Mechanosensitive ACKR4 scavenges CCR7 chemokines to facilitate T cell de-adhesion and passive transport by flow in inflamed afferent lymphatics.

T cell migration via afferent lymphatics to draining lymph nodes (dLNs) depends on expression of CCR7 in T cells and CCL21 in the lymphatic vasculature. Once T cells have entered lymphatic capillaries, they slowly migrate into contracting collecting vessels. Here, lymph flow picks up, inducing T cell detachment and rapid transport to the dLNs. We find that the atypical chemokine receptor 4 (ACKR4), which binds and internalizes CCL19 and CCL21, is induced by lymph flow in endothelial cells lining lymphatic collectors, enabling them to scavenge these chemokines. In the absence of ACKR4, migration of T cells to dLNs in TPA-induced inflammation is significantly reduced. While entry into capillaries is not impaired, T cells accumulate in the ACKR4-deficient dermal collecting vessel segments. Overall, our findings identify an ACKR4-mediated mechanism by which lymphatic collectors facilitate the detachment of lymph-borne T cells in inflammation and their transition from crawling to free-flow toward the dLNs

Multiple roles of lymphatic vessels in peripheral lymph node development.

The mammalian lymphatic system consists of strategically located lymph nodes (LNs) embedded into a lymphatic vascular network. Mechanisms underlying development of this highly organized system are not fully understood. Using high-resolution imaging, we show that lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells initially transmigrate from veins at LN development sites using gaps in venous mural coverage. This process is independent of lymphatic vasculature, but lymphatic vessels are indispensable for the transport of LTi cells that egress from blood capillaries elsewhere and serve as an essential LN expansion reservoir. At later stages, lymphatic collecting vessels ensure efficient LTi cell transport and formation of the LN capsule and subcapsular sinus. Perinodal lymphatics also promote local interstitial flow, which cooperates with lymphotoxin-β signaling to amplify stromal CXCL13 production and thereby promote LTi cell retention. Our data unify previous models of LN development by showing that lymphatics intervene at multiple points to assist LN expansion and identify a new role for mechanical forces in LN development

On the Implications of a Sex Difference in the Reaction Times of Sprinters at the Beijing Olympics

Elite sprinters offer insights into the fastest whole body auditory reaction times. When, however, is a reaction so fast that it represents a false start? Currently, a false start is awarded if an athlete increases the force on their starting block above a given threshold before 100 ms has elapsed after the starting gun. To test the hypothesis that the fastest valid reaction times of sprinters really is 100 ms and that no sex difference exists in that time, we analyzed the fastest reaction times achieved by each of the 425 male and female sprinters who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After power transformation of the skewed data, a fixed effects ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of sex, race, round and lane position. The lower bounds of the 95, 99 and 99.9% confidence intervals were then calculated and back transformed. The mean fastest reaction time recorded by men was significantly faster than women (p<0.001). At the 99.9% confidence level, neither men nor women can react in 100 ms, but they can react in as little as 109 ms and 121 ms, respectively. However, that sex difference in reaction time is likely an artifact caused by using the same force threshold in women as men, and it permits a woman to false start by up to 21 ms without penalty. We estimate that female sprinters would have similar reaction times to male sprinters if the force threshold used at Beijing was lowered by 22% in order to account for their lesser muscle strength

Peptide-MHC Class I Tetramers Can Fail To Detect Relevant Functional T Cell Clonotypes and Underestimate Antigen-Reactive T Cell Populations.

