Minimum Information about T Regulatory Cells: A Step toward Reproducibility and Standardization.

Cellular therapies with CD4+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) hold promise of efficacious treatment for the variety of autoimmune and allergic diseases as well as posttransplant complications. Nevertheless, current manufacturing of Tregs as a cellular medicinal product varies between different laboratories, which in turn hampers precise comparisons of the results between the studies performed. While the number of clinical trials testing Tregs is already substantial, it seems to be crucial to provide some standardized characteristics of Treg products in order to minimize the problem. We have previously developed reporting guidelines called minimum information about tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells, which allows the comparison between different preparations of tolerance-inducing antigen-presenting cells. Having this experience, here we describe another minimum information about Tregs (MITREG). It is important to note that MITREG does not dictate how investigators should generate or characterize Tregs, but it does require investigators to report their Treg data in a consistent and transparent manner. We hope this will, therefore, be a useful tool facilitating standardized reporting on the manufacturing of Tregs, either for research purposes or for clinical application. This way MITREG might also be an important step toward more standardized and reproducible testing of the Tregs preparations in clinical applications

Relation between electron and energy contents of hexagons in pericondensed benzenoid hydrocarbons

13-17Relations are established between the π-electron content (EC) and the π-electron energy electron energy content (ec) of hexagons in pericondensed benzenoid hydrocarbons. Whereas in catacondensed benzenoids only four types of differen tly annelated hexagons need to be distinguished [Furtula, Gutman & Turkovic, Indian J Chem 43A (2004)], in pericondensed systems there are 12 different annelation types. We show that within each of the 12 classes of equally annelated hexagons there exists a linear correlation between EC and ec. These correlations can be explained by means of the Cruickshank-Sparks equations, which relate the Pauling and Coulson bond orders. In addition, within each annelation class there is a correlation between the ec-value of a hexagon and the effect ef of the same hexagon on the total π-electron energy of the corresponding benzenoid molecule. Most of these latter correlations are curvilinear. Our main conclusions are that (a) ec is proportional to EC and (b) ec is proportional to ef, but (c) the mode of the annelation of the respective hexagon strongly influences the actual form of these interdependencies

Secretory Products of Trichinella spiralis Muscle Larvae and Immunomodulation: Implication for Autoimmune Diseases, Allergies, and Malignancies

Trichinella spiralis has the unique ability to make itself “at home” by creating and hiding in a new type of cell in the host body that is the nurse cell. From this immunologically privileged place, the parasite orchestrates a long-lasting molecular cross talk with the host through muscle larvae excretory-secretory products (ES L1). Those products can successfully modulate parasite-specific immune responses as well as responses to unrelated antigens (either self or nonself in origin), providing an anti-inflammatory milieu and maintaining homeostasis. It is clear, based on the findings from animal model studies, that T. spiralis and its products induce an immunomodulatory network (which encompasses Th2- and Treg-type responses) that may allow the host to deal with various hyperimmune-associated disorders as well as tumor growth, although the latter still remains unclear. This review focuses on studies of the molecules released by T. spiralis, their interaction with pattern recognition receptors on antigen presenting cells, and subsequently provoked responses. This paper also addresses the immunomodulatory properties of ES L1 molecules and how the induced immunomodulation influences the course of different experimental inflammatory and malignant diseases

Graph energy-A useful molecular structure-descriptor

1309-1311The energy E(G) of a graph G is, by definition, equal to the sum of absolute values of the eigenvalues of G. The motivation for such a definition comes from molecular orbital theory, where E(G) pertains to the total π-electron energy of the conjugated hydrocarbon whose molecular graph is G. However, E(G) is a well-defined quantity for all graphs.It has been shown that E(G) serves as a structure-descriptor in the case of saturated, σ-electron, systems. The correlations of various physico-chemical properties of alkanes with E(G) are found to be of similar quality as the correlations with other traditionally employed molecular structure-descriptors (Wiener and connectivity indices)

A Rare Case Report of NEHI in a Preterm Infant with Review of the Literature

Background. Neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is a rare respiratory disorder. During infancy, it typically presents with hypoxemia, tachypnea, and respiratory distress, and is commonly misdiagnosed as common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, reactive airway disease, or bronchiolitis. Lack of awareness about this relatively new and rare disorder in primary care and acute care settings lead to delayed diagnosis and unnecessary use of antibiotics. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 7-month-old girl, born prematurely at 32 weeks with tachypnea and respiratory distress who was initially diagnosed with viral pneumonia, then upper respiratory infection, and finally with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, while the child never had any fever or upper respiratory symptoms. Failure of outpatient treatment with oral antibiotic and bronchodilator, with the persistence of respiratory symptoms such as retractions, bilateral crackles, and hypoxemia led to hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics. Given persistent symptoms, further evaluation was performed, and she was diagnosed with NEHI based on characteristic chest CT findings. Conclusions. Viral respiratory infections are the most frequent cause of respiratory illnesses in the first years of life. Primary care providers should be aware of less frequent causes of persistent respiratory symptoms in infancy like NEHI and other interstitial lung diseases in children. This may prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics and delayed diagnosis

