Specific antigen of tumor cell transformed by DNA extracted from SV-40 virus

In the immunofluorescent study it has been revealed that rabbit sera immunized with transformed cells induced by SV-40 DNA, produce circulating antibody capable of re:lcting with intranuclear antigens synthesized by SV-40 complyte virus transforming process, In addition, the result confirmed that SV-40 DNA replicates DNA-containing viruses in the host cell and that also the genome coding for the synthesis of SV-40 tumor antigen is resposible for viral DNA.</p

Specific antigen of tumor cell transformed by DNA extracted from SV-40 virus

In the immunofluorescent study it has been revealed that rabbit sera immunized with transformed cells induced by SV-40 DNA, produce circulating antibody capable of re:lcting with intranuclear antigens synthesized by SV-40 complyte virus transforming process, In addition, the result confirmed that SV-40 DNA replicates DNA-containing viruses in the host cell and that also the genome coding for the synthesis of SV-40 tumor antigen is resposible for viral DNA.</p

Clinical Utility of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Titer Multiplied by Binding Avidity of Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) in Monitoring Protective Immunity and Clinical Severity

Conventional serum antibody titer, which expresses antibody level, does not provide antigen binding avidity of the variable region of the antibody, which is essential for the defense response to infection. Here, we quantified anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody binding avidity to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) by competitive binding-inhibition activity (IC50) between SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen immobilized on the DCP microarray and various RBD doses added to serum and expressed as 1/IC50 nM. The binding avidity analyzed under equilibrium conditions of antigen–antibody binding reaction is different from the avidity index measured with the chaotropic agent, such as urea, under nonequilibrium and short-time conditions. Quantitative determination of the infection-protection potential of antibodies was assessed by ABAT (antigen binding avidity antibody titer), which was calculated by the quantity (level) × quality (binding avidity) of antibodies. The binding avidity correlated strongly (r = 0.811) with cell-based virus-neutralizing activity. Maturation of the protective antibody induced by repeated vaccinations or SARS-CoV-2 infection was classified into three categories of ABAT, such as an initial, low, and high ABAT. Antibody maturity correlated with the clinical severity of COVID-19. Once a mature high binding avidity was achieved, it was maintained for at least 6–8 months regardless of the subsequent change in the antibody levels

Characterization of nanosized silica size standards

<p>Nanosized silica size standards produced with a sol–gel synthesis process were evaluated for particle size, effective density, and refractive index in this study. Particle size and effective density measurements were conducted following protocol from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. Particle sizes were measured via electrical mobility analysis using a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) at sheath flow rates (<i>Q</i>_sh) of 3.0 and 6.0 L/min and a constant aerosol flow rate (<i>Q</i>_a) of 0.3 L/min. The measured mean and mode diameters agreed well with the labeled sizes in the size range 40–200 nm, with differences ranging from 0.03% to 0.8%, well within the labeled expanded uncertainties (95% confidence intervals) of 1.8%–2.2%. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the size distribution was 0.012–0.027 for 40–200 nm. Particle sizes measured for 20 nm and 30 nm standards showed size differences with respect to the certified sizes of 1.7% and 8.3% at <i>Q</i>_sh = 6.0 L/min, but the size distributions were narrow, with CV = 0.047–0.064. The average effective density for the range 40–200 nm measured with an aerosol particle mass analyzer (APM) was 1.9 g/cm³. The real component of the refractive index measured with an optical particle counter (OPC) was 1.41 at a wavelength of 633 nm. All properties (size, effective density, and refractive index) were stable and could be measured with good repeatability. From these evaluations, it was found that the nanosized silica size standards have good characteristics for use as size standards and constitute a feasible alternative to PSL particles.</p> <p>© 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research</p

Visualization of probiotic-mediated Ca2+ signaling in intestinal epithelial cells in vivo

Probiotics, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Bacillus subtilis var. natto, have been shown to modulate immune responses. It is important to understand how probiotic bacteria impact intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), because IECs are the first line of defense at the mucosal surface barrier and their activities substantially affect the gut microenvironment and immunity. However, to date, their precise mechanism remains unknown due to a lack of analytical systems available for live animal models. Recently, we generated a conditional Ca2+ biosensor Yellow Cameleon (YC3.60) transgenic mouse line and established 5D (x, y, z, time, and Ca2+) intravital imaging systems of lymphoid tissues including those in Peyer’s patches and bone marrow. In the present study, we further advance our intravital imaging system for intestinal tracts to visualize IEC responses against orally administrated food compounds in real time. Using this system, heat-killed Bacillus subtilis natto, a probiotic TTCC012 strain, is shown to directly induce Ca2+ signaling in IECs in mice housed under specific pathogen-free conditions. In contrast, this activation is not observed in the Lactococcus lactis strain C60; however, when we generate germ-free YC3.60 mice and observe the LAB stimulation of IECs in the absence of gut microbiota, C60 is capable of inducing Ca2+ signaling. This is the first study to successfully visualize the direct effect of probiotics on IECs in live animals. These data strongly suggest that probiotic strains stimulate IECs under physiological conditions, and that their activity is affected by the microenvironment of the small intestine, such as commensal bacteria

A functional M196R polymorphism of tumour necrosis factor receptor type 2 is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case–control study and a meta‐analysis

OBJECTIVES: To perform a case–control study of a functional M196R polymorphism of tumour necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNF‐RII) in a Japanese population and a meta‐analysis of all published reports on the polymorphism to investigate the association of the M196R polymorphism of TNF‐RII with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: The functional M196R polymorphism of TNF‐RII was genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction combined with the subsequent single‐strand conformation polymorphism (PCR—SSCP) analysis for screening, followed by nucleotide sequencing for confirmation. A total of 331 patients and 359 controls were subjected to a case–control study. A meta‐analysis of the available case–control studies including all published data as well as our own data was performed to investigate the association of the functional M196R polymorphism of TNF‐RII with SLE. RESULTS: Our case–control study did not show any significant association of a functional M196R polymorphism of TNF‐RII with SLE, although there was a trend towards association. A meta‐analysis of seven case–control studies in eight different ethnic populations including our own showed that 196M/R and 196R/R genotypes combined was significantly associated with an increased risk of SLE (odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.60; p = 0.02). Stratification by ethnicity showed a more significant association in Asians, including Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.78; p = 0.006). The effect of the 196R allele on SLE was not clear in Caucasians. CONCLUSIONS: The 196R allele of the functional M196R polymorphism of TNF‐RII is a risk factor for SLE, especially in the Asian population