Internal regulation between constitutively expressed T cell co-inhibitory receptors BTLA and CD5 and tolerance in recent thymic emigrants.

Immunologic self-tolerance involves signals from co-inhibitory receptors. Several T cell co-inhibitors, including PD-1, are expressed upon activation, whereas CD5 and BTLA are expressed constitutively. The relationship between constitutively expressed co-inhibitors and when they are needed is unknown.

Pyruvate metabolism controls chromatin remodeling during CD4 T cell activation.

Upon antigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) engagement, human CD4 T cells proliferate and differentiate, a process associated with rapid transcriptional changes and metabolic reprogramming. Here, we show that the generation of extramitochondrial pyruvate is an important step for acetyl-CoA production and subsequent H3K27ac-mediated remodeling of histone acetylation. Histone modification, transcriptomic, and carbon tracing analyses of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)-deficient T cells show PDH-dependent acetyl-CoA generation as a rate-limiting step during T activation.

Loss of thymic function promotes EAE relapse in anti-CD52-treated mice.

Anti-CD52 treatment creates a long-lasting CD4 T cell lymphopenia and reduces multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in humans. In contrast, anti-CD52 therapy at disease onset more fully suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice, and T cell repopulation is rapid. To test whether prolonged T cell lymphopenia promotes relapses, we thymectomized mice prior to EAE induction and anti-CD52 treatment.

Enhancing Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8(+) T Cell Responses with Heteroclitic Peptides.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific CD8(+) T cells play a critical role in containing HIV replication and delaying disease progression. However, HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells become progressively more "exhausted" as chronic HIV infection proceeds. Symptoms of T cell exhaustion range from expression of inhibitory receptors and selective loss of cytokine production capacity through reduced proliferative potential, impaired differentiation into effector cells and increased susceptibility to apoptosis.

Survival of Treponema pallidum in banked blood for prevention of Syphilis transmission.

Background: Every year, millions of people are exposed to avoidable, life-threatening risks through the trans-fusion of unsafe blood.

Aim: To determine the survival time of Treponema pallidum in banked donor blood.

Material And Methods: Two groups of male Wistar rats (group A and B) were inoculated intratesticularly with 0.

Risk of transfusion-transmitted syphilis in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Every year, millions of people are exposed to avoidable, life-threatening risks through the trans-fusion of unsafe blood.

Aim: To determine the sero-prevalence of Syphilis among pre-transfused blood in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin-City, Nigeria.

Material And Methods: The detection of Treponema pallidum IgG/IgM was based on the principle of double antigen sandwich immunoassay, in which purified recombinant antigens are employed sufficiently to identify antibodies to Syphilis.

A Survey of prevalence of serum antibodies to human immunodeficiency deficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among blood donors.

Background: It is a well known fact that HIV, HBV and HCV are global infectious pathogens contributing to mortality and morbidity in all ages thereby making them infections of grievous public health importance. As donor's potend a possible risk of transfusing these infections of global importance, it makes it imperative for the screening of blood and blood products for these pathogens.

Aim: This study aims at determining the seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV among intending blood donors.