Trichinella spiralis shares epitopes with human autoantigens

Like other helminths, Trichinella spiralis has evolved strategies to allow it to survive in the host organism, including the expression of epitopes similar to those present in either expressed or hidden host antigens. To identify T. spiralis-derived antigens that are evolutionarily conserved in the parasite and its host and that could be responsible for its evasion of the host immune response, we examined the reactivity of six different types of autoantibodies to T. spiralis larvae from muscle. T. spiralis antigens that share epitopes with human autoantigens were identified by assessing the cross-reactivity of autoantibody-containing serum samples with T. spiralis antigens in the absence of specific anti-parasite antibodies. Of the 55 autoantibody-containing human serum samples that we analysed by immunohistological screening, 24 (43.6%) recognised T. spiralis muscle larvae structures such as the subcuticular region, the genital primordium or the midgut. Using Western blots, we demonstrated that the same sera reacted with 24 protein components of T. spiralis muscle larvae excretory-secretory L1 antigens. We found that the human autoantibodies predominantly bound antigens belonging to the TSL1 group; more specifically, the autoantibody-containing sera reacted most frequently with the 53-kDa component. Thus, this protein is a good candidate for further studies of the mechanisms of T. spiralis-mediated immunomodulation

Taste sensitivity to NaCl is associated with liking of salty foods and BMI

Background &ndash; It is widely acknowledged that sodium is consumed in excess in most developed countries. Sodium (Na) consumption has been a target of public health interventions in recent years due to its link to numerous adverse health affects such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. While much of the current research is directed at strategies to reduce sodium in foods and the diet, little is known about the factors which determine salt consumption and preference. Currently, there is no research relating NaCl taste sensitivity and liking of food, or if NaCl taste sensitivity may manifest in changes in BMI.Objective &ndash; Establish whether a relationship exists between NaCl taste sensitivity, preference for salty foods and BMI.Design &ndash; Taste sensitivity to NaCl was determined for 119 subjects (104 female) according to the procedure laid out by &ldquo;ISO 3972:1991 &ndash; Method of investigating sensitivity of taste&rdquo;. In a separate session subjects rated their liking of generic biscuit with 2 levels of added NaCl [low (2.9g/100g) &amp; high (19.1g/100g)] using the 9-point hedonic scale. BMI was calculated from self reported height and weight data collected. Spearman&rsquo;s rank order correlation was used to determine whether an association existed between NaCl taste sensitivity, preference for salty foods and BMI.Outcomes &ndash; A significant positive correlation was found between BMI and NaCl taste sensitivity (r=0.204, p&lt;0.05). In addition there was a significant positive correlation between BMI and liking of low NaCl biscuits (r=0.267, p&lt;0.01). No significant associations were identified between the high NaCl cracker and NaCl taste sensitivity or BMI. A paired t-test showed there was no significant difference in liking of the low and commercial NaCl crackers (p=0.078).Conclusion &ndash; This study revealed that individuals with a higher BMI have a greater liking of low NaCl biscuits, and this may be due to their increased NaCl taste sensitivity. The results suggest that NaCl taste sensitivity may be a factor in foods consumed by an individual which in turn may influence weight status.<br /

Gender modulates development of the metabolic syndrome phenotype in fructose-fed rats

We analyzed the effects of a fructose-rich diet (FRD) to test the assumption that the expression of metabolic syndrome phenotype is different in male and female rats. Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of FRD on feeding behavior and carbohydrate/lipid metabolism. The increased caloric intake in FRD rats of both sexes was followed by a cluster of gender-specific changes typical for the metabolic syndrome. Female rats were characterized by decreased glycemia, increased triglycerides, enlarged visceral adipose tissue and increased absolute mass of liver, without changes in systolic blood pressure and insulin sensitivity. In contrast, male rats developed less disturbances in physical and biochemical characteristics, but blood pressure and insulin sensitivity were impaired by FRD. The results emphasize the detrimental effects of fructose consumption on cardiovascular risk and insulin action in males, whereas females are affected by other metabolic disturbances. These results support the idea of gender-dependent differences in the expression of the metabolic syndrome phenotype