139 research outputs found

    Application of water surfaces in landscape architecture

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    The water areas have been an inseparable part of the park architecture, since its early development. Today it is almost unimaginable not to predict water surfaces in the design of parks and gardens. The only elements that have changed through the years are the composition and the positioning of the water surfaces in a given location. Aesthetic value of certain aquatic forms and motives may have changed, but their application and significance have always been in accordance with the needs of the time period. The monotony caused by excessive foliage is cleared up with implementation of water surfaces in the parks. They are one of the most important aesthetic elements. Their application (in natural or artificial form), significantly enriches the visual composition of each park. Water elements are of extreme importance for the quality of life and the sustainability of the ecosystems, and at the same time they contribute for increasing the attractiveness of the landscape

    Differences in time of virus appearance in the blood and virus-specific immune responses in intravenous and intrarectal primary SIV(mac251) infection of rhesus macaques; a pilot study

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    BACKGROUND: HIV-I can be transmitted by intravenous inoculation of contaminated blood or blood product or sexually through mucosal surfaces. Here we performed a pilot study in the SIV(mac251) macaque model to address whether the route of viral entry influences the kinetics of the appearance and the size of virus-specific immune in different tissue compartments. METHODS: For this purpose, of 2 genetically defined Mamu-A*01-positive macaques, 1 was exposed intravenously and the other intrarectally to the same SIV(mac251) viral stock and virus-specific CD8+ T-cells were measured within the first 12 days of infection in the blood and at day 12 in several tissues following euthanasia. RESULTS: Virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses to Gag, Env, and particularly Tat appeared earlier in the blood of the animal exposed by the mucosal route than in the animal exposed intravenously. The magnitude of these virus-specific responses was consistently higher in the systemic tissues and GALT of the macaque exposed by the intravenous route, suggesting a higher viral burden in the tissues as reflected by the faster appearance of virus in plasma. Differences in the ability of the virus-specific CD8+ T-cells to respond in vitro to specific peptide stimulation were also observed and the greatest proliferative ability was found in the GALT of the animal infected by the intrarectal route. CONCLUSIONS: These data may suggest that the natural mucosal barrier may delay viral spreading. The consequences of this observation, if confirmed in studies with a larger number of animals, may have implications in vaccine development

    R5-SHIV Induces Multiple Defects in T Cell Function during Early Infection of Rhesus Macaques Including Accumulation of T Reg Cells in Lymph Nodes

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    Background: HIV-1 is a pathogen that T cell responses fail to control. HIV-1gp120 is the surface viral envelope glycoprotein that interacts with CD4 T cells and mediates entry. HIV-1gp120 has been implicated in immune dysregulatory functions that may limit anti-HIV antigen-specific T cell responses. We hypothesized that in the context of early SHIV infection, immune dysregulation of antigen-specific T-effector cell and regulatory functions would be detectable and that these would be associated or correlated with measurable concentrations of HIV-1gp120 in lymphoid tissues. Methods: Rhesus macaques were intravaginally inoculated with a Clade C CCR5-tropic simian-human immunodeficiency virus, SHIV-1157ipd3N4. HIV-1gp120 levels, antigen-specificity, levels of apoptosis/anergy and frequency and function of Tregs were examined in lymph node and blood derived T cells at 5 and 12 weeks post inoculation. Results/Conclusions: We observed reduced responses to Gag in CD4 and gp120 in CD8 lymph node-derived T cells compared to the peripheral blood at 5 weeks post-inoculation. Reduced antigen-specific responses were associated with higher levels of PD-1 on lymph node-derived CD4 T cells as compared to peripheral blood and uninfected lymph node-derived CD4 T cells. Lymph nodes contained increased numbers of Tregs as compared to peripheral blood, which positively correlated with gp120 levels; T regulatory cell depletion restored CD8 T cell responses to Gag but not to gp120. HIV gp120 was also able to induce T regulatory cell chemotaxis in a dose-dependent, CCR5-mediated manner. These studies contribute to our broader understanding of the ways in which HIV-1 dysregulates T cell function and localization during early infection

    Immunity to HIV-1 Is Influenced by Continued Natural Exposure to Exogenous Virus

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    Unprotected sexual intercourse between individuals who are both infected with HIV-1 can lead to exposure to their partner's virus, and potentially to super-infection. However, the immunological consequences of continued exposure to HIV-1 by individuals already infected, has to our knowledge never been reported. We measured T cell responses in 49 HIV-1 infected individuals who were on antiretroviral therapy with suppressed viral loads. All the individuals were in a long-term sexual partnership with another HIV-1 infected individual, who was either also on HAART and suppressing their viral loads, or viremic (>9000 copies/ml). T cell responses to HIV-1 epitopes were measured directly ex-vivo by the IFN-γ enzyme linked immuno-spot assay and by cytokine flow cytometry. Sexual exposure data was generated from questionnaires given to both individuals within each partnership. Individuals who continued to have regular sexual contact with a HIV-1 infected viremic partner had significantly higher frequencies of HIV-1-specific T cell responses, compared to individuals with aviremic partners. Strikingly, the magnitude of the HIV-1-specific T cell response correlated strongly with the level and route of exposure. Responses consisted of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. Longitudinally, decreases in exposure were mirrored by a lower T cell response. However, no evidence for systemic super-infection was found in any of the individuals. Continued sexual exposure to exogenous HIV-1 was associated with increased HIV-1-specific T cell responses, in the absence of systemic super-infection, and correlated with the level and type of exposure

