Antineoplastic drug NSC631570 modulates functions of hypoxic macrophages

Hypoxia is an important factor in the macrophages microenvironment. Many physiological and pathological processes including solid tumor development are characterized by both low oxygen content and presence of macrophages. Tumor-associated hypoxia causes alternative polarization of macrophages in tumor tissue and transformation of these cells into the allies of a malignant neoplasm. The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of NSC631570, a cancerselective drug that is known to selectively accumulate in the tumor tissue, on hypoxic macrophage function. Murine peritoneal macrophages (PMs) were subjected to hypoxia (3% O₂). Nitrite level was assayed by the Griess reaction. Arginase activity was measured by colorimetric method. ROS generation and phagocytosis was estimated by flow cytometry. O₂⁻ generation was assayed by the NBT reduction method. HMGB1 expression was determined by ELISA. 42 h hypoxia caused alternative polarization of murine PMs with significant arginase prevalence. NSC631570 repolarized arginine metabolism of hypoxic macrophages to NOS dominant and activated their pro-inflammatory functions: recovered ROS production and increased alarmin releaseNSC631570 can restore pro-inflammatory functions of macrophages, alternatively polarized by hypoxia.Гипоксия является важным фактором микроокружения макрофагов. Многие физиологические и патологические процессы, в том числе рост солидных опухолей, характеризуются низким давлением кислорода и присутствием макрофагов. Опухолеассоциированная гипоксия является одной из причин альтернативной поляризации макрофагов в опухолевой ткани, превращая их в клетки-союзники опухолевого процесса. Целью работы было исследование влияния NSC631570 – опухоле-селективного препарата со способностью избирательно накапливаться в опухолевой ткани – на функции гипоксических макрофагов. Мышиные перитонеальные макрофаги (ПМ) подвергались гипоксической обработке (3 % O₂). Уровень нитритов исследовали в реакции Грисса. Аргиназную актив-ность определяли колориметрическим методом. Образование внутриклеточных реактивных форм кислорода (РФК) и фагоцитоз анализировали c помощью проточной цитофлюориметрии. Внеклеточную продукцию РФК определяли в НСТ-тесте, экспрессию HMGB1 – методом ELISA. 42-часовая гипоксия обусловливала альтернативную поляризацию ПМ с преобладанием аргиназной активности. NSC631570 вызывал реполяризацию метаболизма аргинина в гипоксических ПМ и активировал их провоспалительные функции: усиливал кислород-зависимый метаболизм и выделение аларминов. NSC631570 способен восстанавливать провоспалительные функции макрофагов, альтернативно поляризованных гипоксией.Гіпоксія є важливим фактором мікрооточення макрофагів. Багато важливих фізіологічних і пато-логічних процесів, у тому числі ріст солідних пухлин, характеризуються низьким тиском кисню і присутністю макрофагів. Пухлино-асоційована гіпоксія є однією з причин альтернативної поляризації макрофагів у пухлинній тканині, перетворю-ючи їх на клітини-союзники пухлинного процесу. Метою роботи було дослідження впливу NSC631570 – пухлино-селективного препарату зі здатністю вибірково накопичуватись у пухлинній тканині – на функції гіпоксичних макрофагів. Мишачі перитонеальні макрофаги (ПМ) піддавались гіпоксичній обробці (3 % O₂). Рівень нітритів вивчали в реакції Гріса. Аргіназну активність визначали колориметричним методом. Утворення внутрішньоклітинних реактивних форм кисню (РФК) і фагоцитоз аналізували за допомогою проточної цитофлюориметрії. Позаклітинну продукцію РФК визначали в НСТ-тесті, експресію HMGB1 – методом ELISA. 42-годинна гіпоксія спричиняла альтернативну поляри-зацію ПМ з переважанням аргіназної активності. NSC631570 викликав реполяризацію метаболізму аргініну у гіпоксичних ПМ і активував їх прозапальні функції: посилював киснезалежний метаболізм і виділення алармінів. NSC631570 здатний відновлювати прозапальні функції макрофагів, альтернативно поляризованих гіпоксією

