26 research outputs found
Distinct blood and visceral adipose tissue regulatory T cell and innate lymphocyte profiles characterize obesity and colorectal cancer
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a main site where metabolic and immunologic processes
interplay to regulate, at local and systemic level, the inflammatory status and immune
response. Obesity-associated inflammation and immune dysfunctions are inextricably
linked to tumor but, in spite of intense efforts, the mechanisms underpinning this asso-
ciation remain elusive. In this report, we characterized the profile of VAT-associated and
circulating innate lymphocyte and regulatory T (T
reg
) cell subsets underlying inflammatory
conditions, such as obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC). Analysis of NK, NKT-like,
γδ
T,
and T
reg
cell populations in VAT and blood of healthy lean subjects revealed that CD56
hi
NK and OX40
+
T
reg
cells are more abundant in VAT with respect to blood. Conversely,
CD56
dim
NK and total T
reg
cells are most present in the circulation, while
γδ
T lymphocytes
are uniformly distributed in the two compartments. Interestingly, a reduced frequency
of circulating activated T
reg
cells, and a concomitant preferential enrichment of OX40-
expressing T
reg
cells in VAT, were selectively observed in obese (Ob) subjects, and
directly correlated with body mass index. Likewise, CRC patients were characterized by
a specific enrichment of VAT-associated NKT-like cells. In addition, Ob and CRC-affected
individuals shared a significant reduction of the V
γ
9V
δ
2/
γδ
T cell ratio at systemic level.
The alterations in the relative proportions of T
reg
and NKT-like cells in VAT were found
to correlate with the content of pro- and anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA), respectively. Overall, these results provide evidence for distinct alterations of the
immune cell repertoire in the periphery with respect to the VAT microenvironment that
uniquely characterize or are shared by different inflammatory conditions, such as obesity
and CRC, and suggest that VAT PUFA composition may represent one of the factors that
contribute to shape the immune phenotypes
Current Options for Visualization of Local Deformation in Modern Shape Analysis Applied to Paleobiological Case Studies
In modern shape analysis, deformation is quantified in different ways depending on the algorithms used and on the scale at which it is evaluated. While global affine and non-affine deformation components can be decoupled and computed using a variety of methods, the very local deformation can be considered, infinitesimally, as an affine deformation. The deformation gradient tensor F can be computed locally using a direct calculation by exploiting triangulation or tetrahedralization structures or by locally evaluating the first derivative of an appropriate interpolation function mapping the global deformation from the undeformed to the deformed state. A suitable function is represented by the thin plate spline (TPS) that separates affine from non-affine deformation components. F, also known as Jacobian matrix, encodes both the locally affine deformation and local rotation. This implies that it should be used for visualizing primary strain directions (PSDs) and deformation ellipses and ellipsoids on the target configuration. Using C = FTF allows, instead, one to compute PSD and to visualize them on the source configuration. Moreover, C allows the computation of the strain energy that can be evaluated and mapped locally at any point of a body using an interpolation function. In addition, it is possible, by exploiting the second-order Jacobian, to calculate the amount of the non-affine deformation in the neighborhood of the evaluation point by computing the body bending energy density encoded in the deformation. In this contribution, we present (i) the main computational methods for evaluating local deformation metrics, (ii) a number of different strategies to visualize them on both undeformed and deformed configurations, and (iii) the potential pitfalls in ignoring the actual three-dimensional nature of F when it is evaluated along a surface identified by a triangulation in three dimensions
Il nuovo ruolo delle Corti supreme nell'ordine politico e istituzionale : dialogo di diritto comparato
Divulgação dos SUMÁRIOS das obras recentemente incorporadas ao acervo da Biblioteca
Ministro Oscar Saraiva do STJ. Em respeito à lei de Direitos Autorais, não disponibilizamos a
obra na íntegra