites of Two Immunologically Distinct Strains of Eimeria maxima (Strains M6 and Guelph).

PubMed

El-Ashram, Saeed; Yin, Qing; Liu, Hongbin; Al Nasr, Ibrahim; Liu, Xianyong; Suo, Xun; Barta, John

2015-01-01

Two immunologically distinct strains of E. maxima were examined in this study: the M6 strain and the Guelph strain. The differential expression between the sporozoites of the two strains of E. maxima was determined by image analysis of 100 μg of protein from each strain separated by standard one- and conventional two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to differences in both molecular weight and the electrophoretic mobility, differences in the intensity of polypeptide bands for example, GS 136.4 and M6 169 were explored. Pooled gels were prepared from each strain. A representative 2D-PAGE gel spanning a non-linear pH range of 3-10 of E. maxima strain M6 consisted of approximately 694 polypeptide spots with about 67 (9.6%) of the polypeptide spots being unique relative to the other strain. E. maxima strain GS had about 696 discernable polypeptide spots with 69 spots (9.9%) that differed from those of the M6 strain. In-depth characterization of the variable polypeptide spots; unique polypeptide spots (absence or presence) and shared polypeptide spots with modifications may lead to novel vaccine target in the form of multi-component, multi-stage, multi-immunovariant strains, multi-species subunit vaccine, and diagnostic probe for E. maxima.

How-To-Do-It: Immunological Assays for the Classroom II--Hybridoma Technology: Production of Monoclonal Antibodies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russo, A. J.

1988-01-01

Presented is a sample hybridoma assay which can be used in a research or classroom laboratory setting for instructional purposes. Described are experimental methods, materials, and observations made during this activity. (CW)

NEW LABORATORY METHODS - DNA IMMUNOLOGY

EPA Science Inventory

Indoor fungi present potential, although as yet not fully defined, health risks to the occupants of heavily contaminated buildings due to their production of allergens, and a wide range of mycotoxins. A better understanding of the health risks posed by these organisms will requ...

21 CFR 866.5880 - Transferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... transferrin levels aids in the diagnosis of malnutrition, acute inflammation, infection, and red blood cell... Transferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A transferrin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5880 - Transferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... transferrin levels aids in the diagnosis of malnutrition, acute inflammation, infection, and red blood cell... Transferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A transferrin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5880 - Transferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... transferrin levels aids in the diagnosis of malnutrition, acute inflammation, infection, and red blood cell... Transferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A transferrin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5880 - Transferrin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... transferrin levels aids in the diagnosis of malnutrition, acute inflammation, infection, and red blood cell... Transferrin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A transferrin immunological test system is a device...

Setting the proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells co-cultured with canine macrophages infected with Leishmania chagasi.

PubMed

Viana, Kelvinson Fernandes; Aguiar-Soares, Rodrigo Dian Oliveira; Ker, Henrique Gama; Resende, Lucilene Aparecida; Souza-Fagundes, Elaine Maria; Dutra, Walderez Ornelas; Fujiwara, Ricardo Toshio; da Silveira-Lemos, Denise; Sant'Ana, Rita de Cássia Oliveira; Wardini, Amanda Brito; Araújo, Márcio Sobreira Silva; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis; Reis, Alexandre Barbosa; Giunchetti, Rodolfo Cordeiro

2015-07-30

New methods for evaluating the canine immune system are necessary, not only to monitor immunological disorders, but also to provide insights for vaccine evaluations and therapeutic interventions, reducing the costs of assays using dog models, and provide a more rational way for analyzing the canine immune response. The present study intended to establish an in vitro toll to assess the parasitological/immunological status of dogs, applicable in pre-clinical trials of vaccinology, prognosis follow-up and therapeutics analysis of canine visceral leishmaniasis. We have evaluated the performance of co-culture systems of canine Leishmania chagasi-infected macrophages with different cell ratios of total lymphocytes or purified CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from uninfected dogs were used for the system set up. Employing the co-culture systems of L. chagasi-infected macrophages and purified CD4(+) or CD8(+) T-cell subsets we observed a microenvironment compatible with the expected status of the analyzed dogs. In this context, it was clearly demonstrated that, at this selected T-cell:target ratio, the adaptive immune response of uninfected dogs, composed by L. chagasi-unprimed T-cells was not able to perform the in vitro killing of L. chagasi-infected macrophages. Our data demonstrated that the co-culture system with T-cells from uninfected dogs at 1:5 and 1:2 ratio did not control the infection, yielding to patent in vitro parasitism (≥ 80%), low NO production (≤ 5 μM) and IL-10 modulated (IFN-γ/IL-10 ≤ 2) immunological profile in vitro. CD4(+) or CD8(+) T-cells at 1:5 or 1:2 ratio to L. chagasi-infected macrophages seems to be ideal for in vitro assays. This co-culture system may have great potential as a canine immunological analysis method, as well as in vaccine evaluations, prognosis follow-up and therapeutic interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contribution of laboratory methods in diagnosing clinically suspected ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazilian patients.

PubMed

Mattos, Cinara C B; Meira, Cristina S; Ferreira, Ana I C; Frederico, Fábio B; Hiramoto, Roberto M; Almeida, Gildásio C; Mattos, Luiz C; Pereira-Chioccola, Vera L

2011-07-01

This prospective study evaluated the value of laboratorial diagnosis in ocular toxoplasmosis analyzing peripheral blood samples from a group of Brazilian patients by immunologic and molecular methods. We analyzed blood samples from 184 immunocompetent patients with ocular disorders divided into 2 groups: Group I, composed of samples from 49 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis diagnosed by clinical features; Group II, samples from 135 patients with other ocular diseases. Samples were assayed by conventional polymerase chain reaction (cnPCR), real-time PCR (qPCR) for Toxoplasma gondii, indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IF), avidity test (crude tachyzoite lysate as antigen), and excreted-secreted tachyzoite proteins as antigen (ESA-ELISA). cnPCR and qPCR profiles were concordant in all samples. Positive PCR was shown in 40.8% of group I patients. The majority of the positive blood samples (75%) were taken from patients with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis scars, and the others (25%), from patients with retinal exudative lesions. Despite that 86 of the 135 patients from Group II had asymptomatic toxoplasmosis, all DNA blood samples had negative PCR. Concordant results were shown in the data obtained by serologic methods. Around 24% of the patients with ocular toxoplasmosis had high antibody titers determined by ESA-ELISA and IF. Anti-ESA antibodies are shown principally in patients with active infection. Collectively, these data demonstrate the presence of tachyzoites in the blood of patients with chronic infection, supporting the idea of recurrent disease. Circulating parasites in blood of immunocompetent individuals may be associated with the reactivation of the ocular disease. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intensive educational course in allergy and immunology.

PubMed

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

2012-09-01

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

Weak "A" blood subgroup discrimination by a rheo-optical method: a new application of laser backscattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasia, Rodolfo J.; Rasia-Valverde, Juana R.; Stoltz, Jean F.

1996-01-01

Laser backscattering is an excellent tool to investigate size and concentration of suspended particles. It was successfully applied to the analysis of erythrocyte aggregation. A method is proposed that applies laser backscattering to the evaluation of the strength of the immunologic erythrocyte agglutination by approaching the energy required for the mechanical dissociation of agglutinates. Mills and Snabre have proposed a theory of laser backscattering for erythrocyte aggregation analysis. It is applied here to analyze the dissociation process of erythrocyte agglutinates performed by imposing a constant shear rate to the agglutinate suspension in a couette viscometer until a dispersion of isolated red cells is attained. Experimental verifications of the method were performed on the erythrocytes of the ABO group reacting against an anti-A test serum in twofold series dilutions. Spent energy is approached by a numerical process carried out on the backscattered intensity data registered during mechanical dissociation. Velocities of agglutination and dissociation lead to the calculation of dissociation parameters These values are used to evaluate the strength of the immunological reaction and to discriminate weak subgroups of ABO system.

Psychological, immunological and physiological effects of a Laughing Qigong Program (LQP) on adolescents.

PubMed

Chang, Chueh; Tsai, Grace; Hsieh, Chia-Jung

2013-12-01

One objective of this study was to assess the effects of laughter on the psychological, immunological and physiological systems of the body. Another objective was to introduce the Laughing Qigong Program (LQP), as a method of standardization for simulated laughter interventions. A randomized, prospective, experimental study of the LQP was conducted in a group of adolescents (n=67) in Taiwan. During study-hall sessions, experimental subjects (n=34) attended the LQP for eight-weeks. Simultaneously, control subjects (n=33) read or did their homework. All subjects were tested before and after the intervention on the following: Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE), Chinese Humor Scale (CHS) and Face Scale (FS) as psychological markers; saliva cortisol (CS) as an immunological marker; blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) as physiological markers of the body's response to stress. Mood states (FS) were measured before/after each LQP session. Mood states (p=.00) and humor (p=.004; p=.003) improved in the experimental group; no significant changes were found in the controls (p=69; p=60). The immunological marker of stress, cortisol levels, decreased significantly for those who participated in the LQP (p=.001), suggesting lower levels of stress after completion of the program. The LQP is a non-pharmacological and cost-effective means to help adolescents mitigate stresses in their everyday life. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Effect of antiretroviral therapy on clinical and immunologic disease progression in HIV positive children: One-year follow-up study

PubMed Central

Patel, Ankur; Trivedi, Sangeeta S.; Chudasama, Rajesh K.; Patel, Priyanka K.

2012-01-01

Objective: To study the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on clinical, immunologic, and nutritional progression of disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children for 1 year. Materials and Methods: The study included 54 children aged 1.5–15 years who registered at the ART center, Surat, from August 2007 to August 2009. During the study period, the children were followed-up at 6 monthly intervals up to 1 year after starting ART. World Health Organization (WHO) clinical staging and CD4 cell count as per national guidelines, and nutritional status were used to measure clinical and immunologic progression of disease up to 1 year. Results: Out of 54 children, mother-to-child transmission was reported in 96.2% children; for 74% of the children, both parents were HIV positive. All the children were classified according to WHO clinical staging into 4 stages and as per CD4 cell count (%), followed up at 6 and 12 months and the benefits with ART reported. At 12 months follow-up, 15% of the study group children had died. Both mean CD4 count and a relative percentage showed significant increase (P < 0.01) in the study group 1 year after ART. Conclusion: The present study reports benefits of ART in terms of clinical and immunologic progression of disease, nutritional status of HIV-infected children after 1 year of ART. PMID:23230384

Pediatric allergy and immunology in Turkey.

PubMed

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

2011-06-01

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

The Immunological Genome Project: networks of gene expression in immune cells.

PubMed

Heng, Tracy S P; Painter, Michio W

2008-10-01

The Immunological Genome Project combines immunology and computational biology laboratories in an effort to establish a complete 'road map' of gene-expression and regulatory networks in all immune cells.

Immunology of malignant diseases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Byers, V.S.; Baldwin, R.W.

1987-01-01

This book contains 11 chapters. Some of the chapter titles are: Immunoscintigraphy: tumor detection with radiolabelled antitumor monoclonal antibodies; Bone marrow transplantation; Immunomodulating agents; Immunology in bowel cancer; Melanoma; and Immunological features of human bladder cancer.

WASp-dependent actin cytoskeleton stability at the dendritic cell immunological synapse is required for extensive, functional T cell contacts.

PubMed

Malinova, Dessislava; Fritzsche, Marco; Nowosad, Carla R; Armer, Hannah; Munro, Peter M G; Blundell, Michael P; Charras, Guillaume; Tolar, Pavel; Bouma, Gerben; Thrasher, Adrian J

2016-05-01

The immunological synapse is a highly structured and molecularly dynamic interface between communicating immune cells. Although the immunological synapse promotes T cell activation by dendritic cells, the specific organization of the immunological synapse on the dendritic cell side in response to T cell engagement is largely unknown. In this study, confocal and electron microscopy techniques were used to investigate the role of dendritic cell actin regulation in immunological synapse formation, stabilization, and function. In the dendritic cell-restricted absence of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, an important regulator of the actin cytoskeleton in hematopoietic cells, the immunological synapse contact with T cells occupied a significantly reduced surface area. At a molecular level, the actin network localized to the immunological synapse exhibited reduced stability, in particular, of the actin-related protein-2/3-dependent, short-filament network. This was associated with decreased polarization of dendritic cell-associated ICAM-1 and MHC class II, which was partially dependent on Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein phosphorylation. With the use of supported planar lipid bilayers incorporating anti-ICAM-1 and anti-MHC class II antibodies, the dendritic cell actin cytoskeleton organized into recognizable synaptic structures but interestingly, formed Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein-dependent podosomes within this area. These findings demonstrate that intrinsic dendritic cell cytoskeletal remodeling is a key regulatory component of normal immunological synapse formation, likely through consolidation of adhesive interaction and modulation of immunological synapse stability. © The Author(s).

