William Dwight Whitney and the Science of Language

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Altered distribution of mucosal NK cells during HIV infection.

The human gut mucosa is a major site of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and infection-associated pathogenesis. Increasing evidence shows that natural killer (NK) cells have an important role in control of HIV infection, but the mechanism(s) by which they mediate antiviral activity in the gut is unclear. Here, we show that two distinct subsets of NK cells exist in the gut, one localized to intraepithelial spaces (intraepithelial lymphocytes, IELs) and the other to the lamina propria (LP). The frequency of both subsets of NK cells was reduced in chronic infection, whereas IEL NK cells remained stable in spontaneous controllers with protective killer immunoglobulin-like receptor/human leukocyte antigen genotypes. Both IEL and LP NK cells were significantly expanded in immunological non-responsive patients, who incompletely recovered CD4+ T cells on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). These data suggest that both IEL and LP NK cells may expand in the gut in an effort to compensate for compromised CD4+ T-cell recovery, but that only IEL NK cells may be involved in providing durable control of HIV in the gut

Comment on ``Protective measurements of the wave function of a single squeezed harmonic-oscillator state''

Alter and Yamamoto [Phys. Rev. A 53, R2911 (1996)] claimed to consider ``protective measurements'' [Phys. Lett. A 178, 38 (1993)] which we have recently introduced. We show that the measurements discussed by Alter and Yamamoto ``are not'' the protective measurements we proposed. Therefore, their results are irrelevant to the nature of protective measurements.Comment: 2 pages LaTe

Emerging infectious disease issues in blood safety.

Improvements in donor screening and testing and viral inactivation of plasma derivatives together have resulted in substantial declines in transfusion-transmitted infections over the last two decades. Most recently, nucleic acid testing techniques have been developed to screen blood and plasma donations for evidence of very recent viral infections that could be missed by conventional serologic tests. Nonetheless, the blood supply remains vulnerable to new and reemerging infections. In recent years, numerous infectious agents found worldwide have been identified as potential threats to the blood supply. Several newly discovered hepatitis viruses and agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies present unique challenges in assessing possible risks they may pose to the safety of blood and plasma products

Triage for coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Canada: Do patients agree on who should come first?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The extent to which clinical and non-clinical factors impact on the waiting-list prioritization preferences of patients in the queue is unknown. Using a series of hypothetical scenarios, the objective of this study was to examine the extent to which clinical and non-clinical factors impacted on how patients would prioritize others relative to themselves in the coronary artery bypass surgical queue.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ninety-one consecutive eligible patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (median waiting-time duration prior to survey of 8 weeks) were given a self-administered survey consisting of nine scenarios in which clinical and non-clinical characteristic profiles of hypothetical patients (also awaiting coronary artery bypass surgery) were varied. For each scenario, patients were asked where in the queue such hypothetical patients should be placed relative to themselves.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The eligible response rate was 65% (59/91). Most respondents put themselves marginally ahead of a hypothetical patient with identical clinical and non-clinical characteristics as themselves. There was a strong tendency for respondents to place patients of higher clinical acuity ahead of themselves in the queue (P < 0.0001). Social independence among young individuals was a positively valued attribute (P < 0.0001), but neither age per se nor financial status, directly impacted on patients waiting-list priority preferences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While patient perceptions generally reaffirmed a bypass surgical triage process based on principals of equity and clinical acuity, the valuation of social independence may justify further debate with regard to the inclusion of non-clinical factors in waiting-list prioritization management systems in Canada, as elsewhere.</p

Antibody glycosylation in inflammation, disease and vaccination

Immunogenetics and cellular immunology of bacterial infectious disease

Macrostate Data Clustering

We develop an effective nonhierarchical data clustering method using an analogy to the dynamic coarse graining of a stochastic system. Analyzing the eigensystem of an interitem transition matrix identifies fuzzy clusters corresponding to the metastable macroscopic states (macrostates) of a diffusive system. A "minimum uncertainty criterion" determines the linear transformation from eigenvectors to cluster-defining window functions. Eigenspectrum gap and cluster certainty conditions identify the proper number of clusters. The physically motivated fuzzy representation and associated uncertainty analysis distinguishes macrostate clustering from spectral partitioning methods. Macrostate data clustering solves a variety of test cases that challenge other methods.Comment: keywords: cluster analysis, clustering, pattern recognition, spectral graph theory, dynamic eigenvectors, machine learning, macrostates, classificatio