Three dimensional structure directs T-cell epitope dominance associated with allergy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>CD4+ T-cell epitope immunodominance is not adequately explained by peptide selectivity in class II major histocompatibility proteins, but it has been correlated with adjacent segments of conformational flexibility in several antigens.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The published T-cell responses to two venom allergens and two aeroallergens were used to construct profiles of epitope dominance, which were correlated with the distribution of conformational flexibility, as measured by crystallographic B factors, solvent-accessible surface, COREX residue stability, and sequence entropy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Epitopes associated with allergy tended to be excluded from and lie adjacent to flexible segments of the allergen.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>During the initiation of allergy, the N- and/or C-terminal ends of proteolytic processing intermediates were preferentially loaded into antigen presenting proteins for the priming of CD4+ T cells.</p

An integrative description of Mesobiotus dilimanensis, a new tardigrade species from the Philippines (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae: furciger group)

Fig. 3. Mesobiotus dilimanensis, new species, PCM images of the buccal apparatus. A, an entire buccal apparatus (paratype); B, C, the oral cavity armature of the paratype, dorsal and ventral teeth respectively; D, the oral cavity armature of another paratype, ventral teeth; E, F, placoid morphology of the paratype, dorsal and ventral placoids respectively. Arrowheads indicate subterminal constrictions in the third macroplacoid. Scale bars in μm.Published as part of Itang, Lowelyn A. M., Stec, Daniel, Mapalo, Marc A., Mirano-Bascos, Denise & Michalczyk, Łukasz, 2020, An integrative description of Mesobiotus dilimanensis, a new tardigrade species from the Philippines (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae: furciger group), pp. 19-31 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 68 on page 25, DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2020-0003, http://zenodo.org/record/457663

Mesobiotus dilimanensis Itang & Stec & Mapalo & Mirano-Bascos & Michalczyk 2020, new species

Mesobiotus dilimanensis, new species (Tables 3, 4, Figs. 1–5) Material examined: 65 animals (including eight simplex), 47 eggs, and 7 empty chorions mounted on microscope slides in Hoyer's medium, 5 eggs fixed on SEM stubs, and 8 specimens processed for DNA sequencing. Type locality: 14°39′40″N, 121°04′07″E; 76 m asl: Philippines, Quezon City, Diliman, University of the Philippines, A. Roces St.; moss on a rock; September 2015; coll. Lowelyn Itang. Etymology: The species is named after Diliman, the district in Quezon City, Philippines, where it was discovered. Type depositories: Holotype: slide PH.006.10 with six paratypes; 58 paratypes (slides: PH.006. *, where the asterisk can be substituted by any of the following numbers: 02–03, 11–16), 47 eggs (slides: PH.006. *: 5–9, 17); seven empty chorions (slides: PH.006. *: 01, 04) are deposited at the Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.Published as part of Itang, Lowelyn A. M., Stec, Daniel, Mapalo, Marc A., Mirano-Bascos, Denise & Michalczyk, Łukasz, 2020, An integrative description of Mesobiotus dilimanensis, a new tardigrade species from the Philippines (Eutardigrada: Macrobiotidae: furciger group), pp. 19-31 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 68 on page 21, DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2020-0003, http://zenodo.org/record/457663

Factors associated with poor adherence to medication in patients with diabetes and hypertension in Peru: Findings from a pooled analysis of six years of population-based surveys

Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with poor medication adherence in patients with DM and HTN in Peru. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: We analyzed data from the Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey from 2014 to 2019. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated to determine the factors associated with poor medication adherence. Results: We included 15,184 participants with a known diagnosis of DM and HTN. The frequency of poor medication adherence was 37.1%, with 36.7% among individuals with HTN and 29.2% among individuals with DM. Those belonging to age groups above 30 years (aPR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.74–0.80, for the group ≥ 60 years) had a lower frequency of poor medication adherence. Meanwhile, being male (aPR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01–1.05), lacking health insurance (aPR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.05–1.10), belonging to lower wealth quintiles (aPR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.08–1.17, for the first quintile), and living in the mountain region (aPR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.06–1.12) were associated with a higher frequency of poor medication adherence. These findings were consistent when stratifying by the type of disease. Conclusion: This study showed that poor medication adherence is common in patients with HTN and DM in Peru and is associated with sociodemographic factors, highlighting the importance of public health approaches to improve adherence

Impact of mitral regurgitation on the outcome of patients treated with CRT-D: data from the InSync ICD Italian Registry.

Background: We assessed the influence of clinically significant mitral regurgitation (MR) on clinical-echocardiographic response and outcome in heart failure (HF) patients treated with a biventricular defibrillator (cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator [CRT-D]). Methods and Results: A total of 659 HF patients underwent successful implantation of CRT-D and were enrolled in a multicenter prospective registry (median follow-up of 15 months). Following baseline echocardiographic evaluation, patients were stratified into two groups according to the severity of MR: 232 patients with more than mild MR (Group MR+: grade 2, 3, and 4 MR) versus 427 patients with mild (grade 1) or no functional MR (Group MR−). On 6- and 12-month echocardiographic evaluation, MR was seen to have improved in the vast majority of MR+ patients, while it remained unchanged in most MR− patients. On 12-month follow-up evaluation, a comparable response to CRT was observed in the two groups, in terms of the extent of left ventricular reverse remodeling and combined clinical and echocardiographic response. During long-term follow-up, event-free survival did not differ between MR+ and MR− patients, even when subpopulations of patients with ischemic heart disease and with dilated cardiomyopathy were analyzed separately. On multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of death from any cause was the lack of β-blocker use. Conclusions: This observational analysis supports the use of CRT-D in HF patients with clinically significant MR; MR had no major influence on patient outcom