Genetic Background Can Result in a Marked or Minimal Effect of Gene Knockout (GPR55 and CB2 Receptor) in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Models of Multiple Sclerosis

PMCID: PMC379391

Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin in critically ill immunocompromised patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recognizing infection is crucial in immunocompromised patients with organ dysfunction. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) in critically ill immunocompromised patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This prospective, observational study included patients with suspected sepsis. Patients were classified into one of three diagnostic groups: no infection, bacterial sepsis, and nonbacterial sepsis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We included 119 patients with a median age of 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 42-68 years). The general severity (SAPSII) and organ dysfunction (LOD) scores on day 1 were 45 (35-62.7) and 4 (2-6), respectively, and overall hospital mortality was 32.8%. Causes of immunodepression were hematological disorders (64 patients, 53.8%), HIV infection (31 patients, 26%), and solid cancers (26 patients, 21.8%). Bacterial sepsis was diagnosed in 58 patients and nonbacterial infections in nine patients (7.6%); 52 patients (43.7%) had no infection. PCT concentrations on the first ICU day were higher in the group with bacterial sepsis (4.42 [1.60-22.14] vs. 0.26 [0.09-1.26] ng/ml in patients without bacterial infection, <it>P </it>< 0.0001). PCT concentrations on day 1 that were > 0.5 ng/ml had 100% sensitivity but only 63% specificity for diagnosing bacterial sepsis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.851 (0.78-0.92). In multivariate analyses, PCT concentrations > 0.5 ng/ml on day 1 independently predicted bacterial sepsis (odds ratio, 8.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.53-29.3; <it>P </it>= 0.0006). PCT concentrations were not significantly correlated with hospital mortality.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite limited specificity in critically ill immunocompromised patients, PCT concentrations may help to rule out bacterial infection.</p

The Interaction between Regulatory T Cells and NKT Cells in the Liver: A CD1d Bridge Links Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and natural killer T (NKT) cells are two distinct lymphocyte subsets that independently regulate hepatic adaptive and innate immunity, respectively. In the current study, we examine the interaction between Tregs and NKT cells to understand the mechanisms of cross immune regulation by these cells.The frequency and function of Tregs were evaluated in wild type and NKT cell deficient (CD1dko) mice. In vitro lymphocyte proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed with NKT cells co-cultured with Tregs. The ability of Tregs to inhibit NKT cells in vivo was examined by adoptive transfer of Tregs in a model of NKT cell mediated hepatitis.CD1dko mice have a significant reduction in hepatic Tregs. Although, the Tregs from CD1dko mice remain functional and can suppress conventional T cells, their ability to suppress activation induced NKT cell proliferation and to promote NKT cell apoptosis is greatly diminished. These effects are CD1d dependent and require cell to cell contact. Adoptive transfer of Tregs inhibits NKT cell-mediated liver injury.NKT cells promote Tregs, and Tregs inhibit NKT cells in a CD1d dependent manner requiring cell to cell contact. These cross-talk immune regulations provide a linkage between innate and adaptive immunity

Development and Function of Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Producing TH2- and TH17-Cytokines

Four distinct subsets of invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells are shown to differentiate in the thymus, then migrate to peripheral tissues where they retain their phenotypic and functional characteristics

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database.

In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements (~76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76% of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type (~40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it

Polarization of Λ and Λ¯ Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Pb-Pb Collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The polarization of the Lambda and (Lambda) over bar hyperons along the beam (z) direction, P-z, has been measured in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV recorded with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The main contribution to P-z comes from elliptic flow-induced vorticity and can be characterized by the second Fourier sine coefficient P-z,P-s2 = &lt; P-z sin(2 phi - 2 Psi(2))&gt;, where phi is the hyperon azimuthal emission angle and Psi(2) is the elliptic flow plane angle. We report the measurement of P-z,P-s2 for different collision centralities and in the 30%-50% centrality interval as a function of the hyperon transverse momentum and rapidity. The P-z,P-s2 is positive similarly as measured by the STAR Collaboration in Au-Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV, with somewhat smaller amplitude in the semicentral collisions. This is the first experimental evidence of a nonzero hyperon P-z in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The comparison of the measured P-z,P-s2 with the hydrodynamic model calculations shows sensitivity to the competing contributions from thermal and the recently found shear-induced vorticity, as well as to whether the polarization is acquired at the quark-gluon plasma or the hadronic phase

Study of very forward energy and its correlation with particle production at midrapidity in pp and p-Pb collisions at the LHC

The energy deposited at very forward rapidities (very forward energy) is a powerful tool for characterising proton fragmentation in pp and p-Pb collisions. The correlation of very forward energy with particle production at midrapidity provides direct insights into the initial stages and the subsequent evolution of the collision. Furthermore, the correlation with the production of particles with large transverse momenta at midrapidity provides information complementary to the measurements of the underlying event, which are usually interpreted in the framework of models implementing centrality-dependent multiple parton interactions. Results about very forward energy, measured by the ALICE zero degree calorimeters (ZDCs), and its dependence on the activity measured at midrapidity in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 8.16 TeV are discussed. The measurements performed in pp collisions are compared with the expectations of three hadronic interaction event generators: PYTHIA 6 (Perugia 2011 tune), PYTHIA 8 (Monash tune), and EPOS LHC. These results provide new constraints on the validity of models in describing the beam remnants at very forward rapidities, where perturbative QCD cannot be used

K0SK0S and K0SK± femtoscopy in pp collisions at √s = 5.02 and 13 TeV

Femtoscopic correlations with the particle pair combinations (KSKS0)-K-0 and (KSK +/-)-K-0 are studied in pp collisions at root s= 5.02 and 13 TeV by the ALICE experiment. At both energies, boson source parameters are extracted for both pair combinations, by fitting models based on Gaussian size distributions of the sources, to the measured two-particle correlation functions. The interaction model used for the (KSKS0)-K-0 analysis includes quantum statistics and strong final-state interactions through the f(0) (980) and a(0) (980) resonances. The model used for the (KSK +/-)-K-0 analysis includes only the final-state interaction through the a(0) resonance. Source parameters extracted in the present work are compared with published values from pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV and the different pair combinations are found to be consistent. From the observation that the strength of the (KSKS0)-K-0 correlations is significantly greater than the strength of the (KSK +/-)-K-0 correlations, the new results are compatible with the a(0) resonance being a tetraquark state of the form (q(1), (q(2)) over bar, s, (s) over bar), where q(1) and q(2) are uor d quarks. (C) 2022 European Organization for Nuclear Research, ALICE. Published by Elsevier B.V