Analysis of Fcγ receptor haplotypes in rheumatoid arthritis: FCGR3A remains a major susceptibility gene at this locus, with an additional contribution from FCGR3B

The Fcγ receptors play important roles in the initiation and regulation of many immunological and inflammatory processes, and genetic variants (FCGR) have been associated with numerous autoimmune and infectious diseases. The data in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are conflicting and we previously demonstrated an association between FCGR3A and RA. In view of the close molecular proximity with FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B, additional polymorphisms within these genes and FCGR haplotypes were examined to refine the extent of association with RA. Biallelic polymorphisms in FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B were examined for association with RA in two well characterized UK Caucasian and North Indian/Pakistani cohorts, in which FCGR3A genotyping had previously been undertaken. Haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium were estimated across the FCGR locus and a model-free analysis was performed to determine association with RA. This was followed by regression analysis, allowing for phase uncertainty, to identify the particular haplotype(s) that influences disease risk. Our results reveal that FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B were not associated with RA. The haplotype with the strongest association with RA susceptibility was the FCGR3A–FCGR3B 158V-NA2 haplotype (odds ratio 3.18, 95% confidence interval 1.13–8.92 [P = 0.03] for homozygotes compared with all genotypes). The association was stronger in the presence of nodules (odds ratio 5.03, 95% confidence interval 1.44–17.56; P = 0.01). This haplotype was also more common in North Indian/Pakistani RA patients than in control individuals, but not significantly so. Logistic regression analyses suggested that FCGR3A remained the most significant gene at this locus. The increased association with an FCGR3A–FCGR3B haplotype suggests that other polymorphic variants within FCGR3A or FCGR3B, or in linkage disequilibrium with this haplotype, may additionally contribute to disease pathogenesis

Nutrition and dementia care: developing an evidence-based model for nutritional care in nursing homes.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing volume of research to offer improvements in nutritional care for people with dementia living in nursing homes. Whilst a number of interventions have been identified to support food and drink intake, there has been no systematic research to understand the factors for improving nutritional care from the perspectives of all those delivering care in nursing homes. The aim of this study was to develop a research informed model for understanding the complex nutritional problems associated with eating and drinking for people with dementia. METHODS: We conducted nine focus groups and five semi-structured interviews with those involved or who have a level of responsibility for providing food and drink and nutritional care in nursing homes (nurses, care workers, catering assistants, dietitians, speech and language therapists) and family carers. The resulting conceptual model was developed by eliciting care-related processes, thus supporting credibility from the perspective of the end-users. RESULTS: The seven identified domain areas were person-centred nutritional care (the overarching theme); availability of food and drink; tools, resources and environment; relationship to others when eating and drinking; participation in activities; consistency of care and provision of information. CONCLUSIONS: This collaboratively developed, person-centred model can support the design of new education and training tools and be readily translated into existing programmes. Further research is needed to evaluate whether these evidence-informed approaches have been implemented successfully and adopted into practice and policy contexts and can demonstrate effectiveness for people living with dementia

Theta antigen and immunoglobulin on a tissue-cultured mouse lymphoma.

E1-4, a tissue culture established murine lymphoma, is shown to carry the θ-antigen and to have immunoglobulin in its membrane. Both are present in quantities similar to those found on normal C57 B1/6N thymocytes. This cell line may prove a useful model for the study of T cell membranes

Surface immunoglobulin of a mouse t-cell lymphoma.

A surface immunoglobulin (Ig) has been extracted from E14, a tissue culture established mouse T-cell lymphoma. The purified protein can be separated into heavy and light chains by reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol. The intact Ig has a molecular weight of 170,000 and the heavy chain has a molecular weight of 64,000

Human-mouse mixed lymphocyte cultures. II. Partial separation of functionally distinct populations on discontinuous albumin gradients.

Human-mouse mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) develop stable, strain-specific responses directed towards antigens determined by the mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC). By restimulation in vitro a two- to four-fold increase in total cell numbers can be achieved. Sensitized cells can be fractionated on discontinuous BSA gradients to produce fractions with predominantly proliferative or cytotoxic activity towards the intiating antigens. Mixing experiments show that fractionation of biological activity is the result of fractination of specifically sensitized effector cells rather than fractionation of inhibitory or collaborative elements. Since biological activities or can be separated on the basis of physical properties into distinct cell populations these experiments support the idea that these functions are the properties of distinct subclasses of human T lymphocyte. Xenogeneic MLC coupled to physical separation measures is a useful approach to the study of antigen-specific human T lymphocytes