Current trends of reproductive immunology practices in in vitro fertilization (IVF) - a first world survey using IVF-Worldwide.com.

PubMed

Kwak-Kim, Joanne; Han, Ae Ra; Gilman-Sachs, Alice; Fishel, Simon; Leong, Milton; Shoham, Zeev

2013-01-01

Reproductive immunology has evolved from basic research studies to clinical applications. In this study, we aim to investigate the actual application of reproductive immunology concepts and findings in clinical reproductive medicine such as recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL), repeated implantation failures (RIF), and failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. A web-based survey was performed on IVF-Worldwide.com. Collected data were analyzed by the computerized software. A significant proportion of physicians recommend thrombophilia workups (86%), parental genetic study (79%), and immunologic evaluations (69%) to IVF candidates who have a history of RPL or chemical pregnancy losses. IVF physicians consider an immunologic workup when patients have two (30%) or three (21%) failed IVF cycles. Assays for anticardiolipin antibody, lupus anticoagulant, thyroid peroxidase antibody, and antinuclear antibody are the four most commonly ordered immunologic tests for RPL (88, 84, 50, 47% each) and RIF (68, 63, 38, 38% each). Cellular immune evaluations, such as NK assay, human leukocyte antigen study, Th1/Th2 study or immunophenotype assay, are less commonly ordered. Reproductive immunology principles have been applied to the clinical management of RPL, RIF, and failed IVF cycles, and a significant proportion of IVF physicians acknowledge the importance of immunologic alterations with reproductive outcomes. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Immunologically-based methods for detecting masked mycotoxins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Masked mycotoxins are generally described as including unknown mycotoxins, non-extractable forms of known mycotoxins, or untargeted forms of known mycotoxins. Immunoassays can be developed with either broad cross-reaction to mycotoxin congeners or with high selectivity for a particular toxin. The re...

A Very Low Geno2pheno False Positive Rate Is Associated with Poor Viro-Immunological Response in Drug-Naïve Patients Starting a First-Line HAART

PubMed Central

Armenia, Daniele; Soulie, Cathia; Di Carlo, Domenico; Fabeni, Lavinia; Gori, Caterina; Forbici, Federica; Svicher, Valentina; Bertoli, Ada; Sarmati, Loredana; Giuliani, Massimo; Latini, Alessandra; Boumis, Evangelo; Zaccarelli, Mauro; Bellagamba, Rita; Andreoni, Massimo; Marcelin, Anne-Geneviève; Calvez, Vincent; Antinori, Andrea; Ceccherini-Silberstein, Francesca; Perno, Carlo-Federico; Santoro, Maria Mercedes

2014-01-01

Background We previously found that a very low geno2pheno false positive rate (FPR ≤2%) defines a viral population associated with low CD4 cell count and the highest amount of X4-quasispecies. In this study, we aimed at evaluating whether FPR ≤2% might impact on the viro-immunological response in HIV-1 infected patients starting a first-line HAART. Methods The analysis was performed on 305 HIV-1 B subtype infected drug-naïve patients who started their first-line HAART. Baseline FPR (%) values were stratified according to the following ranges: ≤2; 2–5; 5–10; 10–20; 20–60; >60. The impact of genotypically-inferred tropism on the time to achieve immunological reconstitution (a CD4 cell count gain from HAART initiation ≥150 cells/mm3) and on the time to achieve virological success (the first HIV-RNA measurement <50 copies/mL from HAART initiation) was evaluated by survival analyses. Results Overall, at therapy start, 27% of patients had FPR ≤10 (6%, FPR ≤2; 7%, FPR 2–5; 14%, FPR 5–10). By 12 months of therapy the rate of immunological reconstitution was overall 75.5%, and it was significantly lower for FPR ≤2 (54.1%) in comparison to other FPR ranks (78.8%, FPR 2–5; 77.5%, FPR 5–10; 71.7%, FPR 10–20; 81.8%, FPR 20–60; 75.1%, FPR >60; p = 0.008). The overall proportion of patients achieving virological success was 95.5% by 12 months of therapy. Multivariable Cox analyses showed that patients having pre-HAART FPR ≤2% had a significant lower relative adjusted hazard [95% C.I.] both to achieve immunological reconstitution (0.37 [0.20–0.71], p = 0.003) and to achieve virological success (0.50 [0.26–0.94], p = 0.031) than those with pre-HAART FPR >60%. Conclusions Beyond the genotypically-inferred tropism determination, FPR ≤2% predicts both a poor immunological reconstitution and a lower virological response in drug-naïve patients who started their first-line therapy. This parameter could be useful to identify patients potentially with less chance of achieving adequate immunological reconstitution and virological undetectability. PMID:25153969

Systemic inflammatory response after endoscopic (TEP) vs Shouldice groin hernia repair.

PubMed

Schwab, R; Eissele, S; Brückner, U B; Gebhard, F; Becker, H P

2004-08-01

Endoscopic techniques are commonly used for many different types of surgery. It is claimed that videoendoscopic procedures have the advantage of being less traumatic and of offering higher postoperative patient comfort than conventional open techniques. The extent of tissue trauma can be evaluated on the basis of the inflammatory response observed in the wake of surgery. Available studies that have compared endoscopic and conventional techniques suggest that endoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic colorectal resection, and thoracoscopic pulmonary resection have immunologic advantages over conventional approaches. The objective of this prospective study was to determine whether endoscopic hernia repair techniques are also preferable to conventional procedures and to what extent the anesthetic technique (local or general anesthesia) influences the postoperative inflammatory response. For this purpose, biochemical monitoring of cytokine activity [C-reactive protein (CRP), prostaglandin F1alpha (PGF1alpha), neopterin, interleukin-6 (IL-6)] was done prospectively in 101 patients [totally extraperitoneal approach (TEP) n=32, unilateral n=12, bilateral n=20; Shouldice n=69, local anesthesia (LA) n=23, general anesthesia (GA) n=46] before and until 3 days after surgery. The parameters IL-6 and PGF1alpha suggested that the immune trauma immediately after surgery was significantly higher in the group of patients with endoscopic hernia repair than in the group of patients who received a Shouldice repair. No significant differences were observed after the first postoperative day. A comparison between the TEP group and the patients who received conventional surgery under local anesthesia showed that the TEP approach was also associated with a higher postoperative neopterin level. Within the first 3 days after surgical intervention, bilateral endoscopic hernia repair induced no significantly higher inflammatory response than the surgical treatment of unilateral conditions. The anesthetic procedure that was used in the Shouldice operation had no significant effect on inflammatory response. Unlike other types of endoscopic surgery, the repair of groin hernias using an endoscopic technique cannot be regarded as a minimally invasive procedure that is less traumatic than conventional approaches. Instead, the conventional Shouldice procedure appears to cause the lowest inflammatory response and to be the least traumatic approach to hernia repair, especially when it is performed under local anesthesia.

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

PubMed

Du, MeiRong; Piao, HaiLan; Li, DaJin

2014-03-01

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

Long-term immunologic and virologic responses on raltegravir-containing regimens among ART-experienced participants in the HIV Outpatient Study

PubMed Central

Buchacz, Kate; Wiegand, Ryan; Armon, Carl; Chmiel, Joan S.; Wood, Kathleen; Brooks, John T.; Palella, Frank J.

2015-01-01

Objectives Raltegravir (RAL)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) produced better immunologic and virologic responses than optimized background ART in clinical trials of heavily ART-experienced patients, but few data exist on long-term outcomes in routine HIV care. Methods We studied ART-experienced HIV outpatient study (HOPS) participants seen at 10 US HIV-specialty clinics during 2007–2011. We identified patients who started (baseline date) either continuous ≥30 days of RAL-containing or RAL-sparing ART, and used propensity score (PS) matching methods to account for baseline clinical and demographic differences. We used Kaplan–Meier methods and log-rank tests for the matched subsets to evaluate probability of death, achieving HIV RNA <50 copies/ml, and CD4 cell count (CD4) increase of ≥50 cells mm−3 during follow-up. Results Among 784 RAL-exposed and 1062 RAL-unexposed patients, 472 from each group were matched by PS. At baseline, the 472 RAL-exposed patients (mean nadir CD4, 205 cells mm−3; mean baseline CD4, 460 cells mm−3; HIV RNA <50 copies ml−1 in 61%; mean years on prescribed ART, 7.5) were similar to RAL unexposed. During a mean follow-up of over 3 years, mortality rates and immunologic and virologic trajectories did not differ between the two groups. Among patients with detectable baseline HIV RNA levels, 76% of RAL-exposed and 63% of RAL-unexposed achieved HIV RNA <50 copies ml−1 (P=0.51); 69 and 58%, respectively, achieved a CD4 increase ≥50 cells mm−3 (P=0.70). Discussion In our large cohort of US ART-experienced patients with a wide spectrum of clinical history, similar outcomes were observed when prescribed RAL containing versus other contemporary ART. PMID:26126549

FRED 2: an immunoinformatics framework for Python

PubMed Central

Schubert, Benjamin; Walzer, Mathias; Brachvogel, Hans-Philipp; Szolek, András; Mohr, Christopher; Kohlbacher, Oliver

2016-01-01

Summary: Immunoinformatics approaches are widely used in a variety of applications from basic immunological to applied biomedical research. Complex data integration is inevitable in immunological research and usually requires comprehensive pipelines including multiple tools and data sources. Non-standard input and output formats of immunoinformatics tools make the development of such applications difficult. Here we present FRED 2, an open-source immunoinformatics framework offering easy and unified access to methods for epitope prediction and other immunoinformatics applications. FRED 2 is implemented in Python and designed to be extendable and flexible to allow rapid prototyping of complex applications. Availability and implementation: FRED 2 is available at http://fred-2.github.io Contact: schubert@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:27153717

FRED 2: an immunoinformatics framework for Python.

PubMed

Schubert, Benjamin; Walzer, Mathias; Brachvogel, Hans-Philipp; Szolek, András; Mohr, Christopher; Kohlbacher, Oliver

2016-07-01

Immunoinformatics approaches are widely used in a variety of applications from basic immunological to applied biomedical research. Complex data integration is inevitable in immunological research and usually requires comprehensive pipelines including multiple tools and data sources. Non-standard input and output formats of immunoinformatics tools make the development of such applications difficult. Here we present FRED 2, an open-source immunoinformatics framework offering easy and unified access to methods for epitope prediction and other immunoinformatics applications. FRED 2 is implemented in Python and designed to be extendable and flexible to allow rapid prototyping of complex applications. FRED 2 is available at http://fred-2.github.io schubert@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

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

PubMed

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

2017-10-01

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

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

PubMed

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

2016-10-01

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

Effect of Processing Intensity on Immunologically Active Bovine Milk Serum Proteins.

PubMed

Brick, Tabea; Ege, Markus; Boeren, Sjef; Böck, Andreas; von Mutius, Erika; Vervoort, Jacques; Hettinga, Kasper

2017-08-31

Consumption of raw cow's milk instead of industrially processed milk has been reported to protect children from developing asthma, allergies, and respiratory infections. Several heat-sensitive milk serum proteins have been implied in this effect though unbiased assessment of milk proteins in general is missing. The aim of this study was to compare the native milk serum proteome between raw cow's milk and various industrially applied processing methods, i.e., homogenization, fat separation, pasteurization, ultra-heat treatment (UHT), treatment for extended shelf-life (ESL), and conventional boiling. Each processing method was applied to the same three pools of raw milk. Levels of detectable proteins were quantified by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry following filter aided sample preparation. In total, 364 milk serum proteins were identified. The 140 proteins detectable in 66% of all samples were entered in a hierarchical cluster analysis. The resulting proteomics pattern separated mainly as high (boiling, UHT, ESL) versus no/low heat treatment (raw, skimmed, pasteurized). Comparing these two groups revealed 23 individual proteins significantly reduced by heating, e.g., lactoferrin (log2-fold change = -0.37, p = 0.004), lactoperoxidase (log2-fold change = -0.33, p = 0.001), and lactadherin (log2-fold change = -0.22, p = 0.020). The abundance of these heat sensitive proteins found in higher quantity in native cow's milk compared to heat treated milk, renders them potential candidates for protection from asthma, allergies, and respiratory infections.

Viral Load Predicts New World Health Organization Stage 3 and 4 Events in HIV-Infected Children Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, Independent of CD4 T Lymphocyte Value

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Ricardo; Krauss, Margot; Essama-Bibi, Suzanne; Hofer, Cristina; Harris, D. Robert; Tiraboschi, Adriana; de Souza, Ricardo; Marques, Heloisa; Succi, Regina; Abreu, Thalita; Della Negra, Marinella; Hazra, Rohan; Mofenson, Lynne M.; Siberry, George K.

