Paracoccidioides Brasiliensis Infection Promotes Thymic Disarrangement And Premature Egress Of Mature Lymphocytes Expressing Prohibitive Tcrs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Paracoccidioidomycosis, a chronic granulomatous fungal disease caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells affects mainly rural workers, albeit recently cases in immunosuppressed individuals has been reported. Protective immune response against P. brasiliensis is dependent on the activity of helper T cells especially IFN-gamma-producing Th1 cells. It has been proposed that Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is able to modulate the immune response towards a permissive state and that the thymus plays a major role in it. Methods: In this paper, we show that acute infection of BALB/c mice with P. brasiliensis virulent isolate (Pb18) might cause alterations in the thymic environment as well as the prohibitive TCR-expressing T cells in the spleens. Results: After seven days of infection, we found yeast cells on the thymic stroma, the thymic epithelial cells (TEC) were altered regarding their spatial-orientation and inflammatory mediators gene expression was increased. Likewise, thymocytes (differentiating T cells) presented higher migratory ability in ex vivo experiments. Notwithstanding, P. brasiliensis-infected mice showed an increased frequency of prohibitive TCR-expressing T cells in the spleens, suggesting that the selection processes that occur in the thymus may be compromised during the acute infection. Conclusion: In this paper, for the first time, we show that acute infection with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast cells promotes thymic alterations leading to a defective repertoire of peripheral T cells. The data presented here may represent new mechanisms by which P. brasiliensis subverts the immune response towards the chronic infection observed in humans.16Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [2012/22131-7, 2013/01401-9, 2013/08194-9, 2014/02631-0]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

It Takes a Village: Understanding the Collective Security Efficacy of Employee Groups

An organization’s ability to successfully manage information security incidents is determined by the actions of its employees, as well as the actions of various groups of employees within its organizational boundaries. To date, information security research has primarily focused on individual-level phenomena and has not yet explored group-level phenomena such as how employee groups recognize and respond to security incidents in a way that is consistent with the organization’s security goals and objectives. The current study addresses this gap, thereby answering the research call for group-level security research perspectives. The present study explores how employee groups formulate their collective security efficacy, which influences how group members recognize and respond to information security incidents. Using a case study of a large healthcare research organization (HRO), we analyze two security incidents, a malware attack, and a physical security breach, to identify a unique set of ecological and social properties of employee groups that are salient to their collective security efficacy

User innovations through online communities from the perspective of social network analysis

Organizations have begun to leverage both internal and external sources for innovation. Specifically, organizations are increasingly relying on end users that engage via user innovation communities to identify potentially valuable ideas for an organization to adopt. However, research has shown that organizational success in leveraging these communities relies on a thorough understanding of how users behave within the community. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide further analysis and develop a richer understanding of user behavior in the Dell IdeaStorm user innovation community. Findings illustrate different patterns of user behaviors when they comments or rate posted idea

Social Media Risk Perceptions of Human Resource Professionals: Issues Undergraduate Students Should Consider

This study contrasts the social media risk perceptions of undergraduate students, versus those of certified Human Resource professionals. Social media is widely used by most segments of the population, and particularly among the age group that includes most undergraduate students. Organizations hiring employees are increasingly examining job applicant\u27s social media postings as part of the applicant screening process. In this study we examine how these groups differ in their perceptions of the risks inherent in using social media, and what these differences may mean for students seeking employment. Recommendations are made for raising undergraduate student awareness of these risks

Artificial intelligence in radiology : trainees want more

Acknowledgements The authors thank the survey respondents for their invaluable contribution. The authors also thank the members of RADIANT, Junior Radiologists' Forum (JRF), and the RCR for their aid in the dissemination of the survey. In addition, the authors are very grateful to Dr Stephen Harden, Professor Margaret Hall-Craggs, as well as the RCR Academic, Audit and Quality Improvement committees for their support and guidance.Peer reviewedPostprin

Risk perceptions about personal Internet-of-Things: Research directions from a multi-panel Delphi study

Internet-of-Things (IoT) research has primarily focused on identifying IoT devices\u27 organizational risks with little attention to consumer perceptions about IoT device risks. The purpose of this study is to understand consumer risk perceptions for personal IoT devices and translate these perceptions into guidance for future research directions. We conduct a sequential, mixed-methods study using multi-panel Delphi and thematic analysis techniques to understand consumer risk perceptions. The results identify four themes focused on data exposure and user experiences within IoT devices. Our thematic analysis also identified several emerging risks associated with the evolution of IoT device functionality and its potential positioning as a resource for malicious actors to conduct security attacks

