Malaria-derived hemozoin exerts early modulatory effects on the phenotype and maturation of human dendritic cells

Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum)-induced effects on the phenotype of human dendritic cells (DC) could contribute to poor induction of long-lasting protective immunity against malaria. DC ability to present antigens to naïve T cells, thus initiating adaptive immune responses depends on complex switches in chemokine receptors, production of soluble mediators and expression of molecules enabling antigen-presentation and maturation. To examine the cellular basis of these processes in the context of malaria, we performed detailed analysis of early events following exposure of human monocyte-derived DC to natural hemozoin (nHZ) and the synthetic analog of its heme core, β-hematin. DC exposed to either molecule produced high levels of the inflammatory chemokine MCP-1, showed continuous high expression of the inflammatory chemokine receptor CCR5, no upregulation of the lymphoid homing receptor CCR7 and no cytoskeletal actin redistribution with loss of podosomes. DC partially matured as indicated by increased expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and CD86 following nHZ and β-hematin exposure, however there was a lack in expression of the maturation marker CD83 following nHZ but not β-hematin exposure. Overall our data demonstrate that exposure to nHZ partially impairs the capacity of DC to mature, an effect in part differential to β-hematin

Chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols between Moscow and Vladivostok

International audienceThe TROICA-9 expedition (Trans-Siberian Observations Into the Chemistry of the Atmosphere) was carried out at the Trans-Siberian railway between Moscow and Vladivostok in October 2005. Measurements of aerosol physical and chemical properties were made from an observatory carriage connected to a passenger train. Black carbon (BC) concentrations in fine particles (PM2.5, aerodynamic diameter ?, NO3?, SO42?, Na+, NH4+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, oxalate and methane sulphonate) were measured continuously by using an on-line system with a 15-min time resolution. In addition, particle volume size distributions were determined for particles in the diameter range 3?850 nm using a 10-min. time resolution. The continuous measurements were completed with 24-h. PM2.5 filter samples which were stored in a refrigerator and later analyzed in chemical laboratory. The analyses included mass concentrations of PM2.5, ions, monosaccharide anhydrides (levoglucosan, galactosan and mannosan) and trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn). The mass concentrations of PM2.5 varied in the range of 4.3?34.8 ?g m?3 with an average of 21.6 ?g m?3. Fine particle mass consisted mainly of BC (average 27.6%), SO42? (13.0%), NH4+ (4.1%), and NO3? (1.4%). One of the major constituents was obviously also organic carbon which was not determined. The contribution of BC was high compared with other studies made in Europe and Asia. High concentrations of ions, BC and particle volume were observed between Moscow and roughly 4000 km east of it, as well as close to Vladivostok, primarily due to local anthropogenic sources. In the natural background area between 4000 and 7200 km distance from Moscow, observed concentrations were low, even though there were local particle sources, such as forest fires, that increased occasionally concentrations. The measurements indicated that during forest fire episodes, most of the aerosol mass consisted of organic particulate matter. Concentrations of biomass burning tracers levoglucosan, oxalate and potassium were elevated close to the forest fire areas observed by the MODIS satellite. The polluted air masses from Asia seem to have significant influences on the concentration levels of fine particles over south-eastern Russia

Doxorubicin pharmacokinetics in lymphoma patients treated with doxorubicin-loaded eythrocytes

Doxorubicin-loaded erythrocytes (DLE) were administrated to 15 lymphoma patients. Antibiotic peak concentration in blood decreased by 55%, doxorubicin circulated several times longer, and the area under the concentration-time curve increased 5 times if compared with standard doxorubicin administration. The DLE was well tolerated by patients

Using a moving measurement platform for determining the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols between Moscow and Vladivostok