Regulatory NK-Cell Functions in Inflammation and Autoimmunity

Natural killer (NK) cells were viewed traditionally as cytotoxic effector cells whose rapid killing of infected and transformed cells without preactivation provides a first line of defense prior to the initiation of an adaptive immune response against infection and tumor development. However, it has become clear that NK cells interact with various components of the immune system, and therefore have the potential to function as regulatory cells. While NK cells can assist in dendritic cell (DC) maturation and T-cell polarization, increasing evidence indicates that NK cells can also prevent and limit adaptive (auto) immune responses via killing of autologous myeloid and lymphoid cells. Investigating immunoregulatory NK-cell functions might generate exciting insights into the reciprocal regulation between NK-cell–mediated innate immunity and adaptive immune responses, improve our capacity to monitor these cells as surrogate markers for disease activity and treatment responses in autoimmune diseases, and, perhaps, provide new prospects for NK cell-directed therapies

Delivering clinical trials at home: protocol, design and implementation of a direct-to-family paediatric lupus trial

Introduction Direct-to-family clinical trials efficiently provide data while reducing the participation burden for children and their families. Although these trials can offer significant advantages over traditional clinical trials, the process of designing and implementing direct-to-family studies is poorly defined, especially in children with rheumatic disease. This paper provides lessons learnt from the design and implementation of a self-controlled, direct-to-family pilot trial aimed to evaluate the effects of a medication management device on adherence to hydroxychloroquine in paediatric SLE.Methods Several design features accommodate a direct-to-family approach. Participants meeting eligibility criteria from across the USA were identified a priori through a disease registry, and all outcome data are collected remotely. The primary outcome (medication adherence) is evaluated using electronic medication event-monitoring, plasma drug levels, patient questionnaires and pill counts. Secondary and exploratory endpoints include (1) lupus disease activity measured by a remote SLE Disease Activity Index examination and the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire; and (2) hydroxychloroquine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Recruitment of the initial target of 20 participants was achieved within 10 days. Due to initial recruitment success, enrolment was increased to 26 participants. Additional participants who were interested were placed on a waiting list in case of dropouts during the study.Discussion and dissemination Direct-to-family trials offer several advantages but present unique challenges. Lessons learnt from the protocol development, design, and implementation of this trial will inform future direct-to-family trials for children and adults with rheumatic diseases. Additionally, the data collected remotely in this trial will provide critical information regarding the accuracy of teleresearch in lupus, the impact of adherence to hydroxychloroquine on disease activity and a pharmacokinetic analysis to inform paediatric-specific dosing of hydroxychloroquine.Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04358302)

ATLAS

% ATLAS \\ \\ ATLAS is a general-purpose experiment for recording proton-proton collisions at LHC. The ATLAS collaboration consists of 144 participating institutions (June 1998) with more than 1750~physicists and engineers (700 from non-Member States). The detector design has been optimized to cover the largest possible range of LHC physics: searches for Higgs bosons and alternative schemes for the spontaneous symmetry-breaking mechanism; searches for supersymmetric particles, new gauge bosons, leptoquarks, and quark and lepton compositeness indicating extensions to the Standard Model and new physics beyond it; studies of the origin of CP violation via high-precision measurements of CP-violating B-decays; high-precision measurements of the third quark family such as the top-quark mass and decay properties, rare decays of B-hadrons, spectroscopy of rare B-hadrons, and $B ^0 _{s}$-mixing. \\ \\The ATLAS dectector, shown in the Figure includes an inner tracking detector inside a 2~T~solenoid providing an axial field, electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters outside the solenoid and in the forward regions, and barrel and end-cap air-core-toroid muon spectrometers. The precision measurements for photons, electrons, muons and hadrons, and identification of photons, electrons, muons, $\tau$-leptons and b-quark jets are performed over $| \eta |$ < 2.5. The complete hadronic energy measurement extends over $| \eta |$ < 4.7. \\ \\The inner tracking detector consists of straw drift tubes interleaved with transition radiators for robust pattern recognition and electron identification, and several layers of semiconductor strip and pixel detectors providing high-precision space points. \\ \\The e.m. calorimeter is a lead-Liquid Argon sampling calorimeter with an integrated preshower detector and a presampler layer immediately behind the cryostat wall for energy recovery. The end-cap hadronic calorimeters also use Liquid Argon technology, with copper absorber plates. The end-cap cryostats house the e.m., hadronic and forward calorimeters (tungsten-Liquid Argon sampling). The barrel hadronic calorimeter is an iron-scintillating tile sampling calorimeter with longitudinal tile geometry. \\ \\Air-core toroids are used for the muon spectrometer. Eight superconducting coils with warm voussoirs are used in the barrel region complemented with superconducting end-cap toroids in the forward regions. The toroids will be instrumented with Monitored Drift Tubes (Cathode Strip Chambers at large rapidity where there are high radiation levels). The muon trigger and second coordinate measurement for muon tracks are provide