Therapeutic Vaccination of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients Improves Protective CD8 T-Cell Immunotherapy of Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) endangers the therapeutic success of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in tumor patients due to cytopathogenic virus spread that leads to organ manifestations of CMV disease, to interstitial pneumonia in particular. In cases of virus variants that are refractory to standard antiviral pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy by adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of virus-specific CD8 T cells is the last resort to bridge the "protection gap" between hematoablative conditioning for HCT and endogenous reconstitution of antiviral immunity. We have used the well-established mouse model of CD8 T-cell immunotherapy by ACT in a setting of experimental HCT and murine CMV (mCMV) infection to pursue the concept of improving the efficacy of ACT by therapeutic vaccination (TherVac) post-HCT.

Enhancement of Antigen Presentation by Deletion of Viral Immune Evasion Genes Prevents Lethal Cytomegalovirus Disease in Minor Histocompatibility Antigen-Mismatched Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Hematoablative treatment followed by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for reconstituting the co-ablated immune system is a therapeutic option to cure aggressive forms of hematopoietic malignancies. In cases of family donors or unrelated donors, immunogenetic mismatches in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and/or minor histocompatibility (minor-H) loci are unavoidable and bear a risk of graft-vs.-host reaction and disease (GvHR/D).

Is Exercise Prescription in Cardiac Rehabilitation Influenced by Physical Capacity or Cardiac Intervention?

This study investigated the influence of cardiac intervention and physical capacity of individuals attending an Australian outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program on the initial exercise prescription. A total of 85 patients commencing outpatient cardiac rehabilitation at a major metropolitan hospital had their physical capacity assessed by an incremental shuttle walk test, and the initial aerobic exercise intensity and resistance training load prescribed were recorded. Physical capacity was lower in surgical patients than nonsurgical patients.

A Meta-Analytic Review of the Relationship Between Nonoffending Caregiver Support and Postdisclosure Functioning in Sexually Abused Children.

Postdisclosure caregiver support has long been considered a key factor in the functioning of children after their disclosure of sexual abuse, and numerous studies and reviews support this relationship. Yet, a closer look at this literature suggests that support for this relationship might not be as strong or consistent as reported. The purpose of this article is to review studies assessing the relationship between caregiver support of sexually abused children and postdisclosure functioning of their children.

[Role of pediatricians in the diagnosis and therapy of dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia].

Pediatricians play an important role in the diagnosis and therapy of children with dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia. These syndromes strongly affect children's school performance. Children with dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia show a significant underachievement in reading, writing or counting and their failure to meet the school requirements undermines their self confidence and positive self-concept.

Representation of ecological systems within the protected areas network of the Continental United States.

If conservation of biodiversity is the goal, then the protected areas network of the continental US may be one of our best conservation tools for safeguarding ecological systems (i.e., vegetation communities).

Parameters determining the efficacy of adoptive CD8 T-cell therapy of cytomegalovirus infection.

Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the transient state of immunodeficiency after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the most frequent and severe viral complication endangering leukemia therapy success. By infecting the bone marrow (BM) stroma of the transplantation recipient, CMV can directly interfere with BM repopulation by the transplanted donor-derived hematopoietic cells and thus delay immune reconstitution of the recipient. Cytopathogenic virus spread in tissues can result in CMV disease with multiple organ manifestations of which interstitial pneumonia is the most feared.

A consonant construction of the hyaloid and retinal vascular systems by the angiogenic process.

There has been much debate as to whether the retinal vasculature forms by angiogenesis or vasculogenesis, thus angiogenesis is now accepted. We suppose that signals necessary for proper localization and development of the hyaloid and retinal vascular systems are already in place prior to the time at which these systems are developed. The remarkable conservation of vascular patterning suggests that specific genetic programs coordinate its formation.

Retinopathy of prematurity--epidemics, incidence, prevalence, blindness.

Currently, there are enough financial resources in industrial most developed countries to provide quality health care to the risk population of premature children. Neonatological units are equipped with state-of-the-art technological background, and highly qualified personnel are employed at the units. This as well allows providing optimum care of extremely immature newborns.

Immune evasion proteins of murine cytomegalovirus preferentially affect cell surface display of recently generated peptide presentation complexes.

For recognition of infected cells by CD8 T cells, antigenic peptides are presented at the cell surface, bound to major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules. Downmodulation of cell surface MHC-I molecules is regarded as a hallmark function of cytomegalovirus-encoded immunoevasins. The molecular mechanisms by which immunoevasins interfere with the MHC-I pathway suggest, however, that this downmodulation may be secondary to an interruption of turnover replenishment and that hindrance of the vesicular transport of recently generated peptide-MHC (pMHC) complexes to the cell surface is the actual function of immunoevasins.

Endogenous scavenger levels (vitamin E and A) of patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease under different environmental conditions.

Serum level of endogenous scavengers (E and A vitamin) was studied in groups of patients with various chronic alcoholic liver diseases and in a healthy control group on polluted and non-polluted areas. Vitamin levels in patients with chronic liver disease are diminished in comparison to the healthy in general, but mainly in the cirrhotic group. Diminution of vitamin E levels was observed in earlier phase of liver disease than that of vitamin A levels.