Mistrusted Strangers at Home: Czechs, Slovaks, and the Canadian "Enemy Aliens" Registration Issue, 1938-1942

Ethnic groups whose homelands had aligned with the Axis powers, had been invaded, annexed, or simply ceased to exist during the Second World War found that their wartime experience in their country of resettlement mirrored events back home. Past historiography has dealt superficially with the experiences of lesser-known ethnic groups in Canada. Hence, Czechs and Slovaks suffered a similar fate to the larger and more visible ethnic groups (Germans, Italians, Japanese, Ukrainians, et al.) deemed to be "enemies" of the state in Canada and can be placed within this scope of Canadian history. With the German annexation of the Sudetenland, and the subsequent invasion of Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939, Czechs and Slovaks were deemed as "enemy aliens" by the Canadian government. A further impediment arose when Slovakia proclaimed its independence and aligned itself with Nazi Germany. The majority of Slovaks in Canada were nationalists and had to mitigate their support for an independent Slovak state. Canadian Czechs and participatory Slovaks ("Czechoslovaks") sought to liberate their homeland. Ultimately, such action promoted the allegiance that the majority of Czechs and Slovaks held for Canada.Des groupes ethniques dont le pays d’origine s’était aligné avec les puissances de l’Axe, avait été envahi, annexé ou tout simplement cessé d’exister durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale ont constaté qu’en temps de guerre, leur expérience dans leur pays de réinstallation reflétait la tournure des événements dans leur pays d’origine. L’historiographie a traité superficiellement les expériences des groupes ethniques moins connus au Canada. Ainsi, les Tchèques et les Slovaques, qui ont subi le même sort que les groupes ethniques plus importants et plus visibles (les Allemands, les Italiens, les Japonais, les Ukrainiens et autres) et considérés comme des « ennemis » de l’État au Canada, peuvent être inclus dans ce chapitre de l’histoire du Canada. Avec l’annexion des Sudètes et l’invasion ultérieure de la Bohême-Moravie en mars 1939 par l’Allemagne, les Tchèques et les Slovaques ont été déclarés comme des « sujets d’un pays ennemi » par le gouvernement canadien. Un autre obstacle a surgi lorsque la Slovaquie a proclamé son indépendance et s’est alignée sur la politique de l’Allemagne nazie. La majorité des Slovaques qui vivaient au Canada étaient des nationalistes et ont été contraints d’atténuer leur soutien pour un État slovaque indépendant. Les Tchèques et les Slovaques « participatifs » canadiens (« Tchécoslovaques ») ont oeuvré pour la libération de leur pays d’origine. Enfin de compte, ces actions ont favorisé l’allégeance que la majorité des Tchèques et des Slovaques vouaient au Canada

Forgotten Experiment: Canada’s Resettlement of Palestinian Refugees, 1955-1956

In the summer of 1955, the Canadian government took the “bold step” of admitting displaced Palestinian refugees from the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. The government approved the resettlement of 100 skilled workers and their families. Canadian officials believed that alleviating the refugee problem in the Middle East would help in furthering regional stability. The resettlement scheme remained a politically sensitive issue as Arab governments protested against what they perceived as a Zionist plot to remove Palestinians from their ancestral land. For Canada, the admission of Palestinian refugees in 1956 served as an important “experiment” for the future selection and resettlement of non-European refugees.À l’été 1955, le gouvernement canadien a fait preuve d’audace : il a admis des réfugiés palestiniens déplacés à cause de la guerre arabo-israélienne de 1948. Le gouvernement a approuvé la relocalisation de 100 travailleurs qualifiés et de leurs familles. Les autorités canadiennes croyaient que d’atténuer le problème des réfugiés au Moyen-Orient contribuerait favoriser la stabilité régionale. Le plan de relocalisation est demeuré une question politiquement délicate, car les gouvernements arabes ont protesté contre ce qu’ils percevaient comme un complot sioniste visant à chasser les Palestiniens de leur terre ancestrale. Pour le Canada, l’admission de réfugiés palestiniens en 1956 a constitué une importante « expérience » en ce qui a trait à la sélection future de réfugiés non européens et à leur relocalisation