The TROICA-9 expedition (Trans-Siberian Observations Into the Chemistry of the Atmosphere) was carried out at the Trans-Siberian railway between Moscow and Vladivostok in October 2005. Measurements of aerosol physical and chemical properties were made from an observatory carriage connected to a passenger train. Black carbon (BC) concentrations in fine particles (PM<sub>2.5</sub>, aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) were measured with an aethalometer using a five-minute time resolution. Concentrations of inorganic ions and some organic compounds (Cl<sup>−</sup>, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, Na<sup>+</sup>, NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>, K<sup>+</sup>, Ca<sup>2+</sup>, Mg<sup>2+</sup>, oxalate and methane sulphonate) were measured continuously by using an on-line system with a 15-min time resolution. In addition, particle volume size distributions were determined for particles in the diameter range 3–850 nm using a 10-min time resolution. The continuous measurements were completed with 24-h PM<sub>2.5</sub> filter samples stored in a refrigerator and analyzed later in a chemical laboratory. The analyses included the mass concentrations of PM<sub>2.5</sub>, ions, monosaccharide anhydrides (levoglucosan, galactosan and mannosan) and trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn). The mass concentrations of PM<sub>2.5</sub> varied in the range of 4.3–34.8 μg m<sup>−3</sup> with an average of 21.6 μg m<sup>−3</sup>. Fine particle mass consisted mainly of BC (average 27.6%), SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup> (13.0%), NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> (4.1%) and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> (1.4%). One of the major constituents was obviously organic carbon which was not determined. The contribution of BC was high compared with other studies made in Europe and Asia. High concentrations of ions, BC and particle volume were observed between Moscow and roughly 4000 km east of it, as well as close to Vladivostok, primarily due to local anthropogenic sources. In the natural background area between 4000 and 7200 km away from Moscow, observed concentrations were low, even though local particle sources, such as forest fires, occasionally increased concentrations. During the measured forest fire episodes, most of the aerosol mass appeared to consist of organic particulate matter. Concentrations of the biomass burning tracers levoglucosan, oxalate and potassium were elevated close to the forest fire areas observed by the MODIS satellite. The polluted air masses from Asia seem to have significant influences on the concentration levels of fine particles over south-eastern Russia

Linear Relaxation Processes Governed by Fractional Symmetric Kinetic Equations

We get fractional symmetric Fokker - Planck and Einstein - Smoluchowski kinetic equations, which describe evolution of the systems influenced by stochastic forces distributed with stable probability laws. These equations generalize known kinetic equations of the Brownian motion theory and contain symmetric fractional derivatives over velocity and space, respectively. With the help of these equations we study analytically the processes of linear relaxation in a force - free case and for linear oscillator. For a weakly damped oscillator we also get kinetic equation for the distribution in slow variables. Linear relaxation processes are also studied numerically by solving corresponding Langevin equations with the source which is a discrete - time approximation to a white Levy noise. Numerical and analytical results agree quantitatively.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX, 13 figures PostScrip

Robust pricing and hedging of double no-touch options

Double no-touch options, contracts which pay out a fixed amount provided an underlying asset remains within a given interval, are commonly traded, particularly in FX markets. In this work, we establish model-free bounds on the price of these options based on the prices of more liquidly traded options (call and digital call options). Key steps are the construction of super- and sub-hedging strategies to establish the bounds, and the use of Skorokhod embedding techniques to show the bounds are the best possible. In addition to establishing rigorous bounds, we consider carefully what is meant by arbitrage in settings where there is no {\it a priori} known probability measure. We discuss two natural extensions of the notion of arbitrage, weak arbitrage and weak free lunch with vanishing risk, which are needed to establish equivalence between the lack of arbitrage and the existence of a market model.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figure

syk inhibitors interfere with erythrocyte membrane modification during p falciparum growth and suppress parasite egress

Key Points Inhibitors of human Syk kinase suppress parasite egress. Syk inhibitors prevent the tyrosine phosphorylation of band 3 in P falciparum parasitized red blood cells, reducing the release of microparticles

Derivation of renormalized Gibbs measures from equilibrium many-body quantum Bose gases

We review our recent result on the rigorous derivation of the renormalized Gibbs measure from the many-body Gibbs state in 1D and 2D. The many-body renormalization is accomplished by simply tuning the chemical potential in the grand-canonical ensemble, which is analogous to the Wick ordering in the classical field theory.Comment: Contribution to Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematical Physics, Montreal, Canada, July 23-28, 201

Large closed queueing networks in semi-Markov environment and its application

The paper studies closed queueing networks containing a server station and $k$ client stations. The server station is an infinite server queueing system, and client stations are single-server queueing systems with autonomous service, i.e. every client station serves customers (units) only at random instants generated by a strictly stationary and ergodic sequence of random variables. The total number of units in the network is $N$. The expected times between departures in client stations are $(N\mu_j)^{-1}$. After a service completion in the server station, a unit is transmitted to the $j$th client station with probability $p_{j}$ $(j=1,2,...,k)$, and being processed in the $j$th client station, the unit returns to the server station. The network is assumed to be in a semi-Markov environment. A semi-Markov environment is defined by a finite or countable infinite Markov chain and by sequences of independent and identically distributed random variables. Then the routing probabilities $p_{j}$ $(j=1,2,...,k)$ and transmission rates (which are expressed via parameters of the network) depend on a Markov state of the environment. The paper studies the queue-length processes in client stations of this network and is aimed to the analysis of performance measures associated with this network. The questions risen in this paper have immediate relation to quality control of complex telecommunication networks, and the obtained results are expected to lead to the solutions to many practical problems of this area of research.Comment: 35 pages, 1 figure, 12pt, accepted: Acta Appl. Mat