CXCR3-Expressing T Cells in Infections and Autoimmunity.

The chemokine receptor CXCR3 and its ligands (MIG/CXCL9, IP-10/CXCL10, and I-TAC/CXCL11) play a central role in the generation of cellular inflammation, both in the protective responses to invading pathogens, and in different pathological conditions associated with autoimmunity. It is worth noting that CXCR3 is highly expressed on innate and adaptive lymphocytes, as well as on various cell subsets that are localized in non-immune organs and tissues. Our review focuses exclusively on CXCR3-expressing T cells, including Th1, Th17.

Sarcoidosis-related autoimmune inflammation in COVID-19 convalescent patients.

Currently, there are a large number of reports about the development of autoimmune conditions after COVID-19. Also, there have been cases of sarcoid-like granulomas in convalescents as a part of the post-COVID-19 syndrome. Since one of the etiological theories of sarcoidosis considers it to be an autoimmune disease, we decided to study changes in the adaptive humoral immune response in sarcoidosis and SARS-CoV-2 infection and to find out whether COVID-19 can provoke the development of sarcoidosis.

Streptococcal Arginine Deiminase Inhibits T Lymphocyte Differentiation In Vitro.

Pathogenic microbes use arginine-metabolizing enzymes as an immune evasion strategy. In this study, the impact of streptococcal arginine deiminase (ADI) on the human peripheral blood T lymphocytes function in vitro was studied. The comparison of the effects of parental strain ( M49-16) with wild type of gene and its isogenic mutant with inactivated gene ( M49-16del) was carried out.

Platform-agnostic electrochemical sensing app and companion potentiostat.

Electrochemical sensing is ubiquitous in a number of fields ranging from biosensing, to environmental monitoring through to food safety and battery or corrosion characterisation. Whereas conventional potentiostats are ideal to develop assays in laboratory settings, they are in general, not well-suited for field work due to their size and power requirements. To address this need, a number of portable battery-operated potentiostats have been proposed over the years.

Regulated Arginine Metabolism in Immunopathogenesis of a Wide Range of Diseases: Is There a Way to Pass between Scylla and Charybdis?

More than a century has passed since arginine was discovered, but the metabolism of the amino acid never ceases to amaze researchers. Being a conditionally essential amino acid, arginine performs many important homeostatic functions in the body; it is involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular system and regeneration processes. In recent years, more and more facts have been accumulating that demonstrate a close relationship between arginine metabolic pathways and immune responses.

Recombinant Human Interleukin-2 Corrects NK Cell Phenotype and Functional Activity in Patients with Post-COVID Syndrome.

Post-COVID syndrome develops in 10-20% of people who have recovered from COVID-19 and it is characterized by impaired function of the nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Previously, it was found that patients who recovered from infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus had a decrease in the number and functional activity of NK cells. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2) administered to correct NK cell phenotype and functional activity in patients with post-COVID syndrome.

Features of Peripheral Blood Th-Cell Subset Composition and Serum Cytokine Level in Patients with Activity-Driven Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Th cells may exhibit pathological activity depending on the regulatory and functional signals sensed under a wide range of immunopathological conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The relationship between Th cells and cytokines is important for diagnoses and for determining treatment. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Th-cell subset composition and serum cytokine profile for patients with activity-driven AS.

Heterogenous CD8+ T Cell Maturation and 'Polarization' in Acute and Convalescent COVID-19 Patients.

Background: The adaptive antiviral immune response requires interaction between CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, and Th1 cells for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the data regarding the role of CD8+ T cells in the acute phase of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome are still limited.

Methods: . Peripheral blood samples collected from patients with acute COVID-19 ( 71), convalescent subjects bearing serum SARS-CoV-2 N-protein-specific IgG antibodies ( 51), and healthy volunteers with no detectable antibodies to any SARS-CoV-2 proteins (HC, 46) were analyzed using 10-color flow cytometry.

Monitoring Chemistry with a Smart Stirrer: A Magnetic Stirrer Bar with an Integrated Process Monitoring System.

Inspired by the miniaturization and efficiency of the sensors for telemetry, we have developed a device that provides the functionalities of laboratory magnetic stirring and integrated multisensor monitoring of various chemical reaction parameters. The device, called "Smart Stirrer", when immersed in a solution, can monitor physical properties of the chemical reaction such as the temperature, conductivity, visible spectrum, opaqueness, stirring rate, and viscosity. This data is transmitted real-time over a wireless connection to an external system, such as a PC or smartphone.

Heterogeneity of the nucleic acid repertoire of plasma extracellular vesicles demonstrated using high-sensitivity fluorescence-activated sorting.

The aim of this study was to investigate cell source-dependent nucleic acids repertoire of diverse subpopulations of plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs). Blood plasma from nine healthy volunteers was used for the analysis. Samples of EVs were obtained by differential centrifugation of plasma.

Active Metamaterials with Negative Static Electric Susceptibility.

Although well-established textbook arguments suggest that static electric susceptibility χ must be positive in "all bodies," it has been pointed out that materials that are not in thermodynamic equilibrium are not necessarily subject to this restriction. Media with inverted populations of atomic and molecular energy levels have been predicted theoretically to exhibit a χ < 0 state, however the systems envisioned require reduced temperature, reduced pressure, and an external pump laser to maintain the population inversion. Further, the existence of χ < 0 has never been confirmed experimentally.

Fabrication of High Permittivity Resin Composite for Vat Photopolymerization 3D Printing: Morphology, Thermal, Dynamic Mechanical and Dielectric Properties.

