Differential Effect of TLR2 and TLR4 on the Immune Response after Immunization with a Vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis or Bordetella pertussis

Neisseria meningitidis and Bordetella pertussis are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens that can cause serious diseases in humans. N. meningitidis outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines and whole cell pertussis vaccines have been successfully used in humans to control infections with these pathogens. The mechanisms behind their effectiveness are poorly defined. Here we investigated the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 in the induction of immune responses in mice after immunization with these vaccines. Innate and adaptive immune responses were compared between wild type mice and mice deficient in TLR2, TLR4, or TRIF. TRIF-deficient and TLR4-deficient mice showed impaired immunity after immunization. In contrast, immune responses were not lower in TLR2−/− mice but tended even to be higher after immunization. Together our data demonstrate that TLR4 activation contributes to the immunogenicity of the N. meningitidis OMV vaccine and the whole cell pertussis vaccine, but that TLR2 activation is not required

Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Genomic Dissection of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, Including 28 Subphenotypes journaltitle: Cell articlelink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.046 content_type: article copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Inc

At home in generic places:Personalizing strategies of the mobile rich

In the literature it is often suggested that mobile people, like their non-mobile counterparts, look for particular places to connect with. This has been documented in research focused on the way in which migrants (re)create particular places in their countries of destination (i.e., the formation of ethnic enclaves). However, our extensive fieldwork among Mexican professionals in Madrid, such as postgraduate students, academics, IT professionals, journalists, and others, point toward the opposite direction: for the very mobile and the recently arrived particular places matter little (Duyvendak in The politics of home. Belonging and nostalgia in Western Europe and the United States. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2011; Ley-Cervantes in Stuck in the middle: home-making strategies of Mexican Middling Migrants. Ph.D. Thesis, Autonomous University of Madrid, 2012). Instead they rely on generic places, such as airports, chain restaurants or hotels to feel at home. Instead of taking for granted the homeliness of certain places, this paper aims to inquire the role of generic places in the home-making experiences of a small and rather privileged portion of the moving population

Don Quixote

Book synopsis: Follow the dramatic tale of the ingenious gentleman of La Mancha, Don Quixote, and his comic adventures over land, sea and air in the search for an idealised world.\ud Accompanied by his loyal sidekick, Sancho Panza, and inspired by stories of daring deeds, Don Quixote sets out to recreate an imaginary world and to convince his family, friends, and all he meets of its reality. But this is no ordinary journey as he gallops through Seventeenth Century Spain, encountering a host of fantastical characters including star-crossed lovers, an army of giants, a cross-dressing priest, a royal duchess and even the devil himself

Understanding Sequence Contributions to Peptoid–lipid Interactions: Using Peptoids as a Platform to Advance Multidisciplinary Research and Undergraduate Education in Parallel

The synthesis and fluorescence spectroscopy studies of 21 peptoids, including 19 new tripeptoids, are described. Insight into sequence features that influence biophysical properties in the presence and absence of unilamellar lipid vesicles is provided. Concomitantly, we highlight the educational value of training undergraduates in multidisciplinary research using peptoid science.</p

Up-regulating the human intestinal microbiome using whole plant foods, polyphenols, and/or fiber

Whole plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, and whole grain cereals, protect against chronic human diseases such as heart disease and cancer, with fiber and polyphenols thought to contribute significantly. These bioactive food components interact with the gut microbiota, with gut bacteria modifying polyphenol bioavailability and activity, and with fiber, constituting the main energy source for colonic fermentation. This paper discusses the consequences of increasing the consumption of whole plant foods on the gut microbiota and subsequent implications for human health. In humans, whole grain cereals can modify fecal bacterial profiles, increasing relative numbers of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Polyphenol-rich chocolate and certain fruits have also been shown to increase fecal bifidobacteria. The recent FLAVURS study provides novel information on the impact of high fruit and vegetable diets on the gut microbiota. Increasing whole plant food consumption appears to upregulate beneficial commensal bacteria and may contribute toward the health effects of these foods