Age-dependent production of IgA and IgM autoantibodies against IgG2a in a colony of 129/Sv mice

Although much of the basic immunological work has been done with mice, little is known about anti-IgG autoantibodies in this species. Dresser (1, 2) has reported the occurrence, in CBA mice, of anti-IgG antibody (Ab)(1) detected by a hemolytic-plaque assay after stimulation with endotoxin or immunization against sheep erythrocytes. IgM rheumatoid factor has also been described in various strains of mice with a systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease (3). Recently, we have tried to induce anti-IgG in mice of the 129/Sv strain by inoculating autologous IgG. To our surprise, we found that the sera of all the animals had, before any inoculation, anti-IgG detectable by agglutination of particles coated with autologous IgG. The possibilities to investigate the mechanism of production and the biological role of this kind of Ab prompted us to undertake a study of the nature and specificity of the mouse anti-IgG

Discrete and fuzzy dynamical genetic programming in the XCSF learning classifier system

A number of representation schemes have been presented for use within learning classifier systems, ranging from binary encodings to neural networks. This paper presents results from an investigation into using discrete and fuzzy dynamical system representations within the XCSF learning classifier system. In particular, asynchronous random Boolean networks are used to represent the traditional condition-action production system rules in the discrete case and asynchronous fuzzy logic networks in the continuous-valued case. It is shown possible to use self-adaptive, open-ended evolution to design an ensemble of such dynamical systems within XCSF to solve a number of well-known test problems

Optical properties of bcc transition metals in the range 0-40 eV

We present a systematic analysis of the optical properties of bcc transition metals in the groups VB: V, Nb, and Ta, and VIB: paramagnetic Cr, Mo, and W. For this we use our formulation of time-dependent current-density-functional theory for the linear response of metals. The calculated dielectric and electron energy-loss functions are compared with our ellipsometry measurements and with data reported in literature, showing an overall good agreement. The experimental data of the dielectric functions presented by Nestell and Christy and by Weaver differ mostly in the low-frequency region. However, we found that their reflectivity data are in very good agreement up to about 3 eV. We attribute this apparent discrepancy to the Drude-like extrapolation model used by Weaver in the Kramers-Kronig procedure to extract the optical constants from their reflectivity data. Our experiments are in good agreement with Nestell and Christy's data. The calculated absorption spectra show some deviations from the experiments, in particular in the 3d metals. We assign the spectra in terms of transitions between pairs of bands and we analyze which parts of the Brillouin zone are mainly involved in the absorption. Our results suggest that the blueshift of some spectral features in our calculations can be attributed mainly to the incorrect description of the virtual d bands by the approximations used for the ground state exchange-correlation functional. These virtual bands are too weakly bound by the local density and generalized gradient approximations, in particular in the 3d metals. We calculate separately the inter- and intraband contributions to the absorption and we show using a k center dot p analysis that, within the scalar-relativistic approximation, interband transitions contribute to the absorption already at frequencies well below 0.5 eV. This finding makes questionable the Drude-like behavior normally assumed in the experimental analysis of the linear response. We find that the combination of the Drude model in which we use the calculated plasma frequency and an optimized relaxation time, and the calculated interband response can well describe the experimental spectra. The electron energy-loss spectra are very well reproduced by our calculations showing in each metal a dominant plasmon peak at about 22-24 eV, well above the corresponding Drude-like free-electron plasma frequency, and additional features in the range 10-15 eV. We show that the renormalization of the plasma frequency is due to the interplay between inter- and intraband processes, and that the additional features arise from the rich structure in the dielectric function caused by interband transitions.</p

Assessing the perceived quality of brachial artery Flow Mediated Dilation studies for inclusion in meta-analyses and systematic reviews: Description of data employed in the development of a scoring tool based on currently accepted guidelines

Brachial artery Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) is widely used as a non-invasive measure of endothelial function. Adherence to expert consensus guidelines on FMD measurement has been found to be of vital importance to obtain reproducible data. This article lists the literature data which was considered in the development of a tool to aid in the objective judgement of the extent to which published studies adhered to expert guidelines for FMD measurement. Application of this tool in a systematic review of FMD studies © 2016 . (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.03.011) (Greyling et al., 2016 [1]) indicated that adherence to expert consensus guidelines is strongly correlated to the reproducibility of FMD data

Antigenic differences among porcine circovirus type 2 strains, as demonstrated by the use of monoclonal antibodies

Journal of General Virology 2008, Vol. 89:pp 177–187This study examined whether antigenic differences among porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) strains could be detected using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). A subtractive immunization protocol was used for the genotype 2 post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)-associated PCV-2 strain Stoon-1010. Sixteen stable hybridomas that produced mAbs with an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA) titre of 1000 or more to Stoon-1010 were obtained. Staining of recombinant PCV-2 virus-like particles demonstrated that all mAbs were directed against the PCV-2 capsid protein. Cross-reactivity of mAbs was tested by IPMA and neutralization assay for genotype 1 strains 48285, 1206, VC2002 and 1147, and genotype 2 strains 1121 and 1103. Eleven mAbs (9C3, 16G12, 21C12, 38C1, 43E10, 55B1, 63H3, 70A7, 94H8, 103H7 and 114C8) recognized all strains in the IPMA and demonstrated neutralization of Stoon-1010, 48285, 1206 and 1103, but not VC2002, 1147 and 1121. mAbs 31D5, 48B5, 59C6 and 108E8 did not react with genotype 1 strains or had a reduced affinity compared with genotype 2 strains in the IPMA and neutralization assay. mAb 13H4 reacted in the IPMA with PMWS-associated strains Stoon-1010, 48285, 1206 and VC2002, and the porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome-associated strain 1147, but not with reproductive failure-associated strains 1121 and 1103. mAb 13H4 did not neutralize any of the tested strains. It was concluded that, despite the high amino acid identity of the capsid protein (¢91 %), antigenic differences at the capsid protein level are present among PCV-2 strains with a different genetic and clinical background

Sustainable farming with native rocks: the transition without revolution.

The development process which humanity passed through favored a series of conquests, reflected in the better quality of life and longevity, however, it also provoked upsets and severe transformation in the environment and in the human food security. Such process is driving the ecosystems to be homogeneous, and, therefore,the nutrients� supply, via nourishment. To change this panorama, the present work discusses the gains of incorporating the stonemeal technique as a strategic alternative to give back the essential fertile characteristics to the soils. This technology has the function of facilitating the rejuvenation of the soils and increasing the availability of the necessary nutrients to the full development of the plants which is a basic input for the proliferation of life in all its dimensions

Urinary protein profiling in hyperactive delirium and non-delirium cardiac surgery ICU patients

Contains fulltext : 92532.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Biology of advanced uveal melanoma and next steps for clinical therapeutics

Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular malignancy although it is a rare subset of all melanomas. Uveal melanoma has distinct biology relative to cutaneous melanoma, with widely divergent patient outcomes. Patients diagnosed with a primary uveal melanoma can be stratified for risk of metastasis by cytogenetics or gene expression profiling, with approximately half of patients developing metastatic disease, predominately hepatic in location, over a 15-yr period. Historically, no systemic therapy has been associated with a clear clinical benefit for patients with advanced disease, and median survival remains poor. Here, as a joint effort between the Melanoma Research Foundation's ocular melanoma initiative, CURE OM and the National Cancer Institute, the current understanding of the molecular and immunobiology of uveal melanoma is reviewed, and on-going laboratory research into the disease is highlighted. Finally, recent investigations relevant to clinical management via targeted and immunotherpies are reviewed, and next steps in the development of clinical therapeutics are discussed