Crossing the Vascular Wall: Common and Unique Mechanisms Exploited by Different Leukocyte Subsets during Extravasation

Leukocyte extravasation is one of the essential and first steps during the initiation of inflammation. Therefore, a better understanding of the key molecules that regulate this process may help to develop novel therapeutics for treatment of inflammation-based diseases such as atherosclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis. The endothelial adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are known as the central mediators of leukocyte adhesion to and transmigration across the endothelium. Engagement of these molecules by their leukocyte integrin receptors initiates the activation of several signaling pathways within both leukocytes and endothelium. Several of such events have been described to occur during transendothelial migration of all leukocyte subsets, whereas other mechanisms are known only for a single leukocyte subset. Here, we summarize current knowledge on regulatory mechanisms of leukocyte extravasation from a leukocyte and endothelial point of view, respectively. Specifically, we will focus on highlighting common and unique mechanisms that specific leukocyte subsets exploit to succeed in crossing endothelial monolayers

Blockchain Technology Facing Socioeconomic Challenges. Promise versus Probability

This paper has the main purpose to make a critical and balanced analysis about the potential of blockchain technology to face some of the great current socioeconomic challenges, being focus on impact assessment point of view, analyzing the disruptive potential of blockchain to provide solutions at level of different challenges as example, climate change, migrant movements, gender equality, financial inclusion or the cost opportunity of the management of data science

Synthesis, structure and pyrolysis of stabilised phosphonium ylides containing saturated oxygen heterocycles

yesA range of twelve stabilised phosphonium ylides containing tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran or 2,2- dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane rings have been prepared and fully characterised, including one X-ray structure determination of each type. The X-ray structures confirm the PvC and CvO functions to be syn and all the compounds undergo thermal extrusion of Ph3PO to give the corresponding alkynes. In some cases there is also competing loss of Ph3P to give different carbene-derived products and evidence has been obtained for the generation of 2-phenyloxete in this way. Raising the pyrolysis temperature leads in several cases to new secondary reactions of the alkyne products involving a sequence of alkyne to vinylidene isomerisation, intramolecular CH insertion, and retro Diels Alder reaction

CD47 plays a critical role in T-cell recruitment by regulation of LFA-1 and VLA-4 integrin adhesive functions

CD47 plays an important but incompletely understood role in the innate and adaptive immune responses. CD47, also called integrin-associated protein, has been demonstrated to associate in cis with β1 and β3 integrins. Here we test the hypothesis that CD47 regulates adhesive functions of T-cell α4β1 (VLA-4) and αLβ2 (LFA-1) in in vivo and in vitro models of inflammation. Intravital microscopy studies reveal that CD47(−/−) Th1 cells exhibit reduced interactions with wild-type (WT) inflamed cremaster muscle microvessels. Similarly, murine CD47(−/−) Th1 cells, as compared with WT, showed defects in adhesion and transmigration across tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)–activated murine endothelium and in adhesion to immobilized intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) under flow conditions. Human Jurkat T-cells lacking CD47 also showed reduced adhesion to TNF-α–activated endothelium and ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. In cis interactions between Jurkat T-cell β2 integrins and CD47 were detected by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Unexpectedly, Jurkat CD47 null cells exhibited a striking defect in β1 and β2 integrin activation in response to Mn(2+) or Mg(2+)/ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid treatment. Our results demonstrate that CD47 associates with β2 integrins and is necessary to induce high-affinity conformations of LFA-1 and VLA-4 that recognize their endothelial cell ligands and support leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration

Mapping recent information behavior research: an analysis of co-authorship and cocitation networks

There has been an increase in research published on information behavior in recent years, and this has been accompanied by an increase in its diversity and interaction with other fields, particularly information retrieval (HR). The aims of this study are to determine which researchers have contributed to producing the current body of knowledge on this subject, and to describe its intellectual basis. A bibliometric and network analysis was applied to authorship and co-authorship as well as citation and co-citation. According to these analyses, there is a small number of authors who can be considered to be the most productive and who publish regularly, and a large number of transient ones. Other findings reveal a marked predominance of theoretical works, some examples of qualitative methodology that originate in other areas of social science, and a high incidence of research focused on the user interaction with information retrieval systems and the information behavior of doctors

Resistance of Hybrid Citrus Rootstocks to a Mediterranean Biotype of Tylenchulus semipenetrans Cobb

The response of 52 citrus hybrid rootstocks to a Mediterranean biotype of Tylenchulus semipenetrans Cobb was determined in greenhouse tests. Seven selections of the cross ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin [Citrus reshni Hort. x Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf], and one of Citrus volkameriana Pasq. x P. trifoliata did not support nematode reproduction and were considered as highly resistant to the citrus nematode. The nematode showed very low infectivity and reproductive potential on seven additional selections of ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin x P. trifoliata, one of ‘King’ mandarin x P. trifoliata, and two C. volkameriana x P. trifoliata. These selections were considered as nematode resistant. All the selections with ‘Troyer’ citrange [Citrus sinensis (L). Osbeck x P. trifoliata (L.) Raf] in their parentage supported nematode reproduction but showed different levels of susceptibility