Accumulation of Immature Langerhans Cells in Human Lymph Nodes Draining Chronically Inflamed Skin

The coordinated migration and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) such as intraepithelial Langerhans cells (LCs) is considered critical for T cell priming in response to inflammation in the periphery. However, little is known about the role of inflammatory mediators for LC maturation and recruitment to lymph nodes in vivo. Here we show in human dermatopathic lymphadenitis (DL), which features an expanded population of LCs in one draining lymph node associated with inflammatory lesions in its tributary skin area, that the Langerin/CD207+ LCs constitute a predominant population of immature DCs, which express CD1a, and CD68, but not CD83, CD86, and DC–lysosomal-associated membrane protein (LAMP)/CD208. Using LC-type cells generated in vitro in the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, we further found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, as a prototype proinflammatory factor, and a variety of inflammatory stimuli and bacterial products, increase Langerin expression and Langerin dependent Birbeck granules formation in cell which nevertheless lack costimulatory molecules, DC–LAMP/CD208 and potent T cell stimulatory activity but express CCR7 and respond to the lymph node homing chemokines CCL19 and CCL21. This indicates that LC migration and maturation can be independently regulated events. We suggest that during DL, inflammatory stimuli in the skin increase the migration of LCs to the lymph node but without associated maturation. Immature LCs might regulate immune responses during chronic inflammation

Comparative study of concatemer efficiency as an isotope-labelled internal standard for allergen quantification

Mass spectrometry-based methods coupled with stable isotope dilution have become effective and widely used methods for the detection and quantification of food allergens. Current methods target signature peptides resulting from proteolytic digestion of proteins of the allergenic ingredient. The choice of appropriate stable isotope-labelled internal standard is crucial, given the diversity of encountered food matrices which can affect sample preparation and analysis. We propose the use of concatemer, an artificial and stable isotope-labelled protein composed of several concatenated signature peptides as internal standard. With a comparative analysis of three matrices contaminated with four allergens (egg, milk, peanut, and hazelnut), the concatemer approach was found to offer advantages associated with the use of labelled proteins, ideal but unaffordable, and circumvent certain limitations of traditionally used synthetic peptides as internal standards. Although used in the proteomic field for more than a decade, concatemer strategy has not yet been applied for food analysis

Self-medication with oral contraceptives in the Urban District of Antananarivo

Background: Oral contraception is the second hormonal contraceptive method most used in the world. Currently, self-medication with oral contraceptives experienced resurgence, most often with no medical supervision. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of self-medication with oral contraceptives, identify the socio-economic status and identify the reasons why women aged 21 to 49 of the Urban District of Antananarivo (UDA) practice self-medication with oral contraceptives.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, where an interviewer-administered questionnaire has been used to collect data. Targeted female respondents aged 21-49 were asked about their contraceptive use during the twelve months preceding the survey.Results: Self-medication prevalence rate is 59.1%, considering oral contraception users. Moreover, it is higher among married women, those aged <36, less educated and having more than two children. Financial problem, affordability of the pills, former use of pills and information by their surroundings are the reasons why women self-medicate. Women who received a medical prescription at the first take of the pills are more likely to presently practice self-medication.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the evidence of a high prevalence of self-medication in the UDA. Self-medication can be harmful: the fight against its risks should get reinforced

Through the Eyes of the Needles: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Filipino Fashion Designers in the State of Qatar, A Phenomenology

Background: Fashion could be dated back as to when humans had started evolving. The history of clothing began when humans had lost their fur and needed to protect themselves from the cold nights and the burning sun. Ever since clothes became in demand, the demand for quality and aesthetically pleasing clothes has never diminished. Looking around the State of Qatar, one can find numerous tailoring stores run by foreign designers or tailors, mostly Indians. The number of Filipino Fashion Designers in the country may even be less than a hundred. Different research studies regarding Filipino Fashion Designers are mostly rare as well. With much thought, the researchers have focused on the lived experiences of the Filipino Fashion Designers in the State of Qatar. Methods: This study made use of the qualitative approach focusing on phenomenology to fully understand the story of the unsung heroes of fashion designing with the central question, how Filipino fashion designers deal with challenges when it comes to providing designs. An in-depth was conducted among the participants to get what one designer has gone through in his/her day-to-day life. Findings: With the gathered data, the researchers were able to come up with three (3) main themes with three (3) sub themes; (1) Fashion Literacy: (1.1) Academics (1.2) Experience (1.3) Capabilities; (2) Stress and Mitigation: (2.1) Challenges (2.2) Adjustments (2.3) Fulfillment; (3) Fame and Association: (3.1) Collaboration (3.2) Recognition (3.3) Simulation. Recommendation: The results of this research study may be beneficial to students and other people with an interest with the topic being discussed in this paper. With the results of this phenomenology, one may continue an in depth analysis of the life of the Filipino designers, proposing new studies related to this paper.. One may also gather information that can be used in studying the life of other nationalities when it comes to fashion designing as the results may differ for other people