Welcoming the Sick and Afflicted: Canada’s Tubercular Admissions Program, 1959-1960

In the 1950s, the United Nations lobbied Canadian officials to help close Europe’s remaining displaced persons camps and resettle “hard core” refugees—individuals who were unsponsored, sick, infirm, or disabled. As part of Canada’s contribution to World Refugee Year (1959-1960), the federal government appeased public demands for a humanitarian response by implementing a special program that brought 325 tubercular refugees and 501 family members to Canada. Despite federal concerns about the financial cost and potential burden on the health care system, the resettlement scheme represented a notable departure from existing immigration policy for unsponsored immigrants with tuberculosis and became an early antecedent to broader reforms in the 1960s.Dans les années 1950, les Nations Unies ont fait pression auprès des autorités canadiennes pour qu’elles contribuent à la fermeture des camps de personnes déplacées en Europe et à la réinstallation du « noyau dur » des réfugiés – des personnes non parrainées, malades, infirmes ou handicapées. Dans le cadre de la contribution du Canada à l’Année mondiale des réfugiés (1959-1960), le gouvernement fédéral a répondu aux demandes du public en faveur d’une réaction humanitaire en mettant en place un programme spécial permettant d’accueillir 325 réfugiés tuberculeux et 501 membres de leurs familles au Canada. Malgré les inquiétudes des autorités fédérales au sujet du coût financier et de l’éventuel fardeau pour le système de soins de santé, le programme de réinstallation représentait un virage notable par rapport à la politique d’immigration à l’égard des immigrants non parrainés atteints de tuberculose et il a servi de précurseur aux grandes réformes des années 1960

Freedom's Voices: Czech and Slovak Immigration to Canada during the Cold War

During the Cold War, approximately 36,000 persons claimed Czechoslovakia as their country of citizenship upon entering Canada. A defining characteristic of this postwar migration of predominantly ethnic Czechs and Slovaks was the prevalence of anti-communist and democratic values. This dissertation follows Czech and Slovak refugees through the German invasion of the Czech lands and Slovakia’s independence in 1939, the Second World War, the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, and the Warsaw Pact Invasion of 1968. Diplomats, industrialists, workers, democratic politicians, professionals, and students fled to the West in search of freedom, security, and economic opportunity. Many of these individuals sought to return home after Czechoslovakia was liberated from communism. This dissertation examines the interwar, wartime, and postwar immigration experiences of Czech and Slovak refugees through the lens of Canadian Czechoslovak institutions. In Canada, Czechs and Slovaks who professed a belief in a Czechoslovak identity formed their own organizations. In the Cold War era, the two most prominent Canadian Czechoslovak institutions were the Czechoslovak National Alliance and the Masaryk Hall. Both were later incorporated and renamed as the Czechoslovak National Association of Canada and the Masaryk Memorial Institute. Czechoslovak institutions in Canada faced opposition from nationalist Slovaks who opposed a common Czechoslovak identity. By focusing on political and institutional history, this study contributes to our understanding of Cold War immigration, and its influence on ethnic organizations and Canadian society. Although the admission, settlement, and integration of Cold War refugees was heavily influenced by federal and provincial authorities, Czech and Slovak newcomers joined Czechoslovak organizations and continued in their attempts to affect developments in Communist Czechoslovakia and Canadian foreign policy towards their homeland. During the Cold War, Canadian authorities further legitimized the Czech and Slovak refugees’ anti-communist agenda and increased their influence in Czechoslovak institutions. Similarly, Canadian Czechoslovak organizations supported Canada’s Cold War agenda of securing the state from Communist infiltration. Ultimately, an adherence to anti-communism, the promotion of Canadian citizenship, and the preservation of a Czechoslovak ethnocultural heritage accelerated Czech and Slovak refugees’ socioeconomic and political integration in Cold War Canada. As a result, Canadian Czechoslovak organizations were instrumental in helping to shape a democratic culture in Cold War Canada

