Parasitic Fungi of Illinois. Part I.

Most of the plants herein described were collected in Illinois during 1881 and 1882. by Mr. A. B. Seymour, who was employed for the purpose by the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History. The entire collection consists of three thousand seven hundred and eighty-four numbers, many of which are of course duplicates, or are different stages of the same species, leaving, however, a very large number of distinct specific forms—much larger than is usually supposed to exist in our flora. The determinations have been made at the Illinois Industrial University by myself, efficiently aided by Mr. Seymour. For this work, besides the facilities offered by the library and herbarium of the University, the State Laboratory of Natural History furnished many books and specimens. Among the latter are the following sets of exsiccata: DeThumen's Mycotheca Universalis, Ellis' North American Fungi. Ravenel's Fungi Caroliniani and Fungi Americani.Ope

Needle & knot : binder boilerplate tied up

To lighten the burden of programming language mechanization, many approaches have been developed that tackle the substantial boilerplate which arises from variable binders. Unfortunately, the existing approaches are limited in scope. They typically do not support complex binding forms (such as multi-binders) that arise in more advanced languages, or they do not tackle the boilerplate due to mentioning variables and binders in relations. As a consequence, the human mechanizer is still unnecessarily burdened with binder boilerplate and discouraged from taking on richer languages. This paper presents Knot, a new approach that substantially extends the support for binder boilerplate. Knot is a highly expressive language for natural and concise specification of syntax with binders. Its meta-theory constructively guarantees the coverage of a considerable amount of binder boilerplate for well-formed specifications, including that for well-scoping of terms and context lookups. Knot also comes with a code generator, Needle, that specializes the generic boilerplate for convenient embedding in COQ and provides a tactic library for automatically discharging proof obligations that frequently come up in proofs of weakening and substitution lemmas of type-systems. Our evaluation shows, that Needle & Knot significantly reduce the size of language mechanizations (by 40% in our case study). Moreover, as far as we know, Knot enables the most concise mechanization of the POPLmark Challenge (1a + 2a) and is two-thirds the size of the next smallest. Finally, Knot allows us to mechanize for instance dependentlytyped languages, which is notoriously challenging because of dependent contexts and mutually-recursive sorts with variables

Respiratory mucosal immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and vaccination

Respiratory mucosal immunity induced by vaccination is vital for protection from coronavirus infection in animal models. In humans, the capacity of peripheral vaccination to generate sustained immunity in the lung mucosa, and how this is influenced by prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, is unknown. Here we show using bronchoalveolar lavage samples that donors with history of both infection and vaccination have more airway mucosal SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and memory B cells than those only vaccinated. Infection also induces populations of airway spike-specific memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that are not expanded by vaccination alone. Airway mucosal T cells induced by infection have a distinct hierarchy of antigen specificity compared to the periphery. Spike-specific T cells persist in the lung mucosa for 7 months after the last immunising event. Thus, peripheral vaccination alone does not appear to induce durable lung mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2, supporting an argument for the need for vaccines targeting the airways

Invasive Aspergillus fumigatus infection after Plasmodium falciparum malaria in an immuno-competent host: Case report and review of literature

Invasive fungal infection is rarely reported in association with malaria, even though malaria-associated inhibition of phagocyte function is a well-known condition. Invasive aspergillosis is frequently found in severely immuno-compromised patients but not in healthy individuals. Here, a case of pulmonary invasive aspergillosis in a previously healthy patient with severe P. falciparum malaria is presented, who was successfully treated with voriconazol and caspofungin. This is the first survival of malaria-associated invasive aspergillosis

Relationship between vigorous physical activity and health care costs among adolescents: ABCD Growth Study

Availability of data and materials: The data collected and analyzed during this study are stored by the authors upon authorization by the leader of the Laboratory of InVestigation in Exercise (LIVE) which involves the ABCD Growth Study.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. Background: The relationship between physical activity and health care costs among adolescents is not yet clear in the literature. Objective: To analyze the relationship between physical activity and annual health care costs among adolescents. Methods: The present sample was composed of 85 adolescents of both sexes with ages ranging from 11 to 18 years (mean age 15.6 ± 2.1). Health care costs were self‐reported every month for 12 months, and information on health care values was verified with local pharmacies, private health care plans, and the National Health Service. The time spent in different physical activity intensities was objectively measured by accelerometers. Confounding variables were: sex, age, somatic maturation, body fatness, blood pressure, and components of dyslipidemia and insulin resist‐ ance. Multivariate models were generated using generalized linear models with gamma distribution and a log‐link function. Results: The overall annual health care cost was US$733.60/ R$ 2,342.38 (medication: US$400.46 / R$ 1,278.66; primary and secondary care: US$333.14 / R$ 1,063.70). The time spent in vigorous physical activity (minutes/day) was negatively related to health care costs (r = ‐0.342 [95% CI: ‐0.537,—0.139]; β = ‐0.06 cents (95% CI: ‐0.089, ‐0.031). Conclusion: Vigorous physical activity seems to be associated with lower health care costs among adolescents.CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico); CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil - Finance Code 001); São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP RAF (Process: 2018/22593-7); WT (Process: 2018/09131-4))

Short-Lived IFN-γ Effector Responses, but Long-Lived IL-10 Memory Responses, to Malaria in an Area of Low Malaria Endemicity