Individual empowerment in overweight and obese patients: a study protocol.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Obesity is a growing health problem in Europe and it causes many diseases. Many weightreducing methods are reported in medical literature, but none of them proved to be effective in maintaining the results achieved over time. Self-empowerment can be an important innovative method, but an effectiveness study is necessary. In order to standardise the procedures for a randomised controlled study, a pilot study will be run to observe, measure and evaluate the effects of a period of selfempowerment group treatment on overweight/obese patients. Methods: and analysis Non-controlled, experimental, pilot study. A selected group of patients with body mass index >25, with no severe psychiatric disorders, with no aesthetic or therapeutic motivation will be included in the study. A set of quantitative and qualitative measures will be utilised to evaluate the effects of a self-empowerment course in a 12 month time. Group therapy and medical examinations will also complete this observational phase. At the end of this pilot study, a set of appropriate measures and procedures to determine the effectiveness of individual empowerment will be identified and agreed among the different professional figures. Results will be recorded and analysed to start a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Ethics and dissemination: This protocol was approved by the local Ethics Committee of Udine in March 2012. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conference presentations and public events involving the local administrations of the towns where the trial participants are resident. Trial Registration: http://www.clinicalstrials.gov identifier NCT0164470

PENELLOPE V. The magnetospheric structure and the accretion variability of the classical T Tauri star HM Lup

HM Lup is a young M-type star that accretes material from a circumstellar disk through a magnetosphere. Our aim is to study the inner disk structure of HM Lup and to characterize its variability. We used spectroscopic data from HST/STIS, X-Shooter, and ESPRESSO taken in the framework of the ULLYSES and PENELLOPE programs, together with photometric data from TESS and AAVSO. The 2021 TESS light curve shows variability typical for young stellar objects of the "accretion burster" type. The spectra cover the temporal evolution of the main burst in the 2021 TESS light curve. We compared the strength and morphology of emission lines from different species and ionization stages. We determined the mass accretion rate from selected emission lines and from the UV continuum excess emission at different epochs, and we examined its relation to the photometric light curves. The emission lines in the optical spectrum of HM Lup delineate a temperature stratification along the accretion flow. While the wings of the H I and He I lines originate near the star, the lines of species such as Na I, Mg I, Ca I, Ca II, Fe I, and Fe II are formed in an outer and colder region. The shape and periodicity of the 2019 and 2021 TESS light curves, when qualitatively compared to predictions from magnetohydrodynamic models, suggest that HM Lup was in a regime of unstable ordered accretion during the 2021 TESS observation due to an increase in the accretion rate. Although HM Lup is not an extreme accretor, it shows enhanced emission in the metallic species during this high accretion state that is produced by a density enhancement in the outer part of the accretion flow.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Collagen Type IV Alpha 5 Chain in Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome After Lung Transplant: The First Evidence

Introduction: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is the most common form of CLAD and is characterized by airflow limitation and an obstructive spirometry pattern without parenchymal opacities. The protein signature of BOS lesions concerns extracellular matrix organization and aberrant basement membrane composition. In this pilot study, we investigated the presence of COL4A5 in the serum of patients with BOS. Methods: 41 patients who had undergone LTX were enrolled. Of these, 27 developed BOS and 14 (control group) were considered stable at the time of serum sampling. Of BOS patients, serum samples were analysed at the time of BOS diagnosis and before the clinical diagnosis (pre-BOS). COL4A5 levels were detected through the ELISA kit. Results: Serum concentrations of COL4A5 were higher in pre-BOS than in stable patients (40.5 ± 13.9 and 24.8 ± 11.4, respectively, p = 0.048). This protein is not influenced by comorbidities, such as acute rejection or infections, or by therapies. Survival analysis also reveals that a higher level of COL4A5 was also associated with less probability of survival. Our data showed a correlation between concentrations of COL4A5 and FEV1 at the time of diagnosis of BOS. Conclusion: Serum concentrations of COL4A5 can be considered a good prognostic marker due to their association with survival and correlation with functional parameters