Differential glycosylation of envelope gp120 is associated with differential recognition of HIV-1 by virus-specific antibodies and cell infection

Background: HIV-1 entry into host cells is mediated by interactions between the virus envelope glycoprotein (gp120/gp41) and host-cell receptors. N-glycans represent approximately 50% of the molecular mass of gp120 and serve as potential antigenic determinants and/or as a shield against immune recognition. We previously reported that N-glycosylation of recombinant gp120 varied, depending on the producer cells, and the glycosylation variability affected gp120 recognition by serum antibodies from persons infected with HIV-1 subtype B. However, the impact of gp120 differential glycosylation on recognition by broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies or by polyclonal antibodies of individuals infected with other HIV-1 subtypes is unknown. Methods: Recombinant multimerizing gp120 antigens were expressed in different cells, HEK 293T, T-cell, rhabdomyosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. Binding of broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antibodies from sera of subtype A/C HIV-1-infected subjects with individual gp120 glycoforms was assessed by ELISA. In addition, immunodetection was performed using Western and dot blot assays. Recombinant gp120 glycoforms were tested for inhibition of infection of reporter cells by SF162 and YU.2 Env-pseudotyped R5 viruses. Results: We demonstrated, using ELISA, that gp120 glycans sterically adjacent to the V3 loop only moderately contribute to differential recognition of a short apex motif GPGRA and GPGR by monoclonal antibodies F425 B4e8 and 447-52D, respectively. The binding of antibodies recognizing longer peptide motifs overlapping with GPGR epitope (268 D4, 257 D4, 19b) was significantly altered. Recognition of gp120 glycoforms by monoclonal antibodies specific for other than V3-loop epitopes was significantly affected by cell types used for gp120 expression. These epitopes included CD4-binding site (VRC03, VRC01, b12), discontinuous epitope involving V1/V2 loop with the associated glycans (PG9, PG16), and an epitope including V3-base-, N332 oligomannose-, and surrounding glycans-containing epitope (PGT 121). Moreover, the different gp120 glycoforms variably inhibited HIV-1 infection of reporter cells. Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis that the glycosylation machinery of different cells shapes gp120 glycosylation and, consequently, impacts envelope recognition by specific antibodies as well as the interaction of HIV-1 gp120 with cellular receptors. These findings underscore the importance of selection of appropriately glycosylated HIV-1 envelope as a vaccine antigen

Genetic studies of IgA nephropathy: past, present, and future

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide and an important cause of kidney disease in young adults. Highly variable clinical presentation and outcome of IgAN suggest that this diagnosis may encompass multiple subsets of disease that are not distinguishable by currently available clinical tools. Marked differences in disease prevalence between individuals of European, Asian, and African ancestry suggest the existence of susceptibility genes that are present at variable frequencies in these populations. Familial forms of IgAN have also been reported throughout the world but are probably underrecognized because associated urinary abnormalities are often intermittent in affected family members. Of the many pathogenic mechanisms reported, defects in IgA1 glycosylation that lead to formation of immune complexes have been consistently demonstrated. Recent data indicates that these IgA1 glycosylation defects are inherited and constitute a heritable risk factor for IgAN. Because of the complex genetic architecture of IgAN, the efforts to map disease susceptibility genes have been difficult, and no causative mutations have yet been identified. Linkage-based approaches have been hindered by disease heterogeneity and lack of a reliable noninvasive diagnostic test for screening family members at risk of IgAN. Many candidate-gene association studies have been published, but most suffer from small sample size and methodological problems, and none of the results have been convincingly validated. New genomic approaches, including genome-wide association studies currently under way, offer promising tools for elucidating the genetic basis of IgAN

Pathogenesis of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis

The severity of renal involvement is the major factor determining the long-term outcome of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) nephritis (HSPN). Approximately 40% children with HSP develop nephritis, usually within 4 to 6 weeks after the initial onset of the typical purpuric rashes. Although the pathogenetic mechanisms are still not fully delineated, several studies suggest that galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is recognized by anti-glycan antibodies, leading to the formation of the circulating immune complexes and their mesangial deposition that induce renal injury in HSPN