ISMRM Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging (OSIPI): ASL pipeline inventory

Purpose: To create an inventory of image processing pipelines of arterial spin labeling (ASL) and list their main features, and to evaluate the capability, flexibility, and ease of use of publicly available pipelines to guide novice ASL users in selecting their optimal pipeline. Methods: Developers self-assessed their pipelines using a questionnaire developed by the Task Force 1.1 of the ISMRM Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging. Additionally, each publicly available pipeline was evaluated by two independent testers with basic ASL experience using a scoring system created for this purpose. Results: The developers of 21 pipelines filled the questionnaire. Most pipelines are free for noncommercial use (n = 18) and work with the standard NIfTI (Neuroimaging Informatics Technology Initiative) data format (n = 15). All pipelines can process standard 3D single postlabeling delay pseudo-continuous ASL images and primarily differ in their support of advanced sequences and features. The publicly available pipelines (n = 9) were included in the independent testing, all of them being free for noncommercial use. The pipelines, in general, provided a trade-off between ease of use and flexibility for configuring advanced processing options. Conclusion: Although most ASL pipelines can process the common ASL data types, only some (namely, ASLPrep, ASLtbx, BASIL/Quantiphyse, ExploreASL, and MRICloud) are well-documented, publicly available, support multiple ASL types, have a user-friendly interface, and can provide a useful starting point for ASL processing. The choice of an optimal pipeline should be driven by specific data to be processed and user experience, and can be guided by the information provided in this ASL inventory

Donor colonic CD103(+) dendritic cells determine the severity of acute graft-versus-host disease

The primacy of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in dictating the outcome of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is broadly accepted; however, the mechanisms controlling this effect are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that GVHD markedly enhances alloantigen presentation within the mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs), mediated by donor CD103(+)CD11b(-) dendritic cells (DCs) that migrate from the colon under the influence of CCR7. Expansion and differentiation of donor T cells specifically within the mLNs is driven by profound levels of alloantigen, IL-12, and IL-6 promoted by Toll-like receptor (TLR) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) signals. Critically, alloantigen presentation in the mLNs imprints gut-homing integrin signatures on donor T cells, leading to their emigration into the GI tract where they mediate fulminant disease. These data identify a critical, anatomically distinct, donor DC subset that amplifies GVHD. We thus highlight multiple therapeutic targets and the ability of GVHD, once initiated by recipient antigen-presenting cells, to generate a profound, localized, and lethal feed-forward cascade of donor DC-mediated indirect alloantigen presentation and cytokine secretion within the GI tract.Motoko Koyama, Melody Cheong, Kate A. Markey, Kate H. Gartlan, Rachel D. Kuns, Kelly R. Locke, Katie E. Lineburg, Bianca E. Teal, Lucie Leveque-El mouttie, Mark D. Bunting, Slavica Vuckovic, Ping Zhang, Michele W.L. Teng, Antiopi Varelias, Siok-Keen Tey, Leesa F. Wockner, Christian R. Engwerda, Mark J. Smyth, Gabrielle T. Belz, Shaun R. McColl, Kelli P.A. MacDonald, and Geoffrey R. Hil

Primary Human mDC1, mDC2, and pDC Dendritic Cells Are Differentially Infected and Activated by Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes recurrent infections throughout life. Vaccine development may depend upon understanding the molecular basis for induction of ineffective immunity. Because dendritic cells (DCs) are critically involved in early responses to infection, their interaction with RSV may determine the immunological outcome of RSV infection. Therefore, we investigated the ability of RSV to infect and activate primary mDCs and pDCs using recombinant RSV expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). At a multiplicity of infection of 5, initial studies demonstrated ∼6.8% of mDC1 and ∼0.9% pDCs were infected. We extended these studies to include CD1c−CD141+ mDC2, finding mDC2 infected at similar frequencies as mDC1. Both infected and uninfected cells upregulated phenotypic markers of maturation. Divalent cations were required for infection and maturation, but maturation did not require viral replication. There is evidence that attachment and entry/replication processes exert distinct effects on DC activation. Cell-specific patterns of RSV-induced maturation and cytokine production were detected in mDC1, mDC2, and pDC. We also demonstrate for the first time that RSV induces significant TIMP-2 production in all DC subsets. Defining the influence of RSV on the function of selected DC subsets may improve the likelihood of achieving protective vaccine-induced immunity

Canine mammary cancer cells direct macrophages toward an intermediate activation state between M1/M2

BACKGROUND: Canine mammary carcinoma is the most common cancer in female dogs and is often fatal due to the development of distance metastasis. The microenvironment of a tumour often contains abundant infiltrates of macrophages called tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs express an activated phenotype, termed M2, which sustains proliferation of cancer cells, and has been correlated with poor clinical outcomes in human cancer patients. Cancer cells themselves have been implicated in stimulating the conversion of macrophages to a TAM with an M2 phenotype. This process has yet to be fully elucidated. Here we investigate the interplay between cancer cells and macrophages in the context of canine mammary carcinoma. RESULTS: We show that cancer cells inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophage activation. Further, we show that macrophage associated proteins, colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-1 and C-C motif ligand (CCL)-2, stimulate macrophages and are responsible for the effects of cancer cells on macrophages. We suggest the existence of a feedback loop between macrophages and cancer cells; while cancer cells influence the phenotype of the TAMs through CSF-1 and CCL2, the macrophages induce canine mammary cancer cells to upregulate their own expression of the receptors for CSF-1 and CCL2 and increase the cancer cellular metabolic activity. However, these cytokines in isolation induce a phenotypic state in macrophages that is between M1 and M2 phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results demonstrate the extent to which canine mammary carcinoma cells influence the macrophage phenotype and the relevance of a feedback loop between these cells, involving CSF-1 and CCL2 as important mediators. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0473-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Inequalities and Agencies in Workplace Learning Experiences: International Student Perspectives

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12186-016-9167-2National systems of vocational education and training around the globe are facing reform driven by quality, international mobility, and equity. Evidence suggests that there are qualitatively distinctive challenges in providing and sustaining workplace learning experiences to international students. However, despite growing conceptual and empirical work, there is little evidence of the experiences of these students undertaking workplace learning opportunities as part of vocational education courses. This paper draws on a four-year study funded by the Australian Research Council that involved 105 in depth interviews with international students undertaking work integrated learning placements as part of vocational education courses in Australia. The results indicate that international students can experience different forms of discrimination and deskilling, and that these were legitimised by students in relation to their understanding of themselves as being an ‘international student’ (with fewer rights). However, the results also demonstrated the ways in which international students exercised their agency towards navigating or even disrupting these circumstances, which often included developing their social and cultural capital. This study, therefore, calls for more proactively inclusive induction and support practices that promote reciprocal understandings and navigational capacities for all involved in the provision of work integrated learning. This, it is argued, would not only expand and enrich the learning opportunities for international students, their tutors, employers, and employees involved in the provision of workplace learning opportunities, but it could also be a catalyst to promote greater mutual appreciation of diversity in the workplace

IMS Dan Pemeriksaan Kesehatan Rutin

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Panduan Diskusi Kelompok Pengguna Napza Suntik (Penasun)

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HIV dan AIDS Sekilas Pandang

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Info Sehat bagi Ibu Hamil

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