876 research outputs found
Generation of dendritic cell-based vaccines for cancer therapy
Dendritic cells play a major role in the generation of immunity against tumour cells. They can be grown under various culture conditions, which influence the phenotypical and functional properties of dendritic cells and thereby the consecutive immune response mainly executed by T cells. Here we discuss various conditions, which are important during generation and administration of dendritic cells to elicit a tumouricidal T cell-based immune response
Efficacy of adjuvant immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer
Deep-Inelastic Inclusive ep Scattering at Low x and a Determination of alpha_s
A precise measurement of the inclusive deep-inelastic e^+p scattering cross
section is reported in the kinematic range 1.5<= Q^2 <=150 GeV^2 and
3*10^(-5)<= x <=0.2. The data were recorded with the H1 detector at HERA in
1996 and 1997, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20 pb^(-1). The
double differential cross section, from which the proton structure function
F_2(x,Q^2) and the longitudinal structure function F_L(x,Q^2) are extracted, is
measured with typically 1% statistical and 3% systematic uncertainties. The
measured partial derivative (dF_2(x,Q^2)/dln Q^2)_x is observed to rise
continuously towards small x for fixed Q^2. The cross section data are combined
with published H1 measurements at high Q^2 for a next-to-leading order DGLAP
QCD analysis.The H1 data determine the gluon momentum distribution in the range
3*10^(-4)<= x <=0.1 to within an experimental accuracy of about 3% for Q^2 =20
GeV^2. A fit of the H1 measurements and the mu p data of the BCDMS
collaboration allows the strong coupling constant alpha_s and the gluon
distribution to be simultaneously determined. A value of alpha
_s(M_Z^2)=0.1150+-0.0017 (exp) +0.0009-0.0005 (model) is obtained in NLO, with
an additional theoretical uncertainty of about +-0.005, mainly due to the
uncertainty of the renormalisation scale.Comment: 68 pages, 24 figures and 18 table
Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente
Invasive fungal infections in neutropenic enterocolitis: A systematic analysis of pathogens, incidence, treatment and mortality in adult patients
BACKGROUND: Neutropenic enterocolitis is a life-threatening complication most frequently occurring after intensive chemotherapy in acute leukaemias. Gramnegative bacteria constitute the most important group of causative pathogens. Fungi have also been reported, but their practical relevance remains unclear. The guidelines do not address concrete treatment recommendations for fungal neutropenic enterocolitis. METHODS: Here, we conducted a metaanalysis to answer the questions: What are frequency and mortality of fungal neutropenic enterocolitis? Do frequencies and microbiological distribution of causative fungi support empirical antimycotic therapy? Do reported results of antimycotic therapy in documented fungal neutropenic enterocolitis help with the selection of appropriate drugs? Following a systematic search, we extracted and summarised all detail data from the complete literature. RESULTS: Among 186 articles describing patients with neutropenic enterocolitis, we found 29 reports describing 53 patients with causative fungal pathogens. We found no randomised controlled trial, no good quality cohort study and no good quality case control study on the role of antifungal treatment. The pooled frequency of fungal neutropenic enterocolitis was 6.2% calculated from all 860 reported patients and 3.4% calculated from selected representative studies only. In 94% of the patients, Candida spp. were involved. The pooled mortality rate was 81.8%. Most authors did not report or perform antifungal therapy. CONCLUSION: In patients with neutropenic enterocolitis, fungal pathogens play a relevant, but secondary role compared to bacteria. Evidence concerning therapy is very poor, but epidemiological data from this study may provide helpful clues to select empiric antifungal therapy in neutropenic enterocolitis
Serotonin-immunoreactivity in the ventral nerve cord of Pycnogonida – support for individually identifiable neurons as ancestral feature of the arthropod nervous system
The Tumor Microenvironment: The Making of a Paradigm
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the su
Tracking Cats: Problems with Placing Feline Carnivores on δ18O, δD Isoscapes
Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establishing geographic origin of tissues of endangered species is thus crucial for wildlife crime investigations and effective conservation strategies. As shown in other species, stable isotope analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in hair (δD(h), δ(18)O(h)) can be used as a tool for provenance determination. However, reliably predicting the spatial distribution of δD(h) and δ(18)O(h) requires confirmation from animal tissues of known origin and a detailed understanding of the isotopic routing of dietary nutrients into felid hair.We used coupled δD(h) and δ(18)O(h) measurements from the North American bobcat (Lynx rufus) and puma (Puma concolor) with precipitation-based assignment isoscapes to test the feasibility of isotopic geo-location of felidae. Hairs of felid and rabbit museum specimens from 75 sites across the United States and Canada were analyzed. Bobcat and puma lacked a significant correlation between H/O isotopes in hair and local waters, and also exhibited an isotopic decoupling of δ(18)O(h) and δD(h). Conversely, strong δD and δ(18)O coupling was found for key prey, eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus; hair) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; collagen, bone phosphate).Puma and bobcat hairs do not adhere to expected pattern of H and O isotopic variation predicted by precipitation isoscapes for North America. Thus, using bulk hair, felids cannot be placed on δ(18)O and δD isoscapes for use in forensic investigations. The effective application of isotopes to trace the provenance of feline carnivores is likely compromised by major controls of their diet, physiology and metabolism on hair δ(18)O and δD related to body water budgets. Controlled feeding experiments, combined with single amino acid isotope analysis of diets and hair, are needed to reveal mechanisms and physiological traits explaining why felid hair does not follow isotopic patterns demonstrated in many other taxa
Shedding Light on the Galaxy Luminosity Function
From as early as the 1930s, astronomers have tried to quantify the
statistical nature of the evolution and large-scale structure of galaxies by
studying their luminosity distribution as a function of redshift - known as the
galaxy luminosity function (LF). Accurately constructing the LF remains a
popular and yet tricky pursuit in modern observational cosmology where the
presence of observational selection effects due to e.g. detection thresholds in
apparent magnitude, colour, surface brightness or some combination thereof can
render any given galaxy survey incomplete and thus introduce bias into the LF.
Over the last seventy years there have been numerous sophisticated
statistical approaches devised to tackle these issues; all have advantages --
but not one is perfect. This review takes a broad historical look at the key
statistical tools that have been developed over this period, discussing their
relative merits and highlighting any significant extensions and modifications.
In addition, the more generalised methods that have emerged within the last few
years are examined. These methods propose a more rigorous statistical framework
within which to determine the LF compared to some of the more traditional
methods. I also look at how photometric redshift estimations are being
incorporated into the LF methodology as well as considering the construction of
bivariate LFs. Finally, I review the ongoing development of completeness
estimators which test some of the fundamental assumptions going into LF
estimators and can be powerful probes of any residual systematic effects
inherent magnitude-redshift data.Comment: 95 pages, 23 figures, 3 tables. Now published in The Astronomy &
Astrophysics Review. This version: bring in line with A&AR format
requirements, also minor typo corrections made, additional citations and
higher rez images adde
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