Immunity to malaria is widely believed to wane in the absence of reinfection, but direct evidence for the presence or absence of durable immunological memory to malaria is limited. Here, we analysed malaria-specific CD4+ T cell responses of individuals living in an area of low malaria transmission in northern Thailand, who had had a documented clinical attack of P. falciparum and/or P. vivax in the past 6 years. CD4+ T cell effector memory (CD45RO+) IFN-γ (24 hours ex vivo restimulation) and cultured IL-10 (6 day secretion into culture supernatant) responses to malaria schizont antigens were detected only in malaria-exposed subjects and were more prominent in subjects with long-lived antibodies or memory B cells specific to malaria antigens. The number of IFN-γ-producing effector memory T cells declined significantly over the 12 months of the study, and with time since last documented malaria infection, with an estimated half life of the response of 3.3 (95% CI 1.9–10.3) years. In sharp contrast, IL-10 responses were sustained for many years after last known malaria infection with no significant decline over at least 6 years. The observations have clear implications for understanding the immunoepidemiology of naturally acquired malaria infections and for malaria vaccine development

Dissection of the Role of PfEMP1 and ICAM-1 in the Sensing of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes by Natural Killer Cells

BACKGROUND: Host innate immunity contributes to malaria clinical outcome by providing protective inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-γ, and by shaping the adaptive immune response. Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) is the etiologic agent of the most severe forms of human malaria. Natural Killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system that are the first effectors to produce interferon-γ in response to Pf. However, the molecular bases of Pf-NK cell recognition events are unknown. Our study focuses on the role of Pf erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), a major Pf virulence factor. PfEMP1 is expressed on parasitized-erythrocytes and participates to vascular obstruction through the binding to several host receptors. PfEMP1 is also a pivotal target for host antibody response to Pf infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using genetically-engineered parasite mutant strains, a human genetic deficiency, and blocking antibodies, we identified two receptor-ligand pairs involved in two uncoupled events occurring during the sensing of Pf infection by NK cells. First, PfEMP1 interaction with one of its host receptor, chondroitin sulfate A, mediates the cytoadhesion of Pf-infected erythrocytes to human NK cell lines, but is not required for primary NK cell activation. Second, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), another host receptor for PfEMP1, is mandatory for NK cell interferon-γ response. In this case, ICAM-1 acts via its engagement with its host ligand, LFA-1, and not with PfEMP1, consistent with the obligatory cross-talk of NK cells with macrophages for their production of interferon-γ. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: PfEMP1-independent but ICAM-1/LFA-1-dependent events occurring during NK cell activation by Pf highlight the fundamental role of cellular cooperation during innate immune response to malaria

Splenic CD11c(+) cells derived from semi-immune mice protect naive mice against experimental cerebral malaria

Background: Immunity to malaria requires innate, adaptive immune responses and Plasmodium-specific memory cells. Previously, mice semi-immune to malaria was developed. Three cycles of infection and cure (\u27three-cure\u27) were required to protect mice against Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain) infection. Methods: C57BL/6 J mice underwent three cycles of P. berghei infection and drug-cure to become semi-immune. The spleens of infected semi-immune mice were collected for flow cytometry analysis. CD11c(+) cells of semiimmune mice were isolated and transferred into naive mice which were subsequently challenged and followed up by survival and parasitaemia. Results: The percentages of splenic CD4(+) and CD11c(+) cells were increased in semi-immune mice on day 7 post-infection. The proportion and number of B220(+)CD11c(+)low cells (plasmacytoid dendritic cells, DCs) was higher in semi-immune, three-cure mice than in their naive littermates on day 7 post-infection (2.6 vs 1.1% and 491,031 vs 149,699, respectively). In adoptive transfer experiment, three months after the third cured P. berghei infection, splenic CD11c(+) DCs of non-infected, semi-immune, three-cure mice slowed Plasmodium proliferation and decreased the death rate due to neurological pathology in recipient mice. In addition, anti-P. berghei IgG1 level was higher in mice transferred with CD11c(+) cells of semi-immune, three-cure mice than mice transferred with CD11c(+) cells of naive counterparts. Conclusion: CD11c(+) cells of semi-immune mice protect against experimental cerebral malaria three months after the third cured malaria, potentially through protective plasmacytoid DCs and enhanced production of malaria-specific antibody

Limited response of NK92 cells to Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mechanisms by which anti-malarial immune responses occur are still not fully clear. Natural killer (NK) cells are thought to play a pivotal role in innate responses against <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. In this study, the suitability of NK92 cells as models for the NK mechanisms involved in the immune response against malaria was investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>NK92 cells were assessed for several signs of activation and cytotoxicity due to contact to parasites and were as well examined by oligonucleotide microarrays for an insight on the impact <it>P. falciparum</it>-infected erythrocytes have on their transcriptome. To address the parasite side of such interaction, growth inhibition assays were performed including non-NK cells as controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By performing microarrays with NK92 cells, the impact of parasites on a transcriptional level was observed. The findings show that, although not evidently activated by iRBCs, NK92 cells show transcriptional signs of priming and proliferation. In addition, decreased parasitaemia was observed due to co-incubation with NK92 cells. However, such effect might not be NK-specific since irrelevant cells also affected parasite growth <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although NK92 cells are here shown to behave as poor models for the NK immune response against parasites, the results obtained in this study may be of use for future investigations regarding host-parasites interactions in malaria.</p