Cytokine competent gut-joint migratory T Cells contribute to inflammation in the joint.

Although studies have identified the presence of gut-associated cells in the enthesis of joints affected by spondylarthritis (SpA), a direct link through cellular transit between the gut and joint has yet to be formally demonstrated. Using KikGR transgenic mice to label and track cellular trafficking from the distal colon to the joint under inflammatory conditions of both the gut and joint, we demonstrate bona-fide gut-joint trafficking of T cells from the colon epithelium, also called intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), to distal sites including joint enthesis, the pathogenic site of SpA. Similar to patients with SpA, colon IELs from the TNF mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease and SpA display heightened TNF production upon stimulation.

Cytokines Produced in Response to Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection of ARPE-19 Cells Stimulate Lymphocyte Chemotaxis.

Posterior uveitis is an ocular complication that can occur with reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It may lead to loss of vision due to retinal detachment and chronic inflammation, which often causes more severe disease than the virus infection itself. To increase our understanding of the immune response, we infected the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line, ARPE-19, with cell-associated VZV and compared its response to that of the MeWo cell line using multiplex assays.

Antibody responses to influenza a H1N1 vaccine compared to the circulating strain in influenza vaccine recipients during the 2013/2014 season in North America.

Background: Influenza strain A/California/07/2009 H1N1 (H1N1-09) reemerged in 2013/2014 as the predominant cause of illness. We sought to determine if antigenic drift may have contributed to the decreased responses to influenza vaccine.

Methods: Fifty adults who received trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3) and 56 children who received live attenuated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (LAIV4) had hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralizing (MN) antibodies measured in plasma against H1N1-09 and H1N1 2013/2014 (H1N1-14) influenza.

Immune Responses to Circulating and Vaccine Viral Strains in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Children and Youth Who Received the 2013/2014 Quadrivalent Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine.

The live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) has generally been more efficacious than the inactivated vaccine in children. However, LAIV is not recommended for HIV-infected children because of insufficient data. We compared cellular, humoral, and mucosal immune responses to the 2013-2014 LAIV quadrivalent (LAIV4) in HIV-infected and uninfected children 2-25 years of age (yoa).

Gammaherpesvirus small noncoding RNAs are bifunctional elements that regulate infection and contribute to virulence in vivo.

Unlabelled: Many viruses express noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The gammaherpesviruses (γHVs), including Epstein-Barr virus, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and murine γHV68, each contain multiple ncRNA genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). While these ncRNAs can regulate multiple host and viral processes in vitro, the genetic contribution of these RNAs to infection and pathogenesis remains largely unknown.

A conserved RNA polymerase III promoter required for gammaherpesvirus TMER transcription and microRNA processing.

Canonical RNA polymerase III (pol III) type 2 promoters contain a single A and B box and are well documented for their role in tRNA and SINE transcription in eukaryotic cells. The genome of Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4) contains eight polycistronic tRNA-microRNA encoded RNA (TMER) genes that are transcribed from a RNA pol III type 2-like promoter containing triplicated A box elements. Here, we demonstrate that the triplicated A box sequences are required in their entirety to produce functional MuHV-4 miRNAs.

Genetic manipulation of keratinocyte stem cells with lentiviral vectors.

The epidermis of the skin and its appendages, such as the hair follicles, are formed and maintained by keratinocyte stem cells. Highly efficient and permanent genetic modifications are valuable tools to examine the multipotency and regenerative capacity of keratinocyte stem cells in skin and hair follicle development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Herein, we describe an ex vivo approach by which primary mouse keratinocytes can be permanently manipulated by lentiviral vectors at the genetic level.

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 infection protects lupus-prone mice from the development of autoimmunity.

Gammaherpesvirus infections, such as those caused by EBV, have been suggested to promote the development of autoimmunity. To test this idea, we infected healthy WT and lupus-prone B6.Sle123 mice with an EBV-related and rodent-specific gammaherpesvirus, γHV68.

Viral cyclins mediate separate phases of infection by integrating functions of distinct mammalian cyclins.

Gammaherpesvirus cyclins have expanded biochemical features relative to mammalian cyclins, and promote infection and pathogenesis including acute lung infection, viral persistence, and reactivation from latency. To define the essential features of the viral cyclin, we generated a panel of knock-in viruses expressing various viral or mammalian cyclins from the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 cyclin locus. Viral cyclins of both gammaherpesvirus 68 and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus supported all cyclin-dependent stages of infection, indicating functional conservation.

Pediatric emergencies on a US-based commercial airline.

Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the incidence and character of pediatric emergencies on a US-based commercial airline and to evaluate current in-flight medical kits.

Methods: In-flight consultations to a major US airline by a member of our staff are recorded in an institutional database. In this observational retrospective review, the database was queried for consultations for all passengers up to 18 years old between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2002.

Medical director for air medical transport programs.

The NAEMSP recognizes the multifaceted and integral position of a medical director for an air medical transport program and the EMS community at large.