The formulation of a high dielectric permittivity ceramic/polymer composite feedstock for daylight vat photopolymerization 3D printing (3DP) is demonstrated, targeting 3DP of devices for microwave and THz applications. The precursor is composed of a commercial visible light photo-reactive polymer (VIS-curable photopolymer) and dispersed titanium dioxide (TiO, TO) ceramic nano-powder or calcium copper titanate (CCT) micro-powder. To provide consistent 3DP processing from the formulated feedstocks, the carefully chosen dispersant performed the double function of adjusting the overall viscosity of the photopolymer and provided good matrix-to-filler bonding.

CD73 Rather Than CD39 Is Mainly Involved in Controlling Purinergic Signaling in Calcified Aortic Valve Disease.

The study aimed to compare composition of peripheral blood T-cell subsets and assess their surface expression of CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases in patients with severe and moderate aortic stenosis (AS) as well as to evaluate involvement of T-cell-mediated immune processes in valve calcification. The study was performed with 38 patients suffering from severe calcified aortic stenosis (SAS), 33 patients with MAS, and 30 apparently healthy volunteers (HVs). The relative distribution and percentage of T-cell subsets expressing CD39 and CD73 were evaluated by flow cytometry.

3D-printed λ/4 phase plate for broadband microwave applications.

An efficient design for a quarter-wave (λ/4) retardation plate (QWP) operating at microwave frequencies has been designed and manufactured using dual head fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing. Exploiting a bespoke composite material feedstock filament with high dielectric permittivity ϵr = 10.8, the resulting 3D-printed QWP comprising alternative layers of high and low permittivity had a high artificial double refraction of Δϵ = 2.

A Split Ring Resonator Dielectric Probe for Near-Field Dielectric Imaging.

A single split-ring resonator (SRR) probe for 2D surface mapping and imaging of relative dielectric permittivity for the characterisation of composite materials has been developed. The imaging principle, the analysis and the sensitivity of the SRR surface dielectric probe data is described. The surface dielectric properties of composite materials in the frequency range 1-3 GHz have been measured based on the magnetic resonance frequency of the transmission loss of the SRR dielectric probe when in contact with the surface.

Strong enhancement of second harmonic generation in 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline nanofibers.

An effective control of the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency in electrospun nanofibers of nonlinear optically active 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline and carrier polymer poly(l-lactic acid) (MNA-PLLA) is presented. The SHG efficiency of the MNA-PLLA fibers strongly depends on the diameter of the nanofibers and can be increased up to an order of magnitude by controlling the electrospinning processing parameters. For optimal electrospinning process conditions, MNA-PLLA nanofibers with an effective nonlinear optical coefficient that is two orders of magnitude greater than the counterpart bulk powder MNA may be obtained.

Lack of IL-7 and IL-15 signaling affects interferon-γ production by, more than survival of, small intestinal intraepithelial memory CD8+ T cells.

Survival of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in peripheral lymphoid organs during viral infection is known to be dependent predominantly on IL-7 and IL-15. However, little is known about a possible influence of tissue environmental factors on this process. To address this question, we studied survival of memory antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in the small intestine.

Oriented single-crystal-like molecular arrangement of optically nonlinear 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline in electrospun nanofibers.

In-plane aligned nanofibers of organic 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (MNA) were produced by the electrospinning technique using a 1:1 weight ratio with poly(l-lactic acid). The fibers are capable of enormous efficient optical second harmonic generation as strong as pure MNA crystals in powder form. Structural, spectroscopic, and second harmonic generation polarimetry studies show that the MNA crystallizes within the fibers in an orientation in which the aromatic rings of MNA are predominantly orientated edge-on with respect to the plane of the fiber array and with their dipole moments aligned with the fiber axis.

Estimation of low frequency antigen-presenting cells with a novel RELISPOT assay.

Adequate presentation of self and foreign antigens is a key factor for efficient T-cell immunosurveillance against pathogens and tumors. Cells presenting foreign antigens usually comprise a rare population and are difficult to detect even at the peak of infection. Here we demonstrate a CD8(+) T-cell-based approach that allows detection of specific antigen-presenting cells (APC) at a frequency of less than 0.

A novel functional CTL avidity/activity compartmentalization to the site of mucosal immunization contributes to protection of macaques against simian/human immunodeficiency viral depletion of mucosal CD4+ T cells.

The presence of high-avidity CTLs in the right compartment can greatly affect clearance of a virus infection (for example, AIDS viral infection of and dissemination from mucosa). Comparing mucosal vs systemic immunization, we observed a novel compartmentalization of CTL avidity and proportion of functionally active Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells to tissues proximal to sites of immunization. Whereas both s.

Avidity of CD8 T cells sharpens immunodominance.

In the course of viral infection, the immune system exploits only a fraction of the available CTL repertoire and focuses on a few of a myriad of potentially antigenic peptides. This phenomenon, known as immunodominance, depends on a number of factors, including antigen processing and transport, MHC binding, competition for antigen-presenting cells, availability of the CD8 T cell repertoire and other mechanisms that function largely by restricting the immune response. Here we elucidate a novel mechanism that increases the immunodominance of the epitope rather by enhancing the immune response.

Enhancement of CD8+ T cell immunity in the lung by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides increases protective efficacy of a modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine against lethal poxvirus infection even in a CD4-deficient host.

Immunostimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) have proven effective as adjuvants for protein-based vaccines, but their impact on immune responses induced by live viral vectors is not known. We found that addition of CpG ODN to modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) markedly improved the induction of longer-lasting adaptive protective immunity in BALB/c mice against intranasal pathogenic vaccinia virus (Western Reserve; WR). Protection was mediated primarily by CD8(+) T cells in the lung, as determined by CD8-depletion studies, protection in B cell-deficient mice, and greater protection correlating with CD8(+) IFN-gamma-producing cells in the lung but not with those in the spleen.