Basophil Phenotypes in Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria in Relation to Disease Activity and Autoantibodies

Potentially pathogenic IgG autoantibodies to IgE or its receptor, FcεRIα, have been detected in ~40% of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) patients. CIU patients' basophils display distinct altered FcεRIα-mediated degranulation. CIU patients with basophil histamine release in response to polyclonal goat anti-human IgE ≥10% are classified as CIU responders (CIU-R) and <10% are CIU non-responders (CIU-NR). We compared the presence of autoantibodies to basophil degranulation phenotypes and to disease status (active or inactive). Sera were collected from non-CIU subjects and CIU subjects who participated in a longitudinal study of disease severity and had defined basophil degranulation phenotypes. Immunoenzymetric assays (IEMA) quantified IgG anti-FcεRIα and anti-IgE. IgG anti-FcεRIα antibody was detected in 57% of CIU-R (n=35), 55% of CIU-NR (n=29), and 57% of non-CIU subjects (n=23), whereas IgG anti-IgE was present in 43% of CIU-R, 45% of CIU-NR, and 30% of non-CIU subjects. Both the autoantibody levels and the functional basophil phenotype remained stable in subjects with active disease (n=16), whereas there was an enhancement in basophil function as subjects evolved into a state of remission (n=6), which appears independent of the presence of autoantibody. IEMAs detected a similar frequency of autoantibodies in CIU-R, CIU-NR, and non-CIU subjects. Basophil function may be independent of IEMA-detected autoantibodies

Oklahoma Cotton Variety Tests, 1944 to 1948

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Blue and grey urban water footprints through citizens’ perception and time series analysis of Brazilian dynamics

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Hydrological Sciences Journal on 4 March 2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2021.1879388Predicting future water demands of societies is a major challenge because it involves a holistic understanding of possible changes within socio-hydrological systems. Although recent research has made efforts to translate social dimensions into the analysis of hydrological systems, few studies have involved citizen participation in water footprint analysis. This paper integrates time series with citizens’ perceptions, knowledge and beliefs concerning sanitation elements to account for municipal blue and grey water footprints in São Carlos, Brazil, from 2009 to 2016, and potential water footprints in 2030 and 2050. In this case study, grey footprint potentially exceeds the blue water footprint by up to 35 times, and volunteered information suggested a reduction in water consumption, larger garbage production and greater investment in sanitation infrastructure from authorities. We conclude that public knowledge can be used to delineate possible water footprint scenarios and reveal paradoxes in the coevolution of socio-hydrological systems on an urban scale

Mutating a Highly Conserved Residue in Diverse Cytochrome P450s Facilitates Diastereoselective Olefin Cyclopropanation

Cytochrome P450s and other heme-containing proteins have recently been shown to have promiscuous activity for the cyclopropanation of olefins using diazoacetate reagents. Despite the progress made thus far, engineering selective catalysts for all possible stereoisomers for the cyclopropanation reaction remains a considerable challenge. Previous investigations of a model P450 (P450BM3) revealed that mutation of a conserved active site threonine (Thr268) to alanine transformed the enzyme into a highly active and selective cyclopropanation catalyst. By incorporating this mutation into a diverse panel of P450 scaffolds, we were able to quickly identify enantioselective catalysts for all possible diastereomers in the model reaction of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate. Some alanine variants exhibited selectivities that were markedly different from the wild-type enzyme, with a few possessing moderate to high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivities up to 97 % for synthetically challenging cis-cyclopropane diastereomers

Cotton Variety Tests 1953

The Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Landomycins as glutathione-depleting agents and natural fluorescent probes for cellular Michael adduct-dependent quinone metabolism

Landomycins are angucyclines with promising antineoplastic activity produced by Streptomyces bacteria. The aglycone landomycinone is the distinctive core, while the oligosaccharide chain differs within derivatives. Herein, we report that landomycins spontaneously form Michael adducts with biothiols, including reduced cysteine and glutathione, both cell-free or intracellularly involving the benz[a]anthraquinone moiety of landomycinone. While landomycins generally do not display emissive properties, the respective Michael adducts exerted intense blue fluorescence in a glycosidic chain-dependent manner. This allowed label-free tracking of the short-lived nature of the mono-SH-adduct followed by oxygen-dependent evolution with addition of another SH-group. Accordingly, hypoxia distinctly stabilized the fluorescent mono-adduct. While extracellular adduct formation completely blocked the cytotoxic activity of landomycins, intracellularly it led to massively decreased reduced glutathione levels. Accordingly, landomycin E strongly synergized with glutathione-depleting agents like menadione but exerted reduced activity under hypoxia. Summarizing, landomycins represent natural glutathione-depleting agents and fluorescence probes for intracellular anthraquinone-based angucycline metabolism

Contegra conduit for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract: a review of published early and mid-time results

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>The valved conduit Contegra (bovine jugular vein) has being implanted for more than 7 years in the right ventricular outflow tract and it is noted that the available reports have been mixed. The aim of this study is to review the reported evidence in the literature.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Search of the relevant literature for the primary endpoints of operative mortality and morbidity and secondary endpoints of follow-up haemodynamic performance including severe stenosis, regurgitation and need for reintervention are presented.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We selected and analysed 17 series including 767 patients. Commonest indication was Fallot's tetralogy. Operative mortality was 2.6%. Operative morbidity was 13.9%. In follow-up, the incidence of intraconduit stenosis was 10.9% (incidence of stenosis for the 12 millimetre conduit was 83.3% in one series) and that of at least moderate regurgitation was 6.3%.</p> <p>The aspirin users had a stenosis incidence of 10.5% compared to the non-users had a stenosis incidence of 9.6%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A dissent on the performance of the Contegra is discussed, while results are satisfactory in the majority of studies apart for the smallest conduits (12 and 14 millimetre), suggesting an association to compromised run-off. The role of aspirin as antithrombotic modulator remains controversial.</p