2010-01-01

Background. Many resource-limited countries rely on clinical and immunological monitoring without routine virological monitoring for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We assessed whether HIV load had independent predictive value in the presence of immunological and clinical data for the occurrence of new World Health Organization (WHO) stage 3 or 4 events (hereafter, WHO events) among HIV-infected children receiving HAART in Latin America. Methods. The NISDI (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development International Site Development Initiative) Pediatric Protocol is an observational cohort study designed to describe HIV-related outcomes among infected children. Eligibility criteria for this analysis included perinatal infection, age <15 years, and continuous HAART for ≥6 months. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess time to new WHO events as a function of immunological status, viral load, hemoglobin level, and potential confounding variables; laboratory tests repeated during the study were treated as time-varying predictors. Results. The mean duration of follow-up was 2.5 years; new WHO events occurred in 92 (15.8%) of 584 children. In proportional hazards modeling, most recent viral load >5000 copies/mL was associated with a nearly doubled risk of developing a WHO event (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–3.11; P = .033), even after adjustment for immunological status defined on the basis of CD4 T lymphocyte value, hemoglobin level, age, and body mass index. Conclusions. Routine virological monitoring using the WHO virological failure threshold of 5000 copies/mL adds independent predictive value to immunological and clinical assessments for identification of children receiving HAART who are at risk for significant HIV-related illness. To provide optimal care, periodic virological monitoring should be considered for all settings that provide HAART to children. PMID:21039218

Research statistics in Atopic Eczema: what disease is this?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Atopic eczema is a common and distressing disease. This study aims to review PubMed indexed research statistics on atopic eczema over a-10 year period to investigate the clinical relevance and research interest about this disease. Methods PubMed (a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine) was searched for the terms “atopic dermatitis” and “eczema”, with limits activated (Humans, Clinical Trial, Meta-Analysis, Randomized Controlled Trial, English, published in the last 10 years), and editorials, letters, practice guidelines, reviews, and animal studies excluded. Journal impact factor (IF) is in accordance with Journal Citation Report (JCR) 2009, a product of Thomson ISI (Institute for Scientific Information). Results A total of 890 articles were retrieved. Taking out publications that were irrelevant and those without an impact factor, 729 articles were obtained. These articles were grouped into dermatology (n = 337, mean IF: 3.01), allergy/immunology (n = 215, mean IF: 4.89), pediatrics (n = 118, mean IF: 2.53) and miscellaneous subject categories (n = 142, mean IF: 5.10). The impact factors were highest in the miscellaneous category (p = 0.0001), which includes such prestigious journals as the New England journal of Medicine (n = 1, IF: 47.05), the Lancet (n = 4, IF: 30.76) and BMJ (n = 6, IF: 13.66). There was no publication in any family medicine or general practice journal. The British Journal of Dermatology (n = 78), Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (n = 49) and Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (n = 46) had the highest number of publications on the subject. Atopic eczema ranked higher in impact factors in allergy/immunology although more publications appeared in the dermatology category. Conclusions Atopic eczema is a multidisciplinary disease. Its clinical relevance and research interests are definitely beyond that of a mere cutaneous disease. Investigators may consider allergy/immunology and miscellaneous journal categories for higher impact of their research. PMID:22682479

Antiretroviral therapy suppressed participants with low CD4+ T-cell counts segregate according to opposite immunological phenotypes

PubMed Central

Pérez-Santiago, Josué; Ouchi, Dan; Urrea, Victor; Carrillo, Jorge; Cabrera, Cecilia; Villà-Freixa, Jordi; Puig, Jordi; Paredes, Roger; Negredo, Eugènia; Clotet, Bonaventura; Massanella, Marta; Blanco, Julià

2016-01-01

Background: The failure to increase CD4+ T-cell counts in some antiretroviral therapy suppressed participants (immunodiscordance) has been related to perturbed CD4+ T-cell homeostasis and impacts clinical evolution. Methods: We evaluated different definitions of immunodiscordance based on CD4+ T-cell counts (cutoff) or CD4+ T-cell increases from nadir value (ΔCD4) using supervised random forest classification of 74 immunological and clinical variables from 196 antiretroviral therapy suppressed individuals. Unsupervised clustering was performed using relevant variables identified in the supervised approach from 191 individuals. Results: Cutoff definition of CD4+ cell count 400 cells/μl performed better than any other definition in segregating immunoconcordant and immunodiscordant individuals (85% accuracy), using markers of activation, nadir and death of CD4+ T cells. Unsupervised clustering of relevant variables using this definition revealed large heterogeneity between immunodiscordant individuals and segregated participants into three distinct subgroups with distinct production, programmed cell-death protein-1 (PD-1) expression, activation and death of T cells. Surprisingly, a nonnegligible number of immunodiscordant participants (22%) showed high frequency of recent thymic emigrants and low CD4+ T-cell activation and death, very similar to immunoconcordant participants. Notably, human leukocyte antigen - antigen D related (HLA-DR) PD-1 and CD45RA expression in CD4+ T cells allowed reproducing subgroup segregation (81.4% accuracy). Despite sharp immunological differences, similar and persistently low CD4+ values were maintained in these participants over time. Conclusion: A cutoff value of CD4+ T-cell count 400 cells/μl classified better immunodiscordant and immunoconcordant individuals than any ΔCD4 classification. Immunodiscordance may present several, even opposite, immunological patterns that are identified by a simple immunological follow-up. Subgroup classification may help clinicians to delineate diverse approaches that may be needed to boost CD4+ T-cell recovery. PMID:27427875

Tolerance without clonal expansion: self-antigen-expressing B cells program self-reactive T cells for future deletion.

PubMed

Frommer, Friederike; Heinen, Tobias J A J; Wunderlich, F Thomas; Yogev, Nir; Buch, Thorsten; Roers, Axel; Bettelli, Estelle; Müller, Werner; Anderton, Stephen M; Waisman, Ari

2008-10-15

B cells have been shown in various animal models to induce immunological tolerance leading to reduced immune responses and protection from autoimmunity. We show that interaction of B cells with naive T cells results in T cell triggering accompanied by the expression of negative costimulatory molecules such as PD-1, CTLA-4, B and T lymphocyte attenuator, and CD5. Following interaction with B cells, T cells were not induced to proliferate, in a process that was dependent on their expression of PD-1 and CTLA-4, but not CD5. In contrast, the T cells became sensitive to Ag-induced cell death. Our results demonstrate that B cells participate in the homeostasis of the immune system by ablation of conventional self-reactive T cells.

Maternal T-cell engraftment impedes with diagnosis of a SCID-ADA patient.

PubMed

Lanfranchi, Arnalda; Lougaris, Vassilios; Notarangelo, Lucia Dora; Soncini, Elena; Comini, Marta; Beghin, Alessandra; Bolda, Federica; Montanelli, Alessandro; Imberti, Luisa; Porta, Fulvio

2018-02-02

We describe the case of a child affected by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency showing a maternal T-cell engraftment, a finding that has never been reported before. The presence of engrafted maternal T cells was misleading. Although ADA enzymatic levels were suggestive of ADA-SCID, the child did not present the classical signs of ADA deficiency; therefore, the initial diagnosis was of a conventional SCID. However, ADA toxic metabolites and molecular characterization confirmed this diagnosis. Polyethylene glycol-modified bovine (PEG) ADA therapy progressively decreased the number of maternal engrafted T cells. The child was grafted with full bone marrow from a matched unrelated donor, after a reduced conditioning regimen, and the result was the complete immunological reconstitution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Boolean Networks in Inference and Dynamic Modeling of Biological Systems at the Molecular and Physiological Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakar, Juilee; Albert, Réka

The following sections are included: * Introduction * Boolean Network Concepts and History * Extensions of the Classical Boolean Framework * Boolean Inference Methods and Examples in Biology * Dynamic Boolean Models: Examples in Plant Biology, Developmental Biology and Immunology * Conclusions * References

Immunology-directed methods for distributed robotics: a novel immunity-based architecture for robust control and coordination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Surya P. N.; Thayer, Scott M.

2002-02-01

This paper presents a novel algorithmic architecture for the coordination and control of large scale distributed robot teams derived from the constructs found within the human immune system. Using this as a guide, the Immunology-derived Distributed Autonomous Robotics Architecture (IDARA) distributes tasks so that broad, all-purpose actions are refined and followed by specific and mediated responses based on each unit's utility and capability to timely address the system's perceived need(s). This method improves on initial developments in this area by including often overlooked interactions of the innate immune system resulting in a stronger first-order, general response mechanism. This allows for rapid reactions in dynamic environments, especially those lacking significant a priori information. As characterized via computer simulation of a of a self-healing mobile minefield having up to 7,500 mines and 2,750 robots, IDARA provides an efficient, communications light, and scalable architecture that yields significant operation and performance improvements for large-scale multi-robot coordination and control.

Immunology for physicists

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perelson, A.S.; Weisbuch, G.

1997-10-01

The immune system is a complex system of cells and molecules that can provide us with a basic defense against pathogenic organisms. Like the nervous system, the immune system performs pattern recognition tasks, learns, and retains a memory of the antigens that it has fought. The immune system contains more than 10{sup 7} different clones of cells that communicate via cell-cell contact and the secretion of molecules. Performing complex tasks such as learning and memory involves cooperation among large numbers of components of the immune system and hence there is interest in using methods and concepts from statistical physics. Furthermore,more » the immune response develops in time and the description of its time evolution is an interesting problem in dynamical systems. In this paper, the authors provide a brief introduction to the biology of the immune system and discuss a number of immunological problems in which the use of physical concepts and mathematical methods has increased our understanding. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious... immunochemical techniques heterophile antibodies frequently associated with infectious mononucleosis in serum...

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious... immunochemical techniques heterophile antibodies frequently associated with infectious mononucleosis in serum...

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious... immunochemical techniques heterophile antibodies frequently associated with infectious mononucleosis in serum...

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious... immunochemical techniques heterophile antibodies frequently associated with infectious mononucleosis in serum...

21 CFR 866.5640 - Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system....5640 Infectious mononucleosis immunological test system. (a) Identification. An infectious... immunochemical techniques heterophile antibodies frequently associated with infectious mononucleosis in serum...

Fluoro-luminometric real-time measurement of bacterial viability and killing.

PubMed

Lehtinen, Janne; Virta, Marko; Lilius, Esa Matti

2003-10-01

The viability and killing of Escherichia coli was measured on a real-time basis using a fluoro-luminometric device, which allows successive measurements of fluorescence and bioluminescence without user intervention. Bacteria were made fluorescent and bioluminescent by expression of gfp and insect luciferase (lucFF) genes. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a highly fluorescent, extremely stable protein, which accumulates in cells during growth, and therefore the measured fluorescence signal was proportional to the total number of cells. The luciferase reaction is dependent of ATP produced by living cells, so that the bioluminescence level was a direct measure of the viable cells. In contrast to the bacterial luciferase, the insect luciferase uses a water-soluble and nonvolatile substrate, which makes automated multi-well microplate assay possible. For the validation of the assay, the proportion of living and dead cell populations was experimentally modified by incubating E. coli cells in the presence of various ethanol concentrations. Bacterial viability and killing measured by a fluoro-luminometric assay correlated fairly well with the reference methods: conventional plate counting, optical density measurement and various flow cytometric analyses. The real-time assay described here allows following the changes in bacterial cultures and assessing the bactericidal and other effects of various chemical, immunological and physical agents simultaneously in large numbers of samples.

The unique resistance and resilience of the Nigerian West African Dwarf goat to gastrointestinal nematode infections

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background West African Dwarf (WAD) goats serve an important role in the rural village economy of West Africa, especially among small-holder livestock owners. They have been shown to be trypanotolerant and to resist infections with Haemonchus contortus more effectively than any other known breed of goat. Methods In this paper we review what is known about the origins of this goat breed, explain its economic importance in rural West Africa and review the current status of our knowledge about its ability to resist parasitic infections. Conclusions We suggest that its unique capacity to show both trypanotolerance and resistance to gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections is immunologically based and genetically endowed, and that knowledge of the underlying genes could be exploited to improve the capacity of more productive wool and milk producing, but GI nematode susceptible, breeds of goats to resist infection, without recourse to anthelmintics. Either conventional breeding allowing introgression of resistance alleles into susceptible breeds, or transgenesis could be exploited for this purpose. Appropriate legal protection of the resistance alleles of WAD goats might provide a much needed source of revenue for the countries in West Africa where the WAD goats exist and where currently living standards among rural populations are among the lowest in the world. PMID:21291550

Transcutaneous vaccination via laser microporation

PubMed Central

Weiss, Richard; Hessenberger, Michael; Kitzmüller, Sophie; Bach, Doris; Weinberger, Esther E.; Krautgartner, Wolf D.; Hauser-Kronberger, Cornelia; Malissen, Bernard; Boehler, Christof; Kalia, Yogeshvar N.; Thalhamer, Josef; Scheiblhofer, Sandra

2012-01-01

Driven by constantly increasing knowledge about skin immunology, vaccine delivery via the cutaneous route has recently gained renewed interest. Considering its richness in immunocompetent cells, targeting antigens to the skin is considered to be more effective than intramuscular or subcutaneous injections. However, circumvention of the superficial layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, represents the major challenge for cutaneous immunization. An optimal delivery method has to be effective and reliable, but also highly adaptable to specific demands, should avoid the use of hypodermic needles and the requirement of specially trained healthcare workers. The P.L.E.A.S.E.® (Precise Laser Epidermal System) device employed in this study for creation of aqueous micropores in the skin fulfills these prerequisites by combining the precision of its laser scanning technology with the flexibility to vary the number, density and the depth of the micropores in a user-friendly manner. We investigated the potential of transcutaneous immunization via laser-generated micropores for induction of specific immune responses and compared the outcomes to conventional subcutaneous injection. By targeting different layers of the skin we were able to bias polarization of T cells, which could be modulated by addition of adjuvants. The P.L.E.A.S.E.® device represents a highly effective and versatile platform for transcutaneous vaccination. PMID:22750193

An autoantibody in narcolepsy disrupts colonic migrating motor complexes.

