The concentration of kynurenine in rat model of asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that involves the immune system activation. Evidence is accumulating about the role of kynurenine pathway in the immune system regulation. The kynurenine pathway includes several metabolites of tryptophan, among others kynurenine (KYN). To study the immunological system regulation in asthma a simple and sensitive models of asthma are required. In the present study we induced rat model of asthma using ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization followed by challenge with OVA. The development of asthma has been confirmed by plasma total IgE measurement and the histological examination. The concentration of KYN has been determined in plasma, lungs and liver by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In OVA sensitized rats the concentration of total IgE was statistically significantly increased as compared to VEH sensitized control groups (437.6 +/- 97.7 kU/l vs 159.2 +/- 22.7 kU/l, respectively; p< 0.01). In asthmatic animals, the number of eosinophils, neutrophils and mast cells increased considerably, and epithelial lesion and the increase in airway epithelium goblet cells and edema of bronchial mucosa were present. We did not observe any significant changes in the concentration of KYN in plasma, lungs or liver between studied groups. In conclusion, the concentration of KYN remains unchanged in asthmatic animals as compared to control groups. Further studies using rat model of asthma are warranted to establish the role of kynurenine pathway regulation in asthma

Effectiveness of soluble CTLA-4-Fc in the inhibition of bone marrow T-cell activation in context of indoleamine 2.3-dioxygenase (IDO) and CD4+Foxp3+ Treg induction

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with systemic inflammation finally resulting in damaged joints. One of the RA development models suggests bone marrow (BM) as a place of inflammation development further leading to disease progression. We aimed to investigate the potential of CTLA-4-Fc molecule in inducing tolerogenic milieu in BM measured as indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression, CD4 METHODS: Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) were stimulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and CTLA-4-Fc. Next IDO expression, CD4 RESULTS: We found that CTLA-4-Fc and IFN-γ stimulation results in IDO production by BMMC. CTLA-4-Fc induced tryptophan catabolism can inhibit mitogen-induced CD4 CONCLUSION: This study sheds light on some immunosuppression aspects present or induced in BM. The potential of IDO-mediated pathways were confirmed in the periphery, what may represent the promising candidates for therapeutic strategies in RA

Harmonized gap-filled datasets from 20 urban flux tower sites

A total of 20 urban neighbourhood-scale eddy covariance flux tower datasets are made openly available after being harmonized to create a 50 site-year collection with broad diversity in climate and urban surface characteristics. Variables needed as inputs for land surface models (incoming radiation, temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind and precipitation) are quality controlled, gap-filled and prepended with 10 years of reanalysis-derived local data, enabling an extended spin up to equilibrate models with local climate conditions. For both gap filling and spin up, ERA5 reanalysis meteorological data are bias corrected using tower-based observations, accounting for diurnal, seasonal and local urban effects not modelled in ERA5. The bias correction methods developed perform well compared to methods used in other datasets (e.g. WFDE5 or FLUXNET2015). Other variables (turbulent and upwelling radiation fluxes) are harmonized and quality controlled without gap filling Site description metadata include local land cover fractions (buildings, roads, trees, grass etc.), building height and morphology, aerodynamic roughness estimates, population density and satellite imagery. This open collection can help extend our understanding of urban environmental processes through observational synthesis studies or in the evaluation of land surface environmental models in a wide range of urban settings. These data can be accessed from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7104984 (Lipson et al., 2022).Peer reviewe

Pointwise consistency of the hermite series density estimate

The Hermite series estimate of a density f [epsilon] Lp, p> 1, convergessin the mean square to f (x) for almost all x [epsilon] R, if N (n) --> [infinity] and N (n) / n2 --> ) as n --> [infinity], where N is the number of the Hermite functions in the estimate while n is the number of observations. Moreover, the mean square and weak consistency are equivalent. For m times differentiable densities, the mean squares convergence rate is O(n-(2m-1)/2m). Results for complete convergence are also given.density estimate nonparametric orthogonal series Hermite series

Necessary and sufficient consistency conditions for a recursive kernel regression estimate

A recursive kernel estimate [summation operator]i = 1n YiK[+45 degree rule](x - Xi)hi)[+45 degree rule][summation operator]j = 1n K((x - Xj)[+45 degree rule]hj) of a regression m(x) = E{YX = x} calculated from independent observations (X1, Y1),..., (Xn, Yn) of a pair (X, Y) of random variables is examined. ForEY1 + [delta] 0, the estimate is weakly pointwise consistent for almost all ([mu]) x [set membership, variant] Rd, [mu] is the probability measure of X, if and only if[summation operator]i-1n hid I{hi > [var epsilon] } [+45 degree rule] [summation operator]j = 1n hjd --> 0 as n --> [infinity], all [var epsilon] > 0, and[summation operator]i = 1[infinity] hid = [infinity], d is the dimension of X. For EY1 + [delta] 0, the estimate is strongly pointwise consistent for almost all ([mu]) x [set membership, variant] Rd, if and only if the same conditions hold. ForEY1 + [delta] 0, weak and strong consistency are equivalent. Similar results are given for complete convergence.regression function nonparametric estimation kernel estimate recursive estimate consistency