EXPRESSION FEATURES OF TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 2 AND TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 4 IN CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA

Currently actively  discussed  the  role  of innate immunity receptors, in particular TLRs  in the immunopathogenesis of bronchial asthma (BA).The aim of our work was to study the expression of ТLR2 and TLR4 on the nasal mucosal cells and peripheral blood leukocytes  of patients with BA of different  severity.The study included 40 children with asthma (3-12 years) and 10 healthy  children. Methods: real-time PCR, flow cytometry and multiplex immunofluorescence analysis evaluated the levels of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα) in nasal swabs.The result of the study hyperactivation of the factors of innate immunity at the level of the mucosal  of the nasal cavity in patients with asthma, manifested by increased gene expression  of TLR2, TLR4, and production of proinflammatory as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines. Correlation between cytokine levels and the severity of asthma. In the  peripheral blood  identified a significant  increase  in the  expression  of TLR2  and  TLR4  on circulating CD14+  monocytes in children with BA.Thus,  the  increase  of gene expression  of TLRs  mucosa of the  nasal cavity, increase  surface  expression  of TLR2  and TLR4  on circulating monocytes of patients with bronchial asthma compared to healthy  children. The revealed changes indicate the involvement of the system of TLRs in the immunopathogenesis of bronchial asthma. In the future, TLRs can be used as markers  to predict the course of ad and possible therapeutic targets

Machine Vision for Obstacle Avoidance, Tripwire Detection, and Subsurface Radar Image Correction on a Robotic Vehicle for the Detection and Discrimination of Landmines

In a joint project, research partners across institutions combined specialties to develop a remotely-operable, multi-sensor, robotic device for the detection of land mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The robotic detection device uses a novel subsurface radar with imaging and target classification to differentiate between dangerous landmines and harmless clutter. One important aspect of this project has been to develop a system for imaging the terrain and potential obstacles ahead of the moving vehicle. Three important tasks drive the need for this look-ahead imaging: obstacle avoidance, tripwire detection, holographic subsurface radar (HSR) image correction