IRX-2, a Novel Immunotherapeutic, Enhances Functions of Human Dendritic Cells

Background: In a recent phase II clinical trial for HNSCC patients, IRX-2, a cell-derived biologic, promoted T-cell infiltration into the tumor and prolonged overall survival. Mechanisms responsible for these IRX-2-mediated effects are unknown. We hypothesized that IRX-2 enhanced tumor antigen-(TA)-specific immunity by up-regulating functions of dendritic cells (DC). Methodology/Principal Findings: Monocyte-derived DC obtained from 18 HNSCC patients and 12 healthy donors were matured using IRX-2 or a mix of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 ("conv. mix"). Multicolor flow cytometry was used to study the DC phenotype and antigen processing machinery (APM) component expression. ELISPOT and cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). IL-12p70 and IL-10 production by DC was measured by Luminex® and DC migration toward CCL21 was tested in transwell migration assays. IRX-2-matured DC functions were compared with those of conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC expressed higher levels (p<0.05) of CD11c, CD40, CCR7 as well as LMP2, TAP1, TAP2 and tapasin than conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC migrated significantly better towards CCL21, produced more IL-12p70 and had a higher IL12p70/IL-10 ratio than conv. mix-matured DC (p<0.05 for all). IRX-2-matured DC carried a higher density of tumor antigen-derived peptides, and CTL primed with these DC mediated higher cytotoxicity against tumor targets (p<0.05) compared to the conv. mix-matured DC. Conclusion: Excellent ability of IRX-2 to induce ex vivo DC maturation in HNSCC patients explains, in part, its clinical benefits and emphasizes its utility in ex vivo maturation of DC generated for therapy. © 2013 Schilling et al

Prevalence of spine surgery navigation techniques and availability in Africa: A cross-sectional study

Background: Africa has a large burden of spine pathology but has limited and insufficient infrastructure to manage these spine disorders. Therefore, we conducted this e-survey to assess the prevalence and identify the determinants of the availability of spine surgery navigation techniques in Africa. Materials and methods: A two-part questionnaire was disseminated amongst African neurological and orthopedic surgery consultants and trainees from January 24 to February 23, 2021. The Chi-Square, Fisher Exact, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to evaluate bivariable relationships, and a p-value \u3c0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We had 113 respondents from all regions of Africa. Most (86.7 %) participants who practiced or trained in public centers and centers had an annual median spine case surgery volume of 200 (IQR = 190) interventions. Fluoroscopy was the most prevalent spine surgery navigation technique (96.5 %), followed by freehand (55.8 %), stereotactic without intraoperative CT scan (31.9 %), robotic with intraoperative CT scan (29.2 %), stereotactic with intraoperative CT scan (8.8 %), and robotic without intraoperative CT scan (6.2 %). Cost of equipment (94.7 %), lack of trained staff to service (63.7 %), or run the equipment (60.2 %) were the most common barriers to the availability of spine instrumentation navigation. In addition, there were significant regional differences in access to trained staff to run and service the equipment (P = 0.001). Conclusion: There is a need to increase access to more advanced navigation techniques, and we identified the determinants of availability

Generation of Functional CLL-Specific Cord Blood CTL Using CD40-Ligated CLL APC

PMCID: PMC3526610This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Prevalence of spine surgery navigation techniques and availability in Africa: A cross-sectional study

Background: Africa has a large burden of spine pathology but has limited and insufficient infrastructure to manage these spine disorders. Therefore, we conducted this e-survey to assess the prevalence and identify the determinants of the availability of spine surgery navigation techniques in Africa. Materials and methods: A two-part questionnaire was disseminated amongst African neurological and orthopedic surgery consultants and trainees from January 24 to February 23, 2021. The Chi-Square, Fisher Exact, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to evaluate bivariable relationships, and a p-value \u3c0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We had 113 respondents from all regions of Africa. Most (86.7 %) participants who practiced or trained in public centers and centers had an annual median spine case surgery volume of 200 (IQR = 190) interventions. Fluoroscopy was the most prevalent spine surgery navigation technique (96.5 %), followed by freehand (55.8 %), stereotactic without intraoperative CT scan (31.9 %), robotic with intraoperative CT scan (29.2 %), stereotactic with intraoperative CT scan (8.8 %), and robotic without intraoperative CT scan (6.2 %). Cost of equipment (94.7 %), lack of trained staff to service (63.7 %), or run the equipment (60.2 %) were the most common barriers to the availability of spine instrumentation navigation. In addition, there were significant regional differences in access to trained staff to run and service the equipment (P = 0.001). Conclusion: There is a need to increase access to more advanced navigation techniques, and we identified the determinants of availability

Future feed control – Tracing banned bovine material in insect meal

In the present study, we assessed if different legacy and novel molecular analyses approaches can detect and trace prohibited bovine material in insects reared to produce processed animal protein (PAP). Newly hatched black soldier fly (BSF) larvae were fed one of the four diets for seven days; a control feeding medium (Ctl), control feed spiked with bovine hemoglobin powder (BvHb) at 1% (wet weight, w/w) (BvHb 1%, w/w), 5% (BvHb 5%, w/w) and 10% (BvHb 10%, w/w). Another dietary group of BSF larvae, namely *BvHb 10%, was first grown on BvHb 10% (w/w), and after seven days separated from the residual material and placed in another container with control diet for seven additional days. Presence of ruminant material in insect feed and in BSF larvae was assessed in five different laboratories using (i) real time-PCR analysis, (ii) multi-target ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), (iii) protein-centric immunoaffinity-LC-MS/MS, (iv) peptide-centric immunoaffinity-LC-MS/MS, (v) tandem mass spectral library matching (SLM), and (vi) compound specific amino acid analysis (CSIA). All methods investigated detected ruminant DNA or BvHb in specific insect feed media and in BSF larvae, respectively. However, each method assessed, displayed distinct shortcomings, which precluded detection of prohibited material versus non-prohibited ruminant material in some instances. Taken together, these findings indicate that detection of prohibited material in the insect-PAP feed chain requires a tiered combined use of complementary molecular analysis approaches. We therefore advocate the use of a combined multi-tier molecular analysis suite for the detection, differentiation and tracing of prohibited material in insect-PAP based feed chains and endorse ongoing efforts to extend the currently available battery of PAP detection approaches with MS based techniques and possibly δ13CAA fingerprinting.</p