PubMed

Jackson, Michael W; Reed, Joanne H; Smith, Anthony J F; Gordon, Tom P

2008-12-03

Despite strong circumstantial evidence for the autoimmune hypothesis of narcolepsy, conventional immunological methods have failed to detect an autoantibody. This study investigated the real-time effects of narcoleptic immunoglobulins on a spontaneous colonic migrating motor complex (CMMC) preparation. IgG from patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy or healthy controls was added directly to isolated mouse colons undergoing CMMC activity to test for autoantibodies that disrupt colonic motility. The effect of immunoglobulins prepared for clinical intravenous treatment (IVIg) on autoantibody-mediated colonic disruption was also assessed. Narcoleptic IgGs markedly reduced the frequency of CMMCs or irreversibly abolished them. Abrogation of CMMCs was followed by an increase in the resting tension of the colon preparation and appearance of atropine-sensitive phasic smooth muscle contractions. IVIg partially neutralized the inhibitory effect of narcoleptic IgG on the CMMCs. The dramatic effect of narcoleptic IgG on CMMC generation is consistent with an autoantibody-mediated disruption of enteric neural pathways. The ex vivo whole-organ approach allows real-time examination of the physiological effects of the narcoleptic autoantibody and offers a new avenue for exploring the autoimmune basis of narcolepsy. The neutralizing effect of IVIg on the autoantibody provides a rationale for the reported clinical improvement in cataplexy when IVIg are given at disease onset.

Birth of the science of immunology.

PubMed

Schmalstieg, Frank C; Goldman, Armond S

2010-05-01

The science of immunology emerged in the last of the 19th and the first of the 20th century. Substantial progress in physics, chemistry and microbiology was essential for its development. Indeed, microorganisms became one of the principal investigative tools of the major founders of that science - Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Ilya Ilich Metchnikoff, Paul Ehrlich and Jules Bordet. It is pertinent that these pioneering scientists were born when questioning and exploration were encouraged because of the legacies of the previous century of enlightenment. Mentors greatly aided their development. Their discoveries were shaped by their individual personalities. In turn they developed other contributors to the nascent field. Their discoveries included the types of leukocytes, the roles of neutrophils in inflammation and defence, cellular lysis due to complement, the principles of humoral and cellular immunology, passive and active immunization, tissue antigens, anaphylaxis, anaphylactoid reactions and autoimmunity. Their work formed the basis of modern immunology that developed many decades later. Immunology has enormously impacted our understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of infections, immune-mediated disorders and inflammation. Burgeoning advances forecast further important clinical applications of immunology. Yet, their applications will be problematic because few physicians sufficiently understand the science. We propose that understanding modern immunology requires a grasp of how that science developed - who made the discoveries, how they were made, their successes and failures, their interactions and debates all reveal the foundation of modern immunology.

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

PubMed

Brick, C; Atouf, O; Essakalli, M

2016-05-01

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

Multiphoton microscopy of antigen presenting cells in experimental cancer therapies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watkins, Simon C.; Papworth, Glenn D.; Spencer, Lori A.; Larregina, Adriana T.; Hackstein, Holger

2002-06-01

The absence of effective conventional therapy for most cancer patients justifies the application of novel, experimental approaches. One alternative to conventional cytotoxic agents is a more defined molecular approach for cancer immune treatment; promotion of the immune system specifically to target and eliminate tumor cells on the basis of expression of tumor-associated antigens (TAA). TAA could be presented to T-cells by professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) that generate a more efficient and effective anti-tumor immune response. In fact, it has been well documented that dendritic cells, the most immunologically potent APC, are capable of recognizing, processing and presenting TAA, in turn initiating a specific antitumor immune response. Results from several laboratories and clinical trials suggested significant but still limited efficacy of TAA-pulsed dendritic cells administered to tumor-bearing hosts. Following such delivery, it is fundamentally necessary to dynamically assess cell abundance within the microenvironment of the tumor in the presence of the appropriate therapeutic agent. Multiphoton microscopy was used to assess the trafficking of pulsed dendritic cells and other APC in skin, lymph nodes and brain of several animal tumor models, following different routes of administration.

Methotrexate therapy for chronic noninfectious uveitis: analysis of a case series of 160 patients.

PubMed

Samson, C M; Waheed, N; Baltatzis, S; Foster, C S

2001-06-01

To evaluate the outcomes of patients with chronic noninfectious uveitis unresponsive to conventional antiinflammatory therapy who were treated with methotrexate. Retrospective noncomparative interventional case series. All patients with chronic noninfectious uveitis treated with methotrexate at a single institution from 1985 to 1999. Charts of patients seen on the Ocular Immunology & Uveitis Service at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary were reviewed. Patients with chronic uveitis of noninfectious origin treated with methotrexate were included in the study. Control of inflammation, steroid-sparing effect, visual acuity, adverse reactions. A total of 160 patients met the inclusion criteria. Control of inflammation was achieved in 76.2% of patients. Steroid-sparing effect was achieved in 56% of patients. Visual acuity was maintained or improved in 90% of patients. Side effects requiring discontinuation of medication occurred in 18% of patients. Potentially serious adverse reactions occurred in only 8.1% of patients. There was neither long-term morbidity nor mortality caused by methotrexate. Methotrexate is effective in the treatment of chronic noninfectious uveitis that fails to respond to conventional steroid treatment. It is an effective steroid-sparing immunomodulator, is a safe medication, and is well tolerated.

Therapeutics for Graft-versus-Host Disease: From Conventional Therapies to Novel Virotherapeutic Strategies.

PubMed

Villa, Nancy Y; Rahman, Masmudur M; McFadden, Grant; Cogle, Christopher R

2016-03-22

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has a curative potential for many hematologic malignancies and blood diseases. However, the success of allo-HSCT is limited by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), an immunological syndrome that involves inflammation and tissue damage mediated by donor lymphocytes. Despite immune suppression, GVHD is highly incident even after allo-HSCT using human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors. Therefore, alternative and more effective therapies are needed to prevent or control GVHD while preserving the beneficial graft-versus-cancer (GVC) effects against residual disease. Among novel therapeutics for GVHD, oncolytic viruses such as myxoma virus (MYXV) are receiving increased attention due to their dual role in controlling GVHD while preserving or augmenting GVC. This review focuses on the molecular basis of GVHD, as well as state-of-the-art advances in developing novel therapies to prevent or control GVHD while minimizing impact on GVC. Recent literature regarding conventional and the emerging therapies are summarized, with special emphasis on virotherapy to prevent GVHD. Recent advances using preclinical models with oncolytic viruses such as MYXV to ameliorate the deleterious consequences of GVHD, while maintaining or improving the anti-cancer benefits of GVC will be reviewed.

Inflammatory bowel disease therapy: blockade of cytokines and cytokine signaling pathways.

PubMed

Yamamoto-Furusho, Jesus K

2018-07-01

Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients can vary depending on the degree of response, lack of response or intolerance to conventional or biological agents aimed at blocking various cytokines or integrins. Recent therapies targeting several cytokines were reviewed to evaluate efficacy in IBD patients. Ustekinumab is an interleukin inhibitor which blocks the p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23 axis and is already approved for the treatment of Crohn's disease patients, specially those who had inadequate response or intolerance to conventional treatment with anti-TNF-α agents. Several treatments have been developed that are focused on the blockade of specific cytokines such as IL-6, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, IL-23 and a chemokine named IFN-γ-inducible protein-10 as well as some oral small-molecule inhibitors of intracellular cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases like tofacitinib, filgotinib and upadacitinib. Several biologics blocking different and specific cytokines and oral small molecule agents have been and are being evaluated in IBD patients. A comprehensive understanding of the underlying immunological mechanisms will allow to develop effective and safe agents that inhibit one or more cytokines to improve the outcome in patients with IBD.

21 CFR 866.5090 - Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... immunochemical techniques the antimitochondrial antibodies in human serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of diseases that produce a spectrum of autoantibodies (antibodies produced against the body's own... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

21 CFR 866.5120 - Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and autoimmune connective tissue diseases (diseases resulting from antibodies produced against the body's own...

21 CFR 866.5120 - Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and autoimmune connective tissue diseases (diseases resulting from antibodies produced against the body's own...

21 CFR 866.5120 - Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and autoimmune connective tissue diseases (diseases resulting from antibodies produced against the body's own...

21 CFR 866.5090 - Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... immunochemical techniques the antimitochondrial antibodies in human serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of diseases that produce a spectrum of autoantibodies (antibodies produced against the body's own... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

21 CFR 866.5090 - Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... immunochemical techniques the antimitochondrial antibodies in human serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of diseases that produce a spectrum of autoantibodies (antibodies produced against the body's own... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test...

The ninth international veterinary immunology symposium

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

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

Diagnostic procedures in tularaemia with special focus on molecular and immunological techniques.

PubMed

Splettstoesser, W D; Tomaso, H; Al Dahouk, S; Neubauer, H; Schuff-Werner, P

2005-08-01

Tularaemia is a severe bacterial zoonosis caused by the highly infectious agent Francisella tularensis. It is endemic in countries of the northern hemisphere ranging from North America to Europe, Asia and Japan. Very recently, Francisella-like strains causing disease in humans were described from tropical northern Australia. In the last decade, efforts have been made to develop sensitive and specific immunological and molecular techniques for the laboratory diagnosis of tularaemia and also for the definite identification of members of the species F. tularensis and its four subspecies. Screening for the keyword 'Francisella' a Medline search over the last decade was performed and articles describing diagnostic methods for tularaemia and its causative agent were selected. Besides classical microbiological techniques (cultivation, biochemical profiling, susceptibility testing) several new immunological and molecular approaches to identify F. tularensis have been introduced employing highly specific antibodies and various polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. Whereas direct antigen detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or immunofluorescence might allow early presumptive diagnosis of tularaemia, these methods--like all PCR techniques--still await further evaluation. Therefore, diagnosis of tularaemia still relies mainly on the demonstration of specific antibodies in the host. ELISA and immunoblot methods started to replace the standard tube or micro-agglutination assays. However, the diagnostic value of antibody detection in the very early clinical phase of tularaemia is limited. Francisella tularensis is regarded as a 'highest priority' biological agent (category 'A' according to the CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA), thus rapid and reliable diagnosis of tularaemia is required not only for a timely onset of therapy, the handling of outbreak investigations but also for the surveillance of endemic foci. Only very recently, evaluated test kits for serological diagnosis of human tularaemia became available, while the introduction of standardized molecular techniques for detection and typing is still missing.

Platelet Immunology in China: Research and Clinical Applications.

PubMed

Wu, Guoguang; Zhou, Yan; Li, Lilan; Zhong, Zhoulin; Li, Hengchong; Li, Haiyan; Yu, Mei; Shen, Weidong; Ni, Heyu

2017-04-01

Immunization against human platelet alloantigens (HPAs) is associated with a number of clinical complications. The detection and identification of clinically relevant platelet antibodies are important for the diagnosis and management of patients affected with immune-mediated thrombocytopenias. Human platelet alloantigen frequencies and the characteristics of antiplatelet antibodies vary widely between ethnic groups. Since 2008, the importance of platelet immunology in the field of transfusion medicine has gained greater recognition by clinical laboratories in China. Laboratories in China have established and improved methods for platelet antibody detection and HPA genotyping techniques, which are used for the diagnosis of alloimmune platelet disorders in clinic and research environments. Research has revealed the frequencies of HPA alleles in different Chinese ethnic groups and compared the differences in HPA gene frequencies between the Chinese Han and other ethnic groups of the world. Production of anti-CD36 isoantibodies is an important risk factor for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in the Chinese population. Advances in research and clinical application of platelet immunology have significantly improved the clinical diagnosis, treatment including transfusion support, and prevention of alloimmune platelet disorders in the Chinese population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Isolation and preservation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells for analysis of islet antigen-reactive T cell responses: position statement of the T-Cell Workshop Committee of the Immunology of Diabetes Society.