Peptide-MHC (pMHC) multimers, usually used as streptavidin-based tetramers, have transformed the study of Ag-specific T cells by allowing direct detection, phenotyping, and enumeration within polyclonal T cell populations. These reagents are now a standard part of the immunology toolkit and have been used in many thousands of published studies. Unfortunately, the TCR-affinity threshold required for staining with standard pMHC multimer protocols is higher than that required for efficient T cell activation. This discrepancy makes it possible for pMHC multimer staining to miss fully functional T cells, especially where low-affinity TCRs predominate, such as in MHC class II-restricted responses or those directed against self-antigens. Several recent, somewhat alarming, reports indicate that pMHC staining might fail to detect the majority of functional T cells and have prompted suggestions that T cell immunology has become biased toward the type of cells amenable to detection with multimeric pMHC. We use several viral- and tumor-specific pMHC reagents to compare populations of human T cells stained by standard pMHC protocols and optimized protocols that we have developed. Our results confirm that optimized protocols recover greater populations of T cells that include fully functional T cell clonotypes that cannot be stained by regular pMHC-staining protocols. These results highlight the importance of using optimized procedures that include the use of protein kinase inhibitor and Ab cross-linking during staining to maximize the recovery of Ag-specific T cells and serve to further highlight that many previous quantifications of T cell responses with pMHC reagents are likely to have considerably underestimated the size of the relevant populations

The Diversity of Religious Diversity. Using Census and NCS Methodology in Order to Map and Assess the Religious Diversity of a Whole Country

Religious diversity is often captured in “mapping studies” that use mostly qualitative methods in order to map and assess the religious communities in a given area. While these studies are useful, they often present weaknesses in that they treat only limited geographic regions, provide limited possibilities for comparing across religious groups and cannot test theories. In this article, we show how a census and a quantitative national congregations study (NCS) methodology can be combined in order to map and assess the religious diversity of a whole country (Switzerland), overcoming the problems mentioned above. We outline the methodological steps and selected results concerning organizational, geographic, structural, and cultural diversity

Religion et reproduction de l'asymétrie / Religion and the Repeat of an Asymmetry

The author tries to give a temporary answer to the question raised in all the articles of this issue, namely does religion hinder equality? Two complementary theses may be put forward: on the one hand, religion maintains a special relationship with a patriarchal understanding of women's social status; on the other hand it offers resources to legitimate egalitarian values and practices. The movement from the first attitude to the second may be very swift as exemplified by the transformation of the position of Swiss protestantism regarding the right of women to get an abortion. A second type of answer may be offered by the pluralism and individualism that characterize religion today. Religion may support different representations of the relationship between men and women. In turn, these representations influence the different ways in which women experience religion. Religious pluralism may be seen as a reflection of social pluralism. It acts as a brake in so far as it legitimizes contradictory representations of the relationship between men and women.Cet article tente d'apporter une réponse provisoire à la question traitée par les articles qui précèdent : la religion constitue-t-elle un frein à l'égalité ? Deux thèses complémentaires peuvent être avancées. La religion entretient un lien privilégié avec une vision patriarcale du statut social de la femme ; elle constitue une ressource de légitimation de valeurs/pratiques égalitaires. L'évolution de la première attitude vers la seconde peut être rapide comme l'illustre une analyse de la transformation des discours du protestantisme suisse à propos du droit de la femme de recourir à une interruption de grossesse. Le pluralisme et l'individualisation qui caractérisent le champ religieux apportent un second élément de réponse. La religion sert de support à différentes représentations des rapports hommes-femmes. Celles-ci influencent la pluralité des modes de recours à la religion de la part des femmes. Le pluralisme religieux peut être considéré comme un reflet du pluralisme social. Il exerce un rôle de frein en légitimant des représentations contradictoires des rapports entre hommes et femmes.Este articulo intenta responder provisionalmente a la pregunta central que se encuentra en los artículos de este volumen de los ASSR : ¿ constituye la religión un freno a la igualdad ? Dos ideas complementarias parecen pertinentes. Por una parte, la religión tiene un vínculo privilegiado con una visión patriarcal del estatuto de la mujer, y por otra parte, constituye un recurso de legitimación de valores y de prácticas igualitarias. La evolución de la primera actitud hacia la segunda puede ser rápida como en la transformación de los discursos del protestantismo suizo a proposito del derecho de la mujer a la interrupción voluntaria de embarazo. El pluralismo y la individualización que caracterizan el campo religioso constituyen otro elemento. La religión conlleva ciertas representaciones de la relación hombres-mujeres, que influyen en la pluralidad de los modos de recurso a la religión por las mujeres. Se puede ver el pluralismo religioso como un pluralismo social. Desempeña un papel de freno legitimando representaciones contradictorias de las relaciones entre hombres y mujeres.Bovay C. Religion et reproduction de l'asymétrie / Religion and the Repeat of an Asymmetry. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°95, 1996. La religion: frein à l'égalité hommes/femmes? pp. 143-161

