Survivin the battle against immunosuppression

Improving on the limited success of cancer immunotherapy requires new approaches to inhibit immunosuppressive pathways initiated by tumor cells to “escape” protective immunity. One unique approach utilizes Salmonella for systemic delivery of inhibitory RNA, targeting the immunosuppressive molecule Stat3, and a Survivin vaccine to suppress growth of aggressive murine tumors

Anticholinesterase Therapy for Patients with Ophthalmoplegia Following Snake Bites: Report of Two Cases

Although ophthalmoplegia following snake bites is not indicative of a serious neurotoxic complication, symptoms of diplopia, dizziness and ocular discomfort can be emotionally devastating for patients. The authors experienced two cases of ophthalmoplegia following snake bites in Korea. The patients complained of diplopia that had developed several hours after the snake bites. The diplopia did not improve with antivenom treatment, but resolved completely after several injections of neostigmine

In vivo Tâ cell activation by a monoclonal αCD3ε antibody induces preterm labor and birth

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134074/1/aji12562.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134074/2/aji12562_am.pd

Polymorphisms in MGP gene and their association with lead toxicity

Matrix γ-carboxy glutamic acid protein (MGP) is a 10-kDa secreted protein containing five residues of the vitamin K-dependent calcium binding amino acid γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla). This study was carried out to examine the effects of MGP gene promoter polymorphism (T-138C) on blood lead levels (BLL) and hematological parameters in 113 battery manufacturing unit workers occupationally exposed to lead and 102 controls. Genotypes for the MGP T-138C polymorphism were determined by PCR and restriction fragment length digestion. BLL were determined by Anode Stripping Voltammetry using ESA Model 3010B Lead analyzer. Complete blood picture (CBP) was analyzed using ADVIA Cell counter for each sample. The frequencies of MGP–TT, CT and CC genotypes in our population were 38.6%, 44.3%, and 17.2%, respectively. The frequencies for T and C alleles were 0.612 and 0.386, respectively. Although BLL did not differ significantly among genotypes; they were higher in workers with TT/CT genotype compared to CC genotype subjects (76–88 μg/dL vs 22–45 μg/dL, p > 0.05). About 29.2% of volunteers (n = 33) from the occupationally exposed group had hemoglobin levels below 10.0 gms/dl. There was no significant difference in total white cell count and platelet count between occupational and non-exposed groups. The possible role of SNPs in the promoter region of MGP gene with relation to lead toxicity was investigated for the first time in the Indian population; although significance could not be achieved in this study, further assessments over a larger population size may help in better understanding of the consequences of lead exposure

The analysis of 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid in the plasma of smokers and non-smokers

ATCA (2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid) is a promising marker to assess cyanide exposure because of several advantages of ATCA analysis over direct determination of cyanide and alternative cyanide biomarkers (i.e. stability in biological matrices, consistent recovery, and relatively small endogenous concentrations). Concentrations of ATCA in the plasma of smoking and non-smoking human volunteers were analyzed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry to establish the feasibility of using ATCA as a marker for cyanide exposure. The levels of ATCA in plasma of smoking volunteers, 17.2 ng/ml, were found to be significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of non-smoking volunteers, 11.8 ng/ml. Comparison of ATCA concentrations of smokers relative to non-smokers in both urine and plasma yielded relatively similar results. The concentration ratio of ATCA for smokers versus non-smokers in plasma and urine was compared to similar literature studies of cyanide and thiocyanate, and correlations are discussed. This study supports previous evidence that ATCA can be used to determine past cyanide exposure and indicates that further studies should be pursued to validate the use of ATCA as a marker of cyanide exposure

In vivo activation of invariant natural killer T cells induces systemic and local alterations in Tâ cell subsets prior to preterm birth

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137689/1/cei12968.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137689/2/cei12968_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137689/3/cei12968-sup-0001-suppinfo1.pd