PubMed

Mallone, R; Mannering, S I; Brooks-Worrell, B M; Durinovic-Belló, I; Cilio, C M; Wong, F S; Schloot, N C

2011-01-01

Autoimmune T cell responses directed against insulin-producing β cells are central to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Detection of such responses is therefore critical to provide novel biomarkers for T1D 'immune staging' and to understand the mechanisms underlying the disease. While different T cell assays are being developed for these purposes, it is important to optimize and standardize methods for processing human blood samples for these assays. To this end, we review data relevant to critical parameters in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) isolation, (cryo)preservation, distribution and usage for detecting antigen-specific T cell responses. Based on these data, we propose recommendations on processing blood samples for T cell assays and identify gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed. These recommendations may be relevant not only for the analysis of T cell responses in autoimmune disease, but also in cancer and infectious disease, particularly in the context of clinical trials. © 2010 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Immunology © 2010 British Society for Immunology.

Characterization of polysaccharides extracted from Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. affecting activation of chicken peritoneal macrophages.

PubMed

Zheng, Pimiao; Fan, Wentao; Wang, Shenghua; Hao, Pan; Wang, Yang; Wan, Huiyu; Hao, Zhihui; Liu, Jianzhu; Zhao, Xiaona

2017-03-01

Polysaccharides were isolated from Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. (PG) and the effects of three polysaccharides (PGPS 80 , PGPS 60 , PGPS t ) on their immunological activities were studied. The structure identification of PGPSs was assessed using physicochemical and spectral methods. Results showed that PGPS t (2.67×10 5 Da) compared to PGPS 80 (1.01×10 5 Da) and PGPS 60 (1.12×10 5 Da) has relatively higher average molecular weight(Mw) at the first peak with a narrower molecular weight distribution and all consisted of glucose, mannose, arabinose, galactose, xylose and rhamnose in different mass percentages. PGPS 80 and PGPS t linked mainly by 1,3-and 1,6-β-d-Galp residues. The immunological efficacy of PGPSs was performed on chicken peritoneal macrophages. Results showed that PGPS t significantly increased phagocytic rates, proliferation and NO production, stimulated macrophages to produce cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 as well as stimulated macrophages to express the maturation markers CD80 and CD86. These findings suggest that PGPS t exerted significant immunological activity and might be associated with special characters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A microfluidic platform with integrated arrays for immunologic assays for biological pathogen detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klemm, Richard; Becker, Holger; Hlawatsch, Nadine; Julich, Sandra; Miethe, Peter; Moche, Christian; Schattschneider, Sebastian; Tomaso, Herbert; Gärtner, Claudia

2014-05-01

The ability to integrate complete assays on a microfluidic chip helps to greatly simplify instrument requirements and allows the use of lab-on-a-chip technology in the field. A core application for such field-portable systems is the detection of pathogens in a CBRN scenario such as permanent monitoring of airborne pathogens, e.g. in subway stations or hospitals etc. An immunological assay was chosen as method for the pathogen identification. The conceptual approach was its realization as a lab-on-a-chip system, enabling an easy handling of the sample in an automated manner. The immunological detection takes place on an antibody array directly implemented in the microfluidic network. Different immobilization strategies will be presented showing the performance of the system. Central elements of the disposable microfluidic device like fluidic interface, turning valves, liquid introduction and waste storage, as well as the architecture of measurement and control fluidic network, will be introduced. Overall process times of about 30 minutes were achieved and assays for the detection of Francisella tularensis and Yersinia pestis are presented. An important feature of the integrated lab-on-a-chip approach is that all waste liquids remain on-chip and contamination risks can be avoided.

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

PubMed

Singh, Surjit; Gupta, Anju; Rawat, Amit

2013-01-08

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

Soluble PD-L1 with PD-1-binding capacity exists in the plasma of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Masahiro; Doi, Tomomitsu; Obayashi, Kunie; Hirai, Ayako; Yoneda, Kazue; Tanaka, Fumihiro; Iwai, Yoshiko

2018-04-01

PD-L1 is one of the important immune checkpoint molecules that can be targeted by cancer immunotherapies. PD-L1 has a soluble form (sPD-L1) and a membrane-bound form (mPD-L1). Conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems can detect sPD-L1 using anti-PD-L1 capture antibody through the antigen-antibody reaction, but cannot evaluate the quality and function of sPD-L1. In this study, we developed a novel ELISA system for the detection and quantification of sPD-L1 with PD-1-binding capacity (bsPD-L1). To capture bsPD-L1 through the ligand-receptor reaction, the anti-PD-L1 capture antibody in the conventional ELISA was replaced with PD-1-Ig fusion protein in the new ELISA. The new ELISA could detect bsPD-L1 in 29 out of 75 plasma samples from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with higher sensitivity and frequency than the conventional ELISA. The western blot analysis showed that sPD-L1 in the plasma was glycosylated. Treatment of the samples with glycosidase reduced the absorbance determined by the new ELISA but had no effect on the absorbance determined by the conventional ELISA. These results suggest that glycosylation of sPD-L1 is important for its binding to the immobilized PD-1 in the new ELISA. Our new ELISA system may be useful for the evaluation of functional sPD-L1 with PD-1-binding capacity in cancer patients. Copyright © 2018 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The New Cellular Immunology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Claman, Henry N.

1973-01-01

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

Practical immunology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hudson, L.; Hay, F.C.

1989-01-01

This book covers the advances in contemporary molecular and cellular immunology which have provided the experimentalist with tools of unparalleled reproducibility and precision. Techniques for the propagation and manipulation of cells, genes and gene products have a central place in the new edition, reflecting their role in modern immunology.

Immunology of the gastrointestinal tract and liver

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heyworth, M.F.; Jones, A.L.

1988-01-01

This book contains 11 chapters. Some of the chapter titles are: T cells and Other Non-B Lymphocytes; Mucosal Mast Cells and IgE; Genetic Aspects of Gastrointestinal Immunology; Immunological Functions of the Liver; Lymphocyte Migration and Mucosal Immunity; and Immunoglobulin Circulation and Secretion.

Veterinary Immunology Committee Toolkit Workshop 2010: Progress and plans

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

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

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

PubMed

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

2014-12-01

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

Update on Gender Equity in Immunology, 2001 to 2016.

PubMed

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

2016-11-15

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

Immunological mechanisms of vaccination

PubMed Central

Pulendran, Bali; Ahmed, Rafi

2011-01-01

Vaccines represent one of the greatest triumphs of modern medicine. Despite the common origins of vaccinology and immunology more than 200 years ago, the two disciplines have evolved along such different trajectories that most of the highly successful vaccines have been made empirically, with little or no immunological insight. Recent advances in innate immunity have offered new insights about the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity and have facilitated a more rational approach to vaccine design. Here we will discuss these advances and emerging themes on the immunology of vaccination. PMID:21739679

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)-2010 annual meeting. 26 February-2 March 2010, New Orleans, LA, USA.

PubMed

Bielory, Leonard

2010-05-01

The 2010 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) meeting, held in New Orleans, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the fields of allergy, asthma and immunological diseases. This conference report highlights selected presentations on potential treatments for food and other allergies, as well as therapies for asthma and other immunological diseases. Investigational drugs discussed include Oralair Mites (Stallergenes SA/Paladin Labs Inc), PF-03654746 (Pfizer Inc) and AMG-853 (Amgen Inc).

Application Process Improvement Yields Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holesovsky, Jan Paul

1995-01-01

After a continuing effort to improve its grant application process, the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is submitting many more applications and realizing increased funding. The methods and strategy used to make the process more efficient and effective are outlined. (Author/MSE)

Spectroturbidimitry as applied to biomedical and immunological investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shchyogolev, Sergei Y.; Khlebtsov, Nikolai G.; Schwartsburd, Boris I.

1993-06-01

Methods of optical shifting spectroscopy and laser nephelometry may be used to register antigen-antibody reaction. Usage of laser nephelometry in serodiagnostics, characteristics of a specific step in humoral immune reaction in infections, postinfectious and postinoculation processes response and immunity tension in some infectious diseases were investigated.

Parental investment matters for maternal and offspring immune defense in the mouthbrooding cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni.

PubMed

Keller, Isabel S; Salzburger, Walter; Roth, Olivia

2017-12-20

Parental care, while increasing parental fitness through offspring survival, also bears cost to the care-giving parent. Consequentially, trade offs between parental care and other vitally important traits, such as the immune system seem evident. In co-occurring phases of parental care and immunological challenges negative consequences through a resource allocation trade off on both the parental and the offspring conditions can be predicted. While the immune system reflects parental stress conditions, parental immunological investments also boost offspring survival via the transfer of immunological substances (trans-generational immune priming). We investigated this relationship in the mouthbrooding East African cichlid Astotatilapia burtoni. Prior to mating, females were exposed to an immunological activation, while others remained immunologically naïve. Correspondingly, the immunological status of females was either examined directly after reproduction or after mouthbrooding had ceased. Offspring from both groups were exposed to immunological challenges to assess the extent of trans-generational immune priming. As proxy for immune status, cellular immunological activity and gene expression were determined. Both reproducing and mouthbrooding females allocate their resources towards reproduction. While upon reproduction the innate immune system was impeded, mouthbrooding females showed an attenuation of inflammatory components. Juveniles from immune challenged mouthbrooding females showed downregulation of immune and life history candidate genes, implying a limitation of trans-generational plasticity when parents experience stress during the costly reproductive phase. Our results provide evidence that both parental investment via mouthbrooding and the rise of the immunological activity upon an immune challenge are costly traits. If applied simultaneously, not only mothers seem to be impacted in their performance, but also offspring are impeded in their ability to react upon a potentially virulent pathogen exposure.

Modelling the immunological response to a tetravalent dengue vaccine from multiple phase-2 trials in Latin America and South East Asia.

PubMed

Dorigatti, Ilaria; Aguas, Ricardo; Donnelly, Christl A; Guy, Bruno; Coudeville, Laurent; Jackson, Nicholas; Saville, Melanie; Ferguson, Neil M

2015-07-17

The most advanced dengue vaccine candidate is a live-attenuated recombinant vaccine containing the four dengue viruses on the yellow fever vaccine backbone (CYD-TDV) developed by Sanofi Pasteur. Several analyses have been published on the safety and immunogenicity of the CYD-TDV vaccine from single trials but none modelled the heterogeneity observed in the antibody responses elicited by the vaccine. We analyse the immunogenicity data collected in five phase-2 trials of the CYD-TDV vaccine. We provide a descriptive analysis of the aggregated datasets and fit the observed post-vaccination PRNT50 titres against the four dengue (DENV) serotypes using multivariate regression models. We find that the responses to CYD-TDV are principally predicted by the baseline immunological status against DENV, but the trial is also a significant predictor. We find that the CYD-TDV vaccine generates similar titres against all serotypes following the third dose, though DENV4 is immunodominant after the first dose. This study contributes to a better understanding of the immunological responses elicited by CYD-TDV. The recent availability of phase-3 data is a unique opportunity to further investigate the immunogenicity and efficacy of the CYD-TDV vaccine, especially in subjects with different levels of pre-existing immunity against DENV. Modelling multiple immunological outcomes with a single multivariate model offers advantages over traditional approaches, capturing correlations between response variables, and the statistical method adopted in this study can be applied to a variety of infections with interacting strains. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

77 FR 53206 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-31

...). Contact Person: Maryam Feili-Hariri, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Immunology Review Branch... Feili-Hariri, Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, Immunology Review Branch, Scientific Review Program....gov . (Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.855, Allergy, Immunology, and...

21 CFR 866.5090 - Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Systems § 866.5090 Antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antimitochondrial antibody immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by... of diseases that produce a spectrum of autoantibodies (antibodies produced against the body's own...

21 CFR 866.5200 - Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... immunochemical techniques specific carbonic anhydrase protein molecules in serum and other body fluids. Measurements of carbonic anhydrase B and C aid in the diagnosis of abnormal hemoglobin metabolism. (b...

21 CFR 866.5200 - Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... immunochemical techniques specific carbonic anhydrase protein molecules in serum and other body fluids. Measurements of carbonic anhydrase B and C aid in the diagnosis of abnormal hemoglobin metabolism. (b...

21 CFR 866.5890 - Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... measure by immunochemical techniques the inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor (a protein) in serum and other body fluids. Measurement of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor may aid in the diagnosis of acute bacterial...

21 CFR 866.5200 - Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... immunochemical techniques specific carbonic anhydrase protein molecules in serum and other body fluids. Measurements of carbonic anhydrase B and C aid in the diagnosis of abnormal hemoglobin metabolism. (b...