Kobelt-Groch (Marion). Aufsässige Töchter Gottes, Frauen im Bauernkrieg und in den Täuferbewegung

Bovay C. Kobelt-Groch (Marion). Aufsässige Töchter Gottes, Frauen im Bauernkrieg und in den Täuferbewegung. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°100, 1997. pp. 100-101

Déroulement et issue des grossesses chez les patientes mineures ayant accouché au CHUV entre 2005 et 2015 : influence de l’âge sur l’incidence des complications

Objectifs – L’objectif est d’étudier le déroulement de la grossesse et de l’accouchement dans une population de jeunes mineures ayant accouché au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois entre 2005 et 2015 puis de décrire les caractéristiques de ces jeunes patientes. Le but est de déterminer l’impact de l’âge sur le déroulement de la grossesse et sur l’incidence des complications obstétricales. Patientes et méthodes. – Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective, de cohorte, descriptive et comparative réalisée à partir de la base de données de la maternité du CHUV à Lausanne entre le 1er janvier 2005 et le 31 décembre 2015. Deux groupes ont été établis permettant de comparer les mineures âgées de moins de 16 ans avec celles âgées entre 16 et 18 ans. Les critères étudiés sont les caractéristiques de la population, le profil psychosocial des patientes, le déroulement de la grossesse ainsi que celui de l’accouchement et les paramètres du nouveau-né. Résultats – Les adolescentes étaient dans la plupart des cas nullipares, d’origine étrangère (66.7%), accompagnées de leurs partenaires, à l’école pour les patientes de moins de 16 ans (81.8%) et en apprentissage (21.7%) ou sans activités (46%) pour celles âgées entre 16 et 18 ans. Le contexte psychosocial est souvent compliqué. Certaines femmes sont dans des situations précaires (10%), ne désirent pas la grossesse (7.8%), d’autres souffrent de violences intrafamiliales (6.7%) ou sont isolées (5,6%). L’âge gestationnel moyen lors du premier rendezvous est de 17 semaines d’aménorrhées (SA). Un suivi tardif est identifié chez 40.5% des patientes avec un taux significativement plus élevé chez les femmes &lt;16 ans. Les patientes sont anémiques dans 36.8% des cas, 18.5% des patientes sont à risque de menace d’accouchement prématuré durant la grossesse et uniquement 3.3% ont fait une pré-éclampsie. L’âge gestationnel moyen lors de l’accouchement est de 38 SA. La proportion d’accouchements par voie vaginale est de 85.9%. Celle d’accouchements instrumentalisés est de 6.5%. Le percentile moyen est de 41.4 avec un nombre de nouveau-nés hypotrophes dans 14.4% des cas. Le nombre de prématurés accouchés à &lt; 37 SA représente 19.6% et ceux &lt; 34 SA, 9.8%. Discussion et conclusion - La grossesse des adolescentes nécessite une prise en charge spécifique, en particulier d’un point de vue psychosociale. Un suivi précoce éviterait des complications comme l’anémie ou la prématurité. Un dépistage des infections sexuellement transmissibles est indispensable chez ces jeunes femmes lors du premier rendez-vous de suivi. Les accouchements sont dans la plupart des cas physiologiques et se compliquent rarement

Prêtres, pasteurs, rabbins. Bibliographie thématique

Campiche Roland, Bovay C. Prêtres, pasteurs, rabbins. Bibliographie thématique. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°48/1, 1979. pp. 133-183

Prêtres, pasteurs, rabbins. Bibliographie thématique

Campiche Roland, Bovay C. Prêtres, pasteurs, rabbins. Bibliographie thématique. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°48/1, 1979. pp. 133-183