Search results for "IMMUNOLOGY"
showing 10 items of 9651 documents
Vitellogenin-like A–associated shifts in social cue responsiveness regulate behavioral task specialization in an ant
2018
Division of labor and task specialization explain the success of human and insect societies. Social insect colonies are characterized by division of labor, with workers specializing in brood care early and foraging later in life. Theory posits that this task switching requires shifts in responsiveness to task-related cues, yet experimental evidence is weak. Here, we show that a Vitellogenin (Vg) ortholog identified in an RNAseq study on the ant T. longispinosus is involved in this process: using phylogenetic analyses of Vg and Vg-like genes, we firstly show that this candidate gene does not cluster with the intensively studied honey bee Vg but falls into a separate Vg-like A cluster. Second…
HLA-C1 ligands are associated with increased susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus.
2017
Recently, the role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) in autoimmune diseases has received increasing attention. The present study was undertaken to determine the association of KIR genes and the human leukocytes antigen (HLA) ligands with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and accompanying oxidative stress. Presence or absence of 17 KIR and 5 HLA loci was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) method by case-control study. A total of 45 SLE patients, and 60 healthy controls, all of Sicilian descent, were enrolled. Plasma values of the anti-oxidant molecule Taurine were determined in all subjects by capillary electrophoresis UV detecti…
Genetic justification of severe COVID-19 using a rigorous algorithm
2021
Recent studies suggest excessive complement activation in severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). The latter shares common characteristics with complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). We hypothesized that genetic susceptibility would be evident in patients with severe COVID-19 (similar to TMA) and associated with disease severity. We analyzed genetic and clinical data from 97 patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Through targeted next-generation-sequencing we found an ADAMTS13 variant in 49 patients, along with two risk factor variants (C3, 21 patients; CFH,34 patients). 31 (32%) patients had a combination of these, which was independently associated with ICU hospitalization (…
Early Post-Transplant Torquetenovirus Viremia Predicts Cytomegalovirus Reactivations In Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.
2018
AbstractMonitoring the human virome has been recently suggested as a promising and novel area of research for identifying new biomarkers which would help physicians in the management of transplant patients. Imbalance of the immune system in transplant recipients has a significant impact on replication of Torquetenovirus (TTV), the most representative and abundant virus of human virome. TTV kinetic was studied by real-time PCR in 280 liver or kidney transplant recipients who underwent different drug regimens to maintain immunosuppression. During one-year post-transplant follow-up, TTV viremia fluctuated irrespective of transplanted organ type but consistent with the immunosuppression regimen…
Influenza like Illness among Medical Residents Anticipates Influenza Diffusion in General Population: Data from a National Survey among Italian Medic…
2016
The aim of this multicentre study was to assess incidence of influenza like illness (ILI) among Italian medical residents (MRs) during 2011±2012 influenza season, to detect variables associated with ILI and to compare estimated ILI incidence among MRs and general population. A cross-sectional survey was carried out throughout an anonymous questionnaire administered to all MRs attending the post-graduate medical schools of 18 Italian Universities. At the same time an analysis of the ILI incidence in the Italian general population was conducted through the Italian Influenza Surveillance Network. Of a total of 2,506 MRs, 1,191 (47.5%) reported at least one ILI episode. A higher proportion of I…
Brief Report: Functional Interaction of Endoplasmic Reticulum Aminopeptidase 2 and HLA-B27 Activates the Unfolded Protein Response.
2017
Objective: The basic mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remain unresolved. We previously reported an association of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2549782 in the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 gene (ERAP2) with AS. It is known that patients homozygous for the G allele (GG) of another ERAP2 SNP, rs2248374, lack expression of ERAP2 (ERAP2 null). The present study utilized this information to study the impact of ERAP2 deficiency on HLAâB27 expression in patients with AS, specifically focusing on the functional interaction of ERAP2 and HLAâB27 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with AS and assessing the effects …
Analysis of colon-infiltrating γδ T cells in chronic inflammatory bowel disease and in colitis-associated cancer
2019
Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains a global health problem with a significant percentage of patients progressing to chronic inflammation and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Whether or not γδ T cells contribute to initiation and maintenance of inflammation in IBD and in the development of CAC is not known. We have evaluated the frequency, phenotype, and functions of γδ T cells among tissue-infiltrating lymphocytes in healthy donors and IBD and CAC patients. Results show that Vδ1 T cells are the dominant γδ T-cell population in healthy tissue, whereas Vδ2 T significantly abound in chronic IBD. Vδ2 T cells produce more IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17 than Vδ1 T cells in chronic inflame…
Fish Sperm Assessment Using Software and Cooling Devices
2018
For gamete quality evaluation, there are innovative, rapid, and quantitative techniques that can provide useful data for aquaculture. Computerized systems for sperm analysis were developed to measure several parameters and one of the most commonly measured is the sperm motility. Initially, this computer technology was designed for mammalian species, although it can also be used for fish sperm analysis. Fish have specific features that can affect sperm assessment such as a short motility time after activation and, in some cases, adaptation to lower temperatures. Thus, it is necessary to modify both software and hardware components to make motility analysis more efficient for fish sperm analy…
Stromal hyaluronan accumulation is associated with low immune response and poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer
2021
AbstractHyaluronan (HA) accumulation has been associated with poor survival in various cancers, but the mechanisms for this phenomenon are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of stromal HA accumulation and its association with host immune response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The study material consisted of 101 radically treated patients for PDAC from a single geographical area. HA staining was evaluated using a HA-specific probe, and the patterns of CD3, CD8, CD73 and PD-L1 expression were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. HA staining intensity of tumour stromal areas was assessed digitally using QuPath. CD3- and CD8-based …
Blocking CD248 molecules in perivascular stromal cells of patients with systemic sclerosis strongly inhibits their differentiation toward myofibrobla…
2018
Abstract Background Fibrosis may be considered the hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc), the end stage triggered by different pathological events. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) are profibrotic molecules modulating myofibroblast differentiation and proliferation, respectively. There is evidence linking CD248 with these two molecules, both highly expressed in patients with SSc, and suggesting that CD248 may be a therapeutic target for several diseases. The aim of this work was to evaluate the expression of CD248 in SSc skin and its ability to modulate SSc fibrotic process. Methods After ethical approval was obtained, skin biopsies were co…