Non-conventional forms of HLA-B27 are expressed in spondyloarthritis joints and gut tissue

AbstractObjectivesHuman leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 (B27) is the strongest genetic factor associated with development of Ankylosing Spondylitis and other spondyloarthropathies (SpA), yet the role it plays in disease pathogenesis remains unclear. We investigated the expression of potentially pathogenic non-conventional heavy chain forms (NC) of B27 in synovial and intestinal tissues obtained from SpA patients. We also determined the presence of NC-B27 in joints, lymphoid and gastrointestinal tissue from B27 transgenic (TG1) rats with M.tuberculosis-induced SpA.MethodsExpression of NC-B27 in human SpA joints and gut and in (21-3 × 283-2)F1 HLA-B27/Huβ2m rat tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy analysis using HC10 and HD6 antibodies.ResultsBoth HC10- and HD6-reactive HLA molecules were present in synovial tissue from SpA patients. Both NC-B27 and KIR3DL2, a ligand for NC-B27, were expressed in inflamed terminal ileal tissues in patients with early SpA. Infiltrating cells in inflamed joint tissues isolated from B27 TG1 rats expressed high levels of NC-B27. NC-B27 were also expressed in joint-resident cells from ankle and tail joints of B27 TG1 rats prior to clinical arthritis. The expression of NC-B27 on B27 TG1 rat CD11b/c+, CD8α+, cells from spleens and LNs increased with animal age and disease progression.ConclusionsNon-conventional HLA class 1 molecules are expressed on resident and infiltrating cells in both synovial and GI tissues in human SpA. NC-B27 expression in joints and lymphoid tissues from B27 TG1 rats prior to the onset of arthritis is consistent with the hypothesis that they play a pathogenic role in SpA

Associations of Educational Attainment, Occupation, Social Class and Major Depressive Disorder among Han Chinese Women

Background The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher in those with low levels of educational attainment, the unemployed and those with low social status. However the extent to which these factors cause MDD is unclear. Most of the available data comes from studies in developed countries, and these findings may not extrapolate to developing countries. Examining the relationship between MDD and socio economic status in China is likely to add to the debate because of the radical economic and social changes occurring in China over the last 30 years. Principal findings We report results from 3,639 Chinese women with recurrent MDD and 3,800 controls. Highly significant odds ratios (ORs) were observed between MDD and full time employment (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.25–0.46, logP = 78), social status (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77–0.87, logP = 13.3) and education attainment (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.86–0.90, logP = 6.8). We found a monotonic relationship between increasing age and increasing levels of educational attainment. Those with only primary school education have significantly more episodes of MDD (mean 6.5, P-value = 0.009) and have a clinically more severe disorder, while those with higher educational attainment are likely to manifest more comorbid anxiety disorders. Conclusions In China lower socioeconomic position is associated with increased rates of MDD, as it is elsewhere in the world. Significantly more episodes of MDD occur among those with lower educational attainment (rather than longer episodes of disease), consistent with the hypothesis that the lower socioeconomic position increases the likelihood of developing MDD. The phenomenology of MDD varies according to the degree of educational attainment: higher educational attainment not only appears to protect against MDD but alters its presentation, to a more anxious phenotype

Panoramic Digital Image Correlation for 360-Deg Full-Field Displacement Measurement

In full-field 3D displacement measurement, stereo digital image correlation (Stereo-DIC) has strong capabilities. However, as a result of difficulties with stereo camera calibration and surface merging, 360-deg panoramic displacement measurements remain a challenge. This paper proposes a panoramic displacement field measurement method in order to accurately measure the shape and panoramic displacement field of complex shaped objects with natural textures. The proposed method is based on the robust subset-based DIC algorithm and the well-known Zhang’s calibration method to reconstruct the 3D shape and estimate the full-field displacements of a complex surface from multi-view stereo camera pairs. The method is used in the determination of the scale factor of the 3D reconstructed surface and the stitching of multiple 3D reconstructed surfaces with the aid of the laser point cloud data of the object under test. Based on a discussion of the challenges faced by panoramic DIC, this paper details the proposed solution and describes the specific algorithms implemented. The paper tests the performance of the proposed method using an experimental system with a 360-deg six camera setup. The system was evaluated by measuring the rigid body motion of a cylindrical log sample with known 3D point cloud data. The results confirm that the proposed method is able to accurately measure the panoramic shape and full-field displacement of objects with complex morphologies

The MAPK substrate MASS proteins regulate stomatal development in Arabidopsis.

