29 research outputs found

    Expression of the innate immune receptor LILRB5 on monocytes is associated with mycobacteria exposure.

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    Antigen presenting cells (APC) are critical components of innate immunity and consequently shape the adaptive response. Leukocyte Ig Like Receptors (LILR) are innate immune receptors predominantly expressed on myeloid cells. LILR can influence the antigen presenting phenotype of monocytic cells to determine the nature of T cell responses in infections including Mycobaterium leprae. We therefore investigated the relevance of LILR in the context of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Real-time PCR studies indicated that the transcriptional profile of the orphan receptor LILRB5 was significantly up-regulated following exposure to mycobacteria. Furthermore, LILRA1 and LILRB5 were able to trigger signalling through direct engagement of mycobacteria using tranfectant cells incorporating a reporter system. We describe for the first time the expression of this receptor on T cells, and highlight the potential relevance to mycobacterial recognition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that crosslinking of this receptor on T cells increases proliferation of cytotoxic, but not helper, T cells

    The attitudes of student nurses towards obese patients: A questionnaire study exploring the association between perceived causal factors and advice giving

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    Nurses acting in primary care roles are central in addressing obesity as a public health priority. Nurses with a lower Body Mass Index have been shown to have negative attitudes towards obesity. Additionally, where the patient is perceived as being responsible for their excess weight, a negative attitude may also be held. The extent to which negative attitudes may influence the advice provided by nurses to obese patients is unknown

    Quartz crystal microbalance for adsorption and diffusion studies

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    A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was assembled to gather adsorption data of various gases on zeolite A. Zeolite A was bonded to a 5-MHz quartz crystal and was subjected to various gases at low-pressure conditions. Based on the piezoelectric effect, the QCM acts as a mass balance capable of measuring mass changes on the nanogram scale by recording the change of the frequency of the quartz crystal. Experimentation was carried out on a plain quartz crystal to verify the working state of the system and also through adsorbing various gases onto activated Zeolite A. Frequency changes were recorded on a frequency counter and stored in a spreadsheet through a fully automated data acquisition system. From the collected data, adsorption graphs were constructed as well as calculations of diffusivity and weight fraction for adsorption of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ethylene, and butene. Through experimentation, it was concluded that the quartz crystal microbalance is capable of measuring adsorption due to frequency changes of a quartz crystal

    Reactive silver inks for antiviral, repellent medical textiles with ultrasonic bleach washing durability compared to silver nanoparticles.

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    Medical textiles are subject to particularly harsh disinfection procedures in healthcare settings where exposure risks are high. This work demonstrates a fabric treatment consisting of a reactive silver ink and low surface energy PDMS polymer that provides for superhydrophobicity and antiviral properties against enveloped herpes simplex virus stocks even after extended ultrasonic bleach washing. The antiviral properties of reactive silver ink has not been previously reported or compared with silver nanoparticles. The fabric treatment exhibits high static contact angles and low contact angle hysteresis with water, even after 300 minutes of ultrasonic bleach washing. Similarly, after this bleach washing treatment, the fabric treatment shows reductions of infectious virus quantities by about 2 logs compared to controls for enveloped viruses. The use of silver ink provides for better antiviral efficacy and durability compared to silver nanoparticles due to the use of reactive ionic silver, which demonstrates more conformal coverage of fabric microfibers and better adhesion. This study provides insights for improving the wash durability of antiviral silver fabric treatments and demonstrates a bleach wash durable, repellent antiviral treatment for reusable, functional personal protective equipment applications
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