21 CFR 866.5890 - Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... measure by immunochemical techniques the inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor (a protein) in serum and other body fluids. Measurement of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor may aid in the diagnosis of acute bacterial...

21 CFR 866.5890 - Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... measure by immunochemical techniques the inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor (a protein) in serum and other body fluids. Measurement of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor may aid in the diagnosis of acute bacterial...

21 CFR 866.5890 - Inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... measure by immunochemical techniques the inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor (a protein) in serum and other body fluids. Measurement of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor may aid in the diagnosis of acute bacterial...

21 CFR 866.5200 - Carbonic anhydrase B and C immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological Test... immunochemical techniques specific carbonic anhydrase protein molecules in serum and other body fluids. Measurements of carbonic anhydrase B and C aid in the diagnosis of abnormal hemoglobin metabolism. (b...

21 CFR 866.5870 - Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... (enlargement of the thyroid gland with protrusion of the eyeballs), and cancer of the thyroid. (b... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system....5870 Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. A thyroid autoantibody...

21 CFR 866.5870 - Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (enlargement of the thyroid gland with protrusion of the eyeballs), and cancer of the thyroid. (b... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system....5870 Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. A thyroid autoantibody...

21 CFR 866.5870 - Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... (enlargement of the thyroid gland with protrusion of the eyeballs), and cancer of the thyroid. (b... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system....5870 Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. A thyroid autoantibody...

21 CFR 866.5870 - Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... (enlargement of the thyroid gland with protrusion of the eyeballs), and cancer of the thyroid. (b... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system....5870 Thyroid autoantibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. A thyroid autoantibody...

21 CFR 866.5470 - Hemoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in blood, urine, plasma, or other body fluids... Hemoglobin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemoglobin immunological test system is a device... blood cells), and leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming organs). (b) Classification. Class II...

21 CFR 866.5470 - Hemoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in blood, urine, plasma, or other body fluids... Hemoglobin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemoglobin immunological test system is a device... blood cells), and leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming organs). (b) Classification. Class II...

21 CFR 866.5470 - Hemoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in blood, urine, plasma, or other body fluids... Hemoglobin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemoglobin immunological test system is a device... blood cells), and leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming organs). (b) Classification. Class II...

21 CFR 866.5470 - Hemoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in blood, urine, plasma, or other body fluids... Hemoglobin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemoglobin immunological test system is a device... blood cells), and leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming organs). (b) Classification. Class II...

Development and characterization of chicken CD127-cpecific antibodies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Research in avian immunology has been significantly hampered by lack of effective immunological reagents in birds cross-reactive with mammalian orthologs and lack of sensitive assay for a long time. To better serve the avian immunology community, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies specific for av...

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

PubMed

Hunt, J S

1996-05-01

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

Regulation of immunity and inflammation by hypoxia in immunological niches.

PubMed

Taylor, Cormac T; Colgan, Sean P

2017-12-01

Immunological niches are focal sites of immune activity that can have varying microenvironmental features. Hypoxia is a feature of physiological and pathological immunological niches. The impact of hypoxia on immunity and inflammation can vary depending on the microenvironment and immune processes occurring in a given niche. In physiological immunological niches, such as the bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, placenta and intestinal mucosa, physiological hypoxia controls innate and adaptive immunity by modulating immune cell proliferation, development and effector function, largely via transcriptional changes driven by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). By contrast, in pathological immunological niches, such as tumours and chronically inflamed, infected or ischaemic tissues, pathological hypoxia can drive tissue dysfunction and disease development through immune cell dysregulation. Here, we differentiate between the effects of physiological and pathological hypoxia on immune cells and the consequences for immunity and inflammation in different immunological niches. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of targeting hypoxia-sensitive pathways in immune cells for the treatment of inflammatory disease.

A current perspective on availability of tools, resources and networks for veterinary immunology.

PubMed

Entrican, Gary; Lunney, Joan K; Rutten, Victor P; Baldwin, Cynthia L

2009-03-15

There are many diseases of fish, livestock and companion animals that impact negatively on animal health, welfare and productivity and for which there are no effective vaccines. The development of new vaccines is reliant on the availability of well-characterised immunological tools and reagents to understand host-pathogen interactions and identify protective immune responses. Veterinary immunology has always lagged behind mouse and human immunology in terms of development and availability of tools and reagents. However, several initiatives are underway to address this. The Veterinary Immunology Committee (VIC) Toolkit was initiated 6 years ago at the sixth International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (IVIS) in Uppsala and in the intervening period there have been several notable developments that have advanced reagent development and information exchange. This review will discuss advances in veterinary reagent development, networks, databases and commercial availability with particular reference to the second VIC Toolkit workshop held at the eighth IVIS in Ouro Preto, Brazil on the 15th of August 2007.

Comparison of oral nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) versus conventional therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed

Santaella, María L; Font, Ivonne; Disdier, Orville M

2004-06-01

To compare effectiveness of oral therapy with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to conventional modalities of treatment in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is a potentially disabling condition of unknown etiology. Although its clinical presentation is associated to a myriad of symptoms, fatigue is a universal and essential finding for its diagnosis. No therapeutic regimen has proven effective for this condition. A total of 31 patients fulfilling the Centers for Disease Control criteria for CFS, were randomly assigned to either NADH or nutritional supplements and psychological therapy for 24 months. A thorough medical history, physical examination and completion of a questionnaire on the severity of fatigue and other symptoms were performed each trimester of therapy. In addition, all of them underwent evaluation in terms of immunological parameters and viral antibody titers. Statistical analysis was applied to the demographic data, as well as to symptoms scores at baseline and at each trimester of therapy. The twelve patients who received NADH had a dramatic and statistically significant reduction of the mean symptom score in the first trimester (p < 0.001). However, symptom scores in the subsequent trimesters of therapy were similar in both treatment groups. Elevated IgG and Ig E antibody levels were found in a significant number of patients. Observed effectiveness of NADH over conventional treatment in the first trimester of the trial and the trend of improvement of that modality in the subsequent trimesters should be further assessed in a larger patient sample.

The 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium.

PubMed

Lunney, Joan K; Kai, Chieko; Inumaru, Shigeki; Onodera, Takashi

2012-07-15

This special issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology summarizes the Proceedings of the 9th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (9th IVIS) held August 2010, in Tokyo, Japan. Over 340 delegates from 30 countries discussed research progress analyzing the immune systems of numerous food animals and wildlife, probing basic immunity and the influence of stress, genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproduction. Major presentations addressed defense against pathogens and alternative control and prevention strategies including vaccines, adjuvants and novel biotherapeutics. A special Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Co-operative Research Programme Sponsored Conference on "Vaccination and Diagnosis for Food Safety in Agriculture" highlighted the particular issue of "Immunology in Bovine Paratuberculosis". In April 2010 there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the southern part of Japan. This stimulated a special 9th IVIS session on FMD, sponsored by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, to discuss improvements of FMD vaccines, their use in FMD control, and risk assessment for decision management. The 9th IVIS was supported by the Veterinary Immunology Committee (VIC) of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) and included workshops for its MHC and Toolkit Committees. Finally VIC IUIS presented its 2010 Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Kazuya Yamanouchi for "outstanding contributions to the veterinary immunology community" and its 2010 Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist Award to Dr. Douglas F. Antczak for "outstanding research on equine immunology". Published by Elsevier B.V.

Paradoxical arthritis occurring during anti-TNF in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: histological and immunological features of a complex synovitis

PubMed Central

Alivernini, Stefano; Pugliese, Daniela; Tolusso, Barbara; Bui, Laura; Petricca, Luca; Guidi, Luisa; Mirone, Luisa; Rapaccini, Gian Ludovico; Federico, Francesco; Ferraccioli, Gianfranco; Armuzzi, Alessandro; Gremese, Elisa

2018-01-01

Objective Paradoxical arthritis under tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNF-i) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been described. This study aims to evaluate the histological features of paired synovial tissue (ST) and colonic mucosa (CM) tissue in patients with IBD developing paradoxical arthritis under TNF-i. Methods Patients with IBD without history of coexisting joint involvement who developed arthritis under TNF-i were enrolled. Each patient underwent ST biopsy and ileocolonoscopy with CM biopsies. ST and CM paired samples were stained through immunohistochemistry (IHC) for CD68, CD21, CD20, CD3 and CD117. Clinical and immunological parameters (anticitrullinated peptides antibodies (ACPA)-immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgA rheumatoid factor (RF)) were collected. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ACPA/IgM-RF/IgA-RF negative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were enrolled as comparison. Results 10 patients with IBD (age 46.0±9.7 years, 13.2±9.9 years of disease duration, 2.5±1.6 years of TNF-i exposure, six with Crohn’s disease and four with ulcerative colitis, respectively) were studied. At ST level, IHC revealed that patients with IBD with paradoxical arthritis showed more similar histological findings in terms of synovial CD68+, CD21+, CD20+, CD3+ and CD117+ cells compared with PsA than ACPA/IgM-RF/IgA-RF negative RA. Analysing the CM specimens, patients with IBD showed the presence of CD68+, CD3+, CD117+ and CD20+ cells in 100%, 70%, 60% and 50% of cases, respectively, despite endoscopic remission. Finally, addition of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and switch to ustekinumab were more effective than swapping into different TNF-i in patients with IBD with paradoxical arthritis. Conclusion Patients with IBD may develop histologically proven synovitis during TNF-i, comparable to PsA. The inhibition of inflammatory pathways alternative to TNF (IL12/1L23) may be an effective therapeutic option for severe paradoxical articular manifestations. PMID:29657833

Exciting middle and high school students about immunology: an easy, inquiry-based lesson.

PubMed

Lukin, Kara

2013-03-01

High school students in the United States are apathetic about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and the workforce pipeline in these areas is collapsing. The lack of understanding of basic principles of biology means that students are unable to make educated decisions concerning their personal health. To address these issues, we have developed a simple, inquiry-based outreach lesson centered on a mouse dissection. Students learn key concepts in immunology and enhance their understanding of human organ systems. The experiment highlights aspects of the scientific method and authentic data collection and analysis. This hands-on activity stimulates interest in biology, personal health and careers in STEM fields. Here, we present all the information necessary to execute the lesson effectively with middle and high school students.

21 CFR 866.5500 - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... system. 866.5500 Section 866.5500 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... Systems § 866.5500 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system. (a) Identification. A hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5500 - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... system. 866.5500 Section 866.5500 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... Systems § 866.5500 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system. (a) Identification. A hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5500 - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... system. 866.5500 Section 866.5500 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... Systems § 866.5500 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system. (a) Identification. A hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5500 - Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... system. 866.5500 Section 866.5500 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... Systems § 866.5500 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system. (a) Identification. A hypersensitivity pneumonitis immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by...

21 CFR 866.5510 - Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... antibodies) in serum. Measurement of these immunoglobulins aids in the diagnosis of abnormal protein metabolism and the body's lack of ability to resist infectious agents. (b) Classification. Class II...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... immunoglobulin G (resulting from breakdown of immunoglobulin G antibodies) in urine, serum, and other body fluids. Measurement of immunoglobulin G Fc fragments aids in the diagnosis of plasma cell antibody-forming...

21 CFR 866.5510 - Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... antibodies) in serum. Measurement of these immunoglobulins aids in the diagnosis of abnormal protein metabolism and the body's lack of ability to resist infectious agents. (b) Classification. Class II...

21 CFR 866.5510 - Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... antibodies) in serum. Measurement of these immunoglobulins aids in the diagnosis of abnormal protein metabolism and the body's lack of ability to resist infectious agents. (b) Classification. Class II...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... immunoglobulin G (resulting from breakdown of immunoglobulin G antibodies) in urine, serum, and other body fluids. Measurement of immunoglobulin G Fc fragments aids in the diagnosis of plasma cell antibody-forming...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... immunoglobulin G (resulting from breakdown of immunoglobulin G antibodies) in urine, serum, and other body fluids. Measurement of immunoglobulin G Fc fragments aids in the diagnosis of plasma cell antibody-forming...

21 CFR 866.5510 - Immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, and E immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... antibodies) in serum. Measurement of these immunoglobulins aids in the diagnosis of abnormal protein metabolism and the body's lack of ability to resist infectious agents. (b) Classification. Class II...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Immunological... immunoglobulin G (resulting from breakdown of immunoglobulin G antibodies) in urine, serum, and other body fluids. Measurement of immunoglobulin G Fc fragments aids in the diagnosis of plasma cell antibody-forming...