    Dynamic T cell migration program provides resident memory within intestinal epithelium

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    Migration to intestinal mucosa putatively depends on local activation because gastrointestinal lymphoid tissue induces expression of intestinal homing molecules, whereas skin-draining lymph nodes do not. This paradigm is difficult to reconcile with reports of intestinal T cell responses after alternative routes of immunization. We reconcile this discrepancy by demonstrating that activation within spleen results in intermediate induction of homing potential to the intestinal mucosa. We further demonstrate that memory T cells within small intestine epithelium do not routinely recirculate with memory T cells in other tissues, and we provide evidence that homing is similarly dynamic in humans after subcutaneous live yellow fever vaccine immunization. These data explain why systemic immunization routes induce local cell-mediated immunity within the intestine and indicate that this tissue must be seeded with memory T cell precursors shortly after activation

    Exposure to Apoptotic Activated CD4+ T Cells Induces Maturation and APOBEC3G- Mediated Inhibition of HIV-1 Infection in Dendritic Cells

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    Dendritic cells (DCs) are activated by signaling via pathogen-specific receptors or exposure to inflammatory mediators. Here we show that co-culturing DCs with apoptotic HIV-infected activated CD4+ T cells (ApoInf) or apoptotic uninfected activated CD4+ T cells (ApoAct) induced expression of co-stimulatory molecules and cytokine release. In addition, we measured a reduced HIV infection rate in DCs after co-culture with ApoAct. A prerequisite for reduced HIV infection in DCs was activation of CD4+ T cells before apoptosis induction. DCs exposed to ApoAct or ApoInf secreted MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MCP-1, and TNF-α; this effect was retained in the presence of exogenous HIV. The ApoAct-mediated induction of co-stimulatory CD86 molecules and reduction of HIV infection in DCs were partially abrogated after blocking TNF-α using monoclonal antibodies. APOBEC3G expression in DCs was increased in co-cultures of DCs and ApoAct but not by apoptotic resting CD4+ T cells (ApoRest). Silencing of APOBEC3G in DC abrogated the HIV inhibitory effect mediated by ApoAct. Sequence analyses of an env region revealed significant induction of G-to-A hypermutations in the context of GG or GA dinucleotides in DNA isolated from DCs exposed to HIV and ApoAct. Thus, ApoAct-mediated DC maturation resulted in induction of APOBEC3G that was important for inhibition of HIV-infection in DCs. These findings underscore the complexity of differential DC responses evoked upon interaction with resting as compared with activated dying cells during HIV infection

    MicroRNAs Dynamically Remodel Gastrointestinal Smooth Muscle Cells

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    Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) express a unique set of microRNAs (miRNAs) which regulate and maintain the differentiation state of SMCs. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of miRNAs during the development of gastrointestinal (GI) SMCs in a transgenic animal model. We generated SMC-specific Dicer null animals that express the reporter, green fluorescence protein, in a SMC-specific manner. SMC-specific knockout of Dicer prevented SMC miRNA biogenesis, causing dramatic changes in phenotype, function, and global gene expression in SMCs: the mutant mice developed severe dilation of the intestinal tract associated with the thinning and destruction of the smooth muscle (SM) layers; contractile motility in the mutant intestine was dramatically decreased; and SM contractile genes and transcriptional regulators were extensively down-regulated in the mutant SMCs. Profiling and bioinformatic analyses showed that SMC phenotype is regulated by a complex network of positive and negative feedback by SMC miRNAs, serum response factor (SRF), and other transcriptional factors. Taken together, our data suggest that SMC miRNAs are required for the development and survival of SMCs in the GI tract

    炎症性腸疾患モデルにおける腸管粘液バリア機能を制御する免疫系受容体の病態生理学的役割に関する研究

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    富山大学・富医薬博甲第352号・Ai Hertati・2020/12/16構成論文1Hertati A, Hayashi S, Ogawa Y, Yamamoto T and Kadowaki M (2020) Interleukin-4 Receptor α Subunit Deficiency Alleviates Murine Intestinal Inflammation In Vivo Through the Enhancement of Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Function. Front. Pharmacol. 11:573470. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.573470.初出は雑誌Frontiers in Pharmacologyで公表済み構成論文2Hertati A, Hayashi S, Ogata H, MMiyata K, Kato R, Yamamoto T, Kadowaki M. Morphological elucidation of short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR41-positive enteric sensory neurons in the colon of mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Heliyon. 6(12), e05647, 2020. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05647.富山大
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