Stomata are specialized pores in the epidermis of the aerial parts of a plant, where stomatal guard cells close and open to regulate gas exchange with the atmosphere and restrict excessive water vapor from the plant. The production and patterning of the stomatal lineage cells in higher plants are influenced by the activities of the widely-used mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling components. The phenotype caused by the loss-of-function mutations suggested pivotal roles of the canonical MAPK pathway in the suppression of stomatal formation and regulation of stomatal patterning in Arabidopsis, whilst the cell type-specific manipulation of individual MAPK components revealed the existence of a positive impact on stomatal production. Among a large number of putative MAPK substrates in plants, the nuclear transcription factors SPEECHLESS (SPCH) and SCREAM (SCRM) are targets of MAPK 3 and 6 (MPK3/6) in the inhibition of stomatal formation. The polarity protein BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE (BASL) is phosphorylated by MPK3/6 for localization and function in driving divisional asymmetries. Here, by functionally characterizing three MAPK SUBSTRATES IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE (MASS) proteins, we establish that they are plasma membrane-associated, positive regulators of stomatal production. MPK6 can phosphorylate the MASS proteins in vitro and mutating the putative substrate sites interferes the subcellular partition and function of MASS in planta. Our fine-scale domain analyses identify critical subdomains of MASS2 required for specific subcellular localization and biological function, respectively. Furthermore, our data indicate that the MASS proteins may directly interact with the MAPKK Kinase YODA (YDA) at the plasma membrane. Thus, the deeply conserved MASS proteins are tightly connected with MAPK signaling in Arabidopsis to fine-tune stomatal production and patterning, providing a functional divergence of the YDA-MPK3/6 cascade in the regulation of plant developmental processes

Panoramic Digital Image Correlation for 360-Deg Full-Field Displacement Measurement

In full-field 3D displacement measurement, stereo digital image correlation (Stereo-DIC) has strong capabilities. However, as a result of difficulties with stereo camera calibration and surface merging, 360-deg panoramic displacement measurements remain a challenge. This paper proposes a panoramic displacement field measurement method in order to accurately measure the shape and panoramic displacement field of complex shaped objects with natural textures. The proposed method is based on the robust subset-based DIC algorithm and the well-known Zhang’s calibration method to reconstruct the 3D shape and estimate the full-field displacements of a complex surface from multi-view stereo camera pairs. The method is used in the determination of the scale factor of the 3D reconstructed surface and the stitching of multiple 3D reconstructed surfaces with the aid of the laser point cloud data of the object under test. Based on a discussion of the challenges faced by panoramic DIC, this paper details the proposed solution and describes the specific algorithms implemented. The paper tests the performance of the proposed method using an experimental system with a 360-deg six camera setup. The system was evaluated by measuring the rigid body motion of a cylindrical log sample with known 3D point cloud data. The results confirm that the proposed method is able to accurately measure the panoramic shape and full-field displacement of objects with complex morphologies

K-means cluster for seismicity partitioning and geological structure interpretation, with application to the Yongshaba Mine (China)

Seismicity partitioning is an important step in geological structure interpretation and seismic hazard assessment. In this paper, seismic event location (X,Y,Z) and Euclidean distance were selected as the K -Means cluster, the Gaussian mixture model (GMM), and the self-organizing maps (SOM) input features and cluster determination measurement, respectively, and 1516 seismic events (M>-1.5) obtained from the Yongshaba mine (China) were chosen for the cluster analysis. In addition, a Silhouette and Krzanowski-Lai- (KL-) combined S-KL index was proposed to obtain the possible optimum cluster number and to compare the cluster methods. Results show that the K -Means cluster obtains the best cluster “quality” with higher S-KL indexes on the whole and meaningful clusters. Furthermore, the optimal number for detailed geological structure interpretation is confirmed as eleven clusters, and we found that two areas probably have faults or caves, and two faults may be falsely inferred by mine geologists. Seismic hazard assessment shows that C5 and C7 (K=11) have a high mean moment magnitude ( mM ) and C1, C2, C3, and C4 (K=11) have a relatively high mM , where special attention is needed when mining. In addition, C7 (K=11) is the most shear-related area with a mean S-wave to P-wave energy ratio ( mEs/Ep ) of 41.21. In conclusion, the K -Means cluster provides an effective way for mine seismicity partitioning, geological structure interpretation, and seismic hazard assessment