21 CFR 866.5460 - Haptoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... that binds hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in serum. Measurement of haptoglobin may aid in the diagnosis of hemolytic diseases (diseases in which the red blood cells rupture and... Haptoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A haptoglobin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5490 - Hemopexin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... survival of mature red blood cells and inability of the bone marrow to compensate for their decreased life span) and sickle cell anemia. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The device is exempt... Hemopexin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemopexin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5460 - Haptoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... that binds hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in serum. Measurement of haptoglobin may aid in the diagnosis of hemolytic diseases (diseases in which the red blood cells rupture and... Haptoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A haptoglobin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5490 - Hemopexin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... survival of mature red blood cells and inability of the bone marrow to compensate for their decreased life span) and sickle cell anemia. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The device is exempt... Hemopexin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemopexin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5490 - Hemopexin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... survival of mature red blood cells and inability of the bone marrow to compensate for their decreased life span) and sickle cell anemia. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The device is exempt... Hemopexin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemopexin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5490 - Hemopexin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... survival of mature red blood cells and inability of the bone marrow to compensate for their decreased life span) and sickle cell anemia. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The device is exempt... Hemopexin immunological test system. (a) Indentification. A hemopexin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5460 - Haptoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... that binds hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in serum. Measurement of haptoglobin may aid in the diagnosis of hemolytic diseases (diseases in which the red blood cells rupture and... Haptoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A haptoglobin immunological test system is a device...

21 CFR 866.5460 - Haptoglobin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... that binds hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) in serum. Measurement of haptoglobin may aid in the diagnosis of hemolytic diseases (diseases in which the red blood cells rupture and... Haptoglobin immunological test system. (a) Identification. A haptoglobin immunological test system is a device...

Chemical Carcinogen-Induced Changes in tRNA Metabolism in Human Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-11-01

R.W.T., M.S.E.) Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology (R.G.) Department of Medicine (M.R.G.) The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio...1973): The measurement of radioactive precursor incorporation into small monolayer cultures. In: Methods In Cell Bioloqy, edited by D.M. Prescott , Vol

Droplet digital PCR quantifies host inflammatory transcripts in feces reliably and reproducibly

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The gut is the most extensive, interactive, and complex interface between the human host and the environment and therefore a critical site of immunological activity. Non-invasive methods to assess the host response in this organ are currently lacking. Feces are the available analyte which have been ...

DIESEL EXHAUST PARTICLE COMPOSITION AND THE METHOD OF SONICATION INFLUENCE THE ADJUVANCY EFFECT AND TARC PRODUCTION

EPA Science Inventory

Numerous reports have shown diesel exhaust particles (DEP) can act as an immunological adjuvant in asthma. Recent interest has focused on thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) as an important modulator of this effect. This study evaluated the adjuvancy effects of thr...

Radiation- and Age-Associated Changes in Peripheral Blood Dendritic Cell Populations among Aging Atomic Bomb Survivors in Japan.

PubMed

Kajimura, Junko; Lynch, Heather E; Geyer, Susan; French, Benjamin; Yamaoka, Mika; Shterev, Ivo D; Sempowski, Gregory D; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Yoshida, Kengo; Misumi, Munechika; Ohishi, Waka; Hayashi, Tomonori; Nakachi, Kei; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2017-11-30

Previous immunological studies in atomic bomb survivors have suggested that radiation exposure leads to long-lasting changes, similar to immunological aging observed in T-cell-adaptive immunity. However, to our knowledge, late effects of radiation on dendritic cells (DCs), the key coordinators for activation and differentiation of T cells, have not yet been investigated in humans. In the current study, we hypothesized that numerical and functional decreases would be observed in relationship to radiation dose in circulating conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) among 229 Japanese A-bomb survivors. Overall, the evidence did not support this hypothesis, with no overall changes in DCs or functional changes observed with radiation dose. Multivariable regression analysis for radiation dose, age and gender effects revealed that total DC counts as well as subpopulation counts decreased in relationship to increasing age. Further analyses revealed that in women, absolute numbers of pDCs showed significant decreases with radiation dose. A hierarchical clustering analysis of gene expression profiles in DCs after Toll-like receptor stimulation in vitro identified two clusters of participants that differed in age-associated expression levels of genes involved in antigen presentation and cytokine/chemokine production in cDCs. These results suggest that DC counts decrease and expression levels of gene clusters change with age. More than 60 years after radiation exposure, we also observed changes in pDC counts associated with radiation, but only among women.

Radiation- and Age-Associated Changes in Peripheral Blood Dendritic Cell Populations among Aging Atomic Bomb Survivors in Japan.

PubMed

Kajimura, Junko; Lynch, Heather E; Geyer, Susan; French, Benjamin; Yamaoka, Mika; Shterev, Ivo D; Sempowski, Gregory D; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Yoshida, Kengo; Misumi, Munechika; Ohishi, Waka; Hayashi, Tomonori; Nakachi, Kei; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2018-01-01

Previous immunological studies in atomic bomb survivors have suggested that radiation exposure leads to long-lasting changes, similar to immunological aging observed in T-cell-adaptive immunity. However, to our knowledge, late effects of radiation on dendritic cells (DCs), the key coordinators for activation and differentiation of T cells, have not yet been investigated in humans. In the current study, we hypothesized that numerical and functional decreases would be observed in relationship to radiation dose in circulating conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) among 229 Japanese A-bomb survivors. Overall, the evidence did not support this hypothesis, with no overall changes in DCs or functional changes observed with radiation dose. Multivariable regression analysis for radiation dose, age and gender effects revealed that total DC counts as well as subpopulation counts decreased in relationship to increasing age. Further analyses revealed that in women, absolute numbers of pDCs showed significant decreases with radiation dose. A hierarchical clustering analysis of gene expression profiles in DCs after Toll-like receptor stimulation in vitro identified two clusters of participants that differed in age-associated expression levels of genes involved in antigen presentation and cytokine/chemokine production in cDCs. These results suggest that DC counts decrease and expression levels of gene clusters change with age. More than 60 years after radiation exposure, we also observed changes in pDC counts associated with radiation, but only among women.

XGR software for enhanced interpretation of genomic summary data, illustrated by application to immunological traits.

PubMed

Fang, Hai; Knezevic, Bogdan; Burnham, Katie L; Knight, Julian C

2016-12-13

Biological interpretation of genomic summary data such as those resulting from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies is one of the major bottlenecks in medical genomics research, calling for efficient and integrative tools to resolve this problem. We introduce eXploring Genomic Relations (XGR), an open source tool designed for enhanced interpretation of genomic summary data enabling downstream knowledge discovery. Targeting users of varying computational skills, XGR utilises prior biological knowledge and relationships in a highly integrated but easily accessible way to make user-input genomic summary datasets more interpretable. We show how by incorporating ontology, annotation, and systems biology network-driven approaches, XGR generates more informative results than conventional analyses. We apply XGR to GWAS and eQTL summary data to explore the genomic landscape of the activated innate immune response and common immunological diseases. We provide genomic evidence for a disease taxonomy supporting the concept of a disease spectrum from autoimmune to autoinflammatory disorders. We also show how XGR can define SNP-modulated gene networks and pathways that are shared and distinct between diseases, how it achieves functional, phenotypic and epigenomic annotations of genes and variants, and how it enables exploring annotation-based relationships between genetic variants. XGR provides a single integrated solution to enhance interpretation of genomic summary data for downstream biological discovery. XGR is released as both an R package and a web-app, freely available at http://galahad.well.ox.ac.uk/XGR .

Hib Vaccines: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

PubMed Central

Zarei, Adi Essam; Almehdar, Hussein A.; Redwan, Elrashdy M.

2016-01-01

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) causes many severe diseases, including epiglottitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. In developed countries, the annual incidence of meningitis caused by bacteria is approximately 5–10 cases per population of 100,000. The Hib conjugate vaccine is considered protective and safe. Adjuvants, molecules that can enhance and/or regulate the fundamental immunogenicity of an antigen, comprise a wide range of diverse compounds. While earlier developments of adjuvants created effective products, there is still a need to create new generations, rationally designed based on recent discoveries in immunology, mainly in innate immunity. Many factors may play a role in the immunogenicity of Hib conjugate vaccines, such as the polysaccharides and proteins carrier used in vaccine construction, as well as the method of conjugation. A Hib conjugate vaccine has been constructed via chemical synthesis of a Hib saccharide antigen. Two models of carbohydrate-protein conjugate have been established, the single ended model (terminal amination-single method) and cross-linked lattice matrix (dual amination method). Increased knowledge in the fields of immunology, molecular biology, glycobiology, glycoimmunology, and the biology of infectious microorganisms has led to a dramatic increase in vaccine efficacy. PMID:26904695

21 CFR 866.5765 - Retinol-binding protein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Retinol-binding protein immunological test system....5765 Retinol-binding protein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A retinol-binding protein... the retinol-binding protein that binds and transports vitamin A in serum and urine. Measurement of...

21 CFR 866.5120 - Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Systems § 866.5120 Antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system. (a) Identification. An antismooth muscle antibody immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by... serum. The measurements aid in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and...

21 CFR 866.5775 - Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

.... Measurement of rheumatoid factor may aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. (b) Classification. Class... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. 866....5775 Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A rheumatoid factor...

21 CFR 866.5775 - Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

.... Measurement of rheumatoid factor may aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. (b) Classification. Class... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. 866....5775 Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A rheumatoid factor...

21 CFR 866.5775 - Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

.... Measurement of rheumatoid factor may aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. (b) Classification. Class... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. 866....5775 Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A rheumatoid factor...

21 CFR 866.5765 - Retinol-binding protein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Retinol-binding protein immunological test system....5765 Retinol-binding protein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A retinol-binding protein... the retinol-binding protein that binds and transports vitamin A in serum and urine. Measurement of...

21 CFR 866.5765 - Retinol-binding protein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Retinol-binding protein immunological test system....5765 Retinol-binding protein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A retinol-binding protein... the retinol-binding protein that binds and transports vitamin A in serum and urine. Measurement of...

21 CFR 866.5765 - Retinol-binding protein immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Retinol-binding protein immunological test system....5765 Retinol-binding protein immunological test system. (a) Identification. A retinol-binding protein... the retinol-binding protein that binds and transports vitamin A in serum and urine. Measurement of...

21 CFR 866.5065 - Human allotypic marker immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Human allotypic marker immunological test system. 866.5065 Section 866.5065 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN....5065 Human allotypic marker immunological test system. (a) Identification. A human allotypic marker...

21 CFR 866.5065 - Human allotypic marker immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Human allotypic marker immunological test system. 866.5065 Section 866.5065 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN....5065 Human allotypic marker immunological test system. (a) Identification. A human allotypic marker...

21 CFR 866.5065 - Human allotypic marker immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Human allotypic marker immunological test system. 866.5065 Section 866.5065 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN....5065 Human allotypic marker immunological test system. (a) Identification. A human allotypic marker...

21 CFR 866.5065 - Human allotypic marker immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Human allotypic marker immunological test system. 866.5065 Section 866.5065 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN....5065 Human allotypic marker immunological test system. (a) Identification. A human allotypic marker...

21 CFR 866.5420 - Alpha-1-glycoproteins immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alpha-1-glycoproteins immunological test system....5420 Alpha-1-glycoproteins immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-glycoproteins... alpha-1-glycoproteins (a group of plasma proteins found in the alpha-1 group when subjected to...

21 CFR 866.5080 - Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system....5080 Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1... immunochemical techniques alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (a protein) in serum, other body fluids, and tissues. Alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5580 - Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system....5580 Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-lipoprotein... the alpha-1-lipoprotein (high-density lipoprotein) in serum and plasma. Measurement of alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5620 - Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system....5620 Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-2-macroglobulin... the alpha-2-macroglobulin (a serum protein) in plasma. Measurement of alpha-2-macroglobulin may aid in...

21 CFR 866.5080 - Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system....5080 Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1... immunochemical techniques alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (a protein) in serum, other body fluids, and tissues. Alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5080 - Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system....5080 Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1... immunochemical techniques alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (a protein) in serum, other body fluids, and tissues. Alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5620 - Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system....5620 Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-2-macroglobulin... the alpha-2-macroglobulin (a serum protein) in plasma. Measurement of alpha-2-macroglobulin may aid in...

21 CFR 866.5620 - Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system....5620 Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-2-macroglobulin... the alpha-2-macroglobulin (a serum protein) in plasma. Measurement of alpha-2-macroglobulin may aid in...

21 CFR 866.5580 - Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system....5580 Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-lipoprotein... the alpha-1-lipoprotein (high-density lipoprotein) in serum and plasma. Measurement of alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5580 - Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system....5580 Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-lipoprotein... the alpha-1-lipoprotein (high-density lipoprotein) in serum and plasma. Measurement of alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5580 - Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system....5580 Alpha-1-lipoprotein immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-1-lipoprotein... the alpha-1-lipoprotein (high-density lipoprotein) in serum and plasma. Measurement of alpha-1...

21 CFR 866.5620 - Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system....5620 Alpha-2-macroglobulin immunological test system. (a) Identification. An alpha-2-macroglobulin... the alpha-2-macroglobulin (a serum protein) in plasma. Measurement of alpha-2-macroglobulin may aid in...

