Prognostic significance of infarct size and location: The case of insular stroke

The prognostic relevance of strokes in different locations is debated. For example, insular strokes have been associated with increased mortality, but this association could reflect their greater severity. In two independent cohorts of patients with supratentorial ischemic stroke (n = 90 and 105), we studied the prognostic consequences of lesion size and location using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping before and after volume control, which better accounts for total lesion volume. Strokes affecting the insula were larger than non-insular strokes (28 vs 2cc and 25 vs 3cc, p < 0.001 in both cohorts). A number of supratentorial areas (mainly in the left hemisphere), including the insula, were associated with poor functional outcome in both cohorts before (4014 voxels) and after volume control (1378 voxels), while the associations with death were greatly reduced after volume control (from 8716 to 325 voxels). Exploratory analyses suggested that the method of lesion volume quantification, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale hemispheric bias and patient selection can result in false associations between specific brain lesions and outcomes. In conclusion, death in the first months after stroke is mainly explained by large infarct volumes, whereas lesions of specific supratentorial structures, mostly in the left hemisphere, also contribute to poor functional outcomes

Germline-Encoded TCR-MHC Contacts Promote TCR V Gene Bias in Umbilical Cord Blood T Cell Repertoire.

T cells recognize antigens as peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins through T cell receptors (TCRs) on their surface. To recognize a wide range of pathogens, each individual possesses a substantial number of TCRs with an extremely high degree of variability. It remains controversial whether germline-encoded TCR repertoire is shaped by MHC polymorphism and, if so, what is the preference between MHC genetic variants and TCR V gene compatibility. To investigate the "net" genetic association between MHC variations and TRBV genes, we applied quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping to test the associations between MHC polymorphism and TCR β chain V (TRBV) genes usage using umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples of 201 Chinese newborns. We found TRBV gene and MHC loci that are predisposed to interact with one another differ from previous conclusions. The majority of MHC amino acid residues associated with the TRBV gene usage show spatial proximities in known structures of TCR-pMHC complexes. These results show for the first time that MHC variants bias TRBV gene usage in UCB of Chinese ancestry and indicate that germline-encoded contacts influence TCR-MHC interactions in intact T cell repertoires

T Cells Prevent Hemorrhagic Transformation in Ischemic Stroke by P-Selectin Binding

Objective Hemorrhagic transformation is a serious complication of ischemic stroke after recanalization therapies. This study aims to identify mechanisms underlying hemorrhagic transformation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Approach and Results We used wild-type mice and Selplg(-/-) and Fut7(-/-) mice defective in P-selectin binding and lymphopenic Rag2(-/-) mice. We induced 30-minute or 45-minute ischemia by intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and assessed hemorrhagic transformation at 48 hours with a hemorrhage grading score, histological means, brain hemoglobin content, or magnetic resonance imaging. We depleted platelets and adoptively transferred T cells of the different genotypes to lymphopenic mice. Interactions of T cells with platelets in blood were studied by flow cytometry and image stream technology. We show that platelet depletion increased the bleeding risk only after large infarcts. Lymphopenia predisposed to hemorrhagic transformation after severe stroke, and adoptive transfer of T cells prevented hemorrhagic transformation in lymphopenic mice. CD4(+) memory T cells were the subset of T cells binding P-selectin and platelets through functional P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1. Mice defective in P-selectin binding had a higher hemorrhagic score than wild-type mice. Adoptive transfer of T cells defective in P-selectin binding into lymphopenic mice did not prevent hemorrhagic transformation. Conclusions The study identifies lymphopenia as a previously unrecognized risk factor for secondary hemorrhagic transformation in mice after severe ischemic stroke. T cells prevent hemorrhagic transformation by their capacity to bind platelets through P-selectin. The results highlight the role of T cells in bridging immunity and hemostasis in ischemic stroke

Classification and function of γδT cells and its research progress in anti-glioblastoma

Abstract Human peripheral blood T lymphocytes are classified into alpha–beta T (αβΤ) cells and gamma–delta T (γδΤ) cells based on the difference in T cell receptors (TCRs). αβT cells are crucial for the acquired immune response, while γδΤ cells, though only a small subset, can recognize antigenic substances. These antigens do not need to be processed and presented and are not restricted by MHC. This distinguishes γδΤ cells from αβT cells and highlights their distinct role in innate immunity. Despite their small number, γδΤ cells hold significant significance in anti-tumor, anti-infection and immune regulation. Glioblastoma (GBM) represents one of the most prevalent malignant tumors within the central nervous system (CNS). Surgical resection alone proves to be an ineffective method for curing this type of cancer. Even with the combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis of some individuals with glioblastoma is still poor, and the recurrence rate is high. In this research, the classification, biological, and immunological functions of γδT cells and their research progress in anti-glioblastoma were reviewed

A Review of Studies Involving the Effects of Climate Change on the Energy Consumption for Building Heating and Cooling

The world is faced with significant climate change, rapid urbanization, massive energy consumption, and tremendous pressure to reduce greenhouse gases. Building heating and cooling is one primary source of energy consumption and anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. First, this review presents previous studies that estimate the specific amount of climate change impact on building heating and cooling energy consumption, using the statistical method, physical model method, comprehensive assessment model method, and the combination method of statistical and physical model methods. Then, because the heating and cooling degree days indices can simply and reliably indicate the effects of climate on building heating and cooling energy consumption, previous studies were reviewed from the aspects of heating and cooling degree days indices, regional spatial-temporal variations in degree days and related indices, influencing factors of the spatial distributions of degree days, and the impacts of urbanization on degree days. Finally, several potential key issues or research directions were presented according to the research gaps or fields that need to be studied further in the future, such as developing methods to simply and accurately estimate the specified amounts of climate change impact on building cooling and heating energy consumption; using more effective methods to analyze the daytime, nighttime, and all-day spatial-temporal changes in different seasons in the past and future under various environment contexts by considering not only the air temperature but also the relative humidity, solar radiation, population, etc., and further exploring the corresponding more kinds of driving forces, including the various remotely sensed indices, albedo, nighttime light intensity, etc.; estimating the daytime, nighttime, and all-day impacts of urbanization on heating degree days (HDDs), cooling degree days (CDDs), and their sum (HDDs + CDDs) for vast cities in different environmental contexts at the station site, city, regional and global scales; producing and sharing of the related datasets; and analyzing the subsequent effects induced by climate change on the energy consumption for building heating and cooling, etc

How Are Land-Use/Land-Cover Indices and Daytime and Nighttime Land Surface Temperatures Related in Eleven Urban Centres in Different Global Climatic Zones?

Improving the urban thermal environment can enhance humans’ well-being. Nevertheless, it was not clear which land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) indices were optimal for explaining land surface temperatures (LSTs) and how they affected LSTs in cities in different climatic zones, especially during the nighttime. Thus, the Aqua/MODIS and Landsat/OLI data were mainly used to explore the optimal indices of building, vegetation, water and bare soil and to analyze their effects on LSTs in eleven urban centers in global distinct climatic regions. Results showed several LU/LC indices had high probabilities of being optimal indices to explain LSTs under different conditions. The daytime LSTs were usually significantly negatively correlated with vegetation indices and positively correlated with building and bare soil indices (p p p 0.05). Significant linear multiple regressions commonly existed between daytime and nighttime LSTs and four kinds of LU/LC indices (p 0.05). These findings helped optimize urban thermal comfort, downscale city LSTs, etc