42 CFR 493.837 - Standard; General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Standard; General immunology. 493.837 Section 493.837 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... These Tests § 493.837 Standard; General immunology. (a) Failure to attain a score of at least 80 percent...

42 CFR 493.837 - Standard; General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Standard; General immunology. 493.837 Section 493.837 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... These Tests § 493.837 Standard; General immunology. (a) Failure to attain a score of at least 80 percent...

42 CFR 493.837 - Standard; General immunology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Standard; General immunology. 493.837 Section 493.837 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... These Tests § 493.837 Standard; General immunology. (a) Failure to attain a score of at least 80 percent...

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

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

21 CFR 866.5775 - Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

.... Measurement of rheumatoid factor may aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. (b) Classification. Class... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. 866....5775 Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A rheumatoid factor...

21 CFR 866.5775 - Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

.... Measurement of rheumatoid factor may aid in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. (b) Classification. Class... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. 866....5775 Rheumatoid factor immuno-logical test system. (a) Identification. A rheumatoid factor...

Ocular diseases: immunological and molecular mechanisms

PubMed Central

Song, Jing; Huang, Yi-Fei; Zhang, Wen-Jing; Chen, Xiao-Fei; Guo, Yu-Mian

2016-01-01

Many factors, such as environmental, microbial and endogenous stress, antigen localization, can trigger the immunological events that affect the ending of the diverse spectrum of ocular disorders. Significant advances in understanding of immunological and molecular mechanisms have been researched to improve the diagnosis and therapy for patients with ocular inflammatory diseases. Some kinds of ocular diseases are inadequately responsive to current medications; therefore, immunotherapy may be a potential choice as an alternative or adjunctive treatment, even in the prophylactic setting. This article first provides an overview of the immunological and molecular mechanisms concerning several typical and common ocular diseases; second, the functions of immunological roles in some of systemic autoimmunity will be discussed; third, we will provide a summary of the mechanisms that dictate immune cell trafficking to ocular local microenvironment in response to inflammation. PMID:27275439

FOCIS goes south: advances in translational and clinical immunology.

PubMed

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

2017-09-01

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

Ocular diseases: immunological and molecular mechanisms.

PubMed

Song, Jing; Huang, Yi-Fei; Zhang, Wen-Jing; Chen, Xiao-Fei; Guo, Yu-Mian

2016-01-01

Many factors, such as environmental, microbial and endogenous stress, antigen localization, can trigger the immunological events that affect the ending of the diverse spectrum of ocular disorders. Significant advances in understanding of immunological and molecular mechanisms have been researched to improve the diagnosis and therapy for patients with ocular inflammatory diseases. Some kinds of ocular diseases are inadequately responsive to current medications; therefore, immunotherapy may be a potential choice as an alternative or adjunctive treatment, even in the prophylactic setting. This article first provides an overview of the immunological and molecular mechanisms concerning several typical and common ocular diseases; second, the functions of immunological roles in some of systemic autoimmunity will be discussed; third, we will provide a summary of the mechanisms that dictate immune cell trafficking to ocular local microenvironment in response to inflammation.

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

PubMed

Boye, Sondre; Moen, Torolf; Vik, Torstein

2012-01-01

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

Defining immunological dysfunction in sepsis: A requisite tool for precision medicine.

PubMed

Bermejo-Martin, Jesús F; Andaluz-Ojeda, David; Almansa, Raquel; Gandía, Francisco; Gómez-Herreras, Jose Ignacio; Gomez-Sanchez, Esther; Heredia-Rodríguez, María; Eiros, Jose Maria; Kelvin, David J; Tamayo, Eduardo

2016-05-01

Immunological dysregulation is now recognised as a major pathogenic event in sepsis. Stimulation of immune response and immuno-modulation are emerging approaches for the treatment of this disease. Defining the underlying immunological alterations in sepsis is important for the design of future therapies with immuno-modulatory drugs. Clinical studies evaluating the immunological response in adult patients with Sepsis and published in PubMed were reviewed to identify features of immunological dysfunction. For this study we used key words related with innate and adaptive immunity. Ten major features of immunological dysfunction (FID) were identified involving quantitative and qualitative alterations of [antigen presentation](FID1), [T and B lymphocytes] (FID2), [natural killer cells] (FID3), [relative increase in T regulatory cells] (FID4), [increased expression of PD-1 and PD-ligand1](FID5), [low levels of immunoglobulins](FID6), [low circulating counts of neutrophils and/or increased immature forms in non survivors](FID7), [hyper-cytokinemia] (FID8), [complement consumption] (FID9), [defective bacterial killing by neutrophil extracellular traps](FID10). This review article identified ten major features associated with immunosuppression and immunological dysregulation in sepsis. Assessment of these features could help in utilizing precision medicine for the treatment of sepsis with immuno-modulatory drugs. Copyright © 2016 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential electrophoretic separation of cells and its effect on cell viability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leise, E. M.; Lesane, F.

1974-01-01

An electrophoretic separation method was applied to the separation of cells. To determine the efficiency of the separation, it was necessary to apply existing methodology and develop new methods to assess the characteristics and functions of the separated subpopulations. Through appropriate application of the widely used isoelectric focusing procedure, a reproducible separation method was developed. Cells accumulated at defined pH and 70-80% remained viable. The cells were suitable for further biologic, biochemical and immunologic studies.

Sensitivity, specificity and comparison of three commercially available immunological tests in the diagnosis of Cryptosporidium species in animals.

PubMed

Danišová, Olga; Halánová, Monika; Valenčáková, Alexandra; Luptáková, Lenka

The study was conducted to compare the specificity of immunological diagnostic methods used for the diagnosis of Cryptosporidium species capable of causing life-threatening infection in both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients. For the detection of Cryptosporidium species in 79 animals with diarrhoea, we used three Copro-antigen tests: RIDASCREEN ® Cryptosporidium test, Cryptosporidium 2nd Generation (ELISA) and RIDA ® QUICK Cryptosporidium. For immunoassays we used positive and negative samples detected by means of polymerase chain reaction and validated by sequencing and nested polymerase chain reaction to confirm the presence six different species of Cryptosporidium species. Prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in the entire group determined by enzyme immunoassay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, immuno-chromatographic test and polymerase chain reaction was 34.17%, 27.84%, 6.33% and 27.84%, respectively. Sensitivity of animal samples with enzyme immunoassay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and immuno-chromatographic test was 63.6%, 40.9% and 22.7%, resp., when questionable samples were considered positive, whereas specificity of enzyme immunoassay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and immuno-chromatographic test was 75.9%, 78.9% and 100%, respectively. Positive predictive values and negative predictive values were different for all the tests. These differences results are controversial and therefore reliability and reproducibility of immunoassays as the only diagnostic method is questionable. The use of various Cryptosporidium species in diagnosis based on immunological testing and different results obtained by individual tests indicate potential differences in Copro-antigens produced by individual Cryptosporidium species. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Contribution of a Comparative Western Blot Method to Early Postnatal Diagnosis of Congenital Syphilis.

PubMed

Marangoni, Antonella; Foschi, Claudio; Capretti, Maria Grazia; Nardini, Paola; Compri, Monica; Corvaglia, Luigi Tommaso; Faldella, Giacomo; Cevenini, Roberto

2016-05-01

Serology has a pivotal role in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis (CS), but problems arise because of the passive transfer of IgG antibodies across the placenta. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of a comparative Western blot (WB) method finalized to match the IgG immunological profiles of mothers and their own babies at birth in order to differentiate between passively transmitted maternal antibodies and antibodies synthesized by the infants against Treponema pallidum Thirty infants born to mothers with unknown or inadequate treatment for syphilis were entered in a retrospective study, conducted at St. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. All of the infants underwent clinical, instrumental, and laboratory examinations, including IgM WB testing. For the retrospective study, an IgG WB assay was performed by blotting T. pallidum antigens onto nitrocellulose sheets and incubating the strips with serum specimens from mother-child pairs. CS was diagnosed in 11 out of the 30 enrolled infants; 9/11 cases received the definitive diagnosis within the first week of life, whereas the remaining two were diagnosed later because of increasing serological test titers. The use of the comparative IgG WB testing performed with serum samples from mother-child pairs allowed a correct CS diagnosis in 10/11 cases. The CS diagnosis was improved by a strategy combining comparative IgG WB results with IgM WB results, leading to a sensitivity of 100%. The comparative IgG WB test is thus a welcome addition to the conventional laboratory methods used for CS diagnosis, allowing identification and adequate treatment of infected infants and avoiding unnecessary therapy of uninfected newborns. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of immunological stress to neuroendocrine and gene expression in different swine breeds.

PubMed

Song, Chunyang; Jiang, Jianyang; Han, Xianjie; Yu, Guanghui; Pang, Yonggang

2014-06-01

Immunological stress is the status of animal in active immune when they are challenged by bacterial, virus and endocrine. It is associated with immunological, neurological, and endocrinological response. An immunological stress model was established in this study using Chinese indigenous breed (Laiwu), crossbred (Lulai), and exotic breed (Yorkshire), to explore the capacity of immunological stress resistance among different breeds. The study was also to reveal the effect of chromium yeast to immunological stress. 48 post-weaning piglets were taken from three breeds, 16 piglets of each breed from Laiwu, Lulai and Yorkshire. The experiment was designed as 2 × 2 factors, immunological stress (Saline, LPS) and Chromium (with Cr, without Cr). There were four treatments: control, LPS, Cr, and Cr+LPS. Blood parameters related to immunological stress, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, GH, and cortisol, were examined after blood sample were taken at 0, 2, 5, and 7 h of post-injection. The results showed that IL-1β, TNF-α, and cortisol increased in group of LPS treatment while GH declined at 2 h of post-injection in comparison to the control (p < 0.01). However, IL-1β, TNF-α, and cortisol in group of Cr+LPS were lower than that in group of LPS while GH were higher (p < 0.05). Total RNA was extractedfrom blood lymphocytes separation samples at 2 h of post-injection. Q-PCR was applied to determine the gene expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. The results showed that LPS injection increased the gene expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Among three breeds, the expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in Yorkshire were significantly higher than in Laiwu and Lulai (p < 0.05), but there was no difference between Laiwu and Lulai. Among four treatments, the expression of three genes in group of LPS was the highest, compared to the group of Cr+LPS (p < 0.05) and control (p < 0.01). This study concluded that Laiwu had stronger capacity of immunological stress resistance and next was Lulai among three breeds. Chromium yeast helped piglets relieve immunological stress.

Integrating asthma hazard characterization methods for consumer products.

PubMed

Maier, A; Vincent, M J; Gadagbui, B; Patterson, J; Beckett, W; Dalton, P; Kimber, I; Selgrade, M J K

2014-10-01

Despite extensive study, definitive conclusions regarding the relationship between asthma and consumer products remain elusive. Uncertainties reflect the multi-faceted nature of asthma (i.e., contributions of immunologic and non-immunologic mechanisms). Many substances used in consumer products are associated with occupational asthma or asthma-like syndromes. However, risk assessment methods do not adequately predict the potential for consumer product exposures to trigger asthma and related syndromes under lower-level end-user conditions. A decision tree system is required to characterize asthma and respiratory-related hazards associated with consumer products. A system can be built to incorporate the best features of existing guidance, frameworks, and models using a weight-of-evidence (WoE) approach. With this goal in mind, we have evaluated chemical hazard characterization methods for asthma and asthma-like responses. Despite the wealth of information available, current hazard characterization methods do not definitively identify whether a particular ingredient will cause or exacerbate asthma, asthma-like responses, or sensitization of the respiratory tract at lower levels associated with consumer product use. Effective use of hierarchical lines of evidence relies on consideration of the relevance and potency of assays, organization of assays by mode of action, and better assay validation. It is anticipated that the analysis of existing methods will support the development of a refined WoE approach. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of immunological response in predicting virological failure.

PubMed

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

2013-03-01

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

Pharmacogenomics in the preclinical development of vaccines: evaluation of efficacy and systemic toxicity in the mouse using array technology.

PubMed

Regnström, Karin J

2008-01-01

The development of vaccines, conventional protein based as well as nucleic acid based vaccines, and their delivery systems has been largely empirical and ineffective. This is partly due to a lack of methodology, since traditionally only a few markers are studied. By introducing gene expression analysis and bioinformatics into the design of vaccines and their delivery systems, vaccine development can be improved and accelerated considerably. Each vaccine antigen and delivery system combination is characterized by a unique genomic profile, a "fingerprint" that will give information of not only immunological and toxicological responses but also other related cellular responses e.g. cell cycle, apoptosis and carcinogenic effects. The resulting unique genomic fingerprint facilitates the establishment of molecular structure--pharmacological activity relationships and therefore leads to optimization of vaccine development.

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

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

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