Role of myeloid-derived chemokine CCL5/RANTES at an early stage of atherosclerosis.

One of the hallmarks of atherosclerosis is ongoing accumulation of macrophages in the artery intima beginning at disease onset. Monocyte recruitment contributes to increasing macrophage abundance at early stages of atherosclerosis. Although the chemokine CCL5 (RANTES) has been studied in atherosclerosis, its role in the recruitment of monocytes to early lesions has not been elucidated.

Radiation Impacts Early Atherosclerosis by Suppressing Intimal LDL Accumulation.

Rationale: Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is used frequently to study the role of hematopoietic cells in atherosclerosis, but aortic arch lesions are smaller in mice after BMT.

Objective: To identify the earliest stage of atherosclerosis inhibited by BMT and elucidate potential mechanisms.

Methods And Results: mice underwent total body γ-irradiation, bone marrow reconstitution, and 6-week recovery.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha limits dendritic cell stimulation of CD8 T cell immunity.

Dendritic cells are sentinels of the immune system and represent a key cell in the activation of the adaptive immune response. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α)-a crucial oxygen sensor stabilized during hypoxic conditions-has been shown to have both activating and inhibitory effects in immune cells in a context- and cell-dependent manner. Previous studies have demonstrated that in some immune cell types, HIF-1α serves a pro-inflammatory role.

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Modulates Cbl-b and Constrains T Cell Activation.

The decision between T cell activation and tolerance is governed by the spatial and temporal integration of diverse molecular signals and events occurring downstream of TCR and costimulatory or coinhibitory receptor engagement. The PI3K-protein kinase B (PKB; also known as Akt) signaling pathway is a central axis in mediating proximal signaling events of TCR and CD28 engagement in T cells. Perturbation of the PI3K-PKB pathway, or the loss of negative regulators of T cell activation, such as the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b, have been reported to lead to increased susceptibility to autoimmunity.

CCL19-CCR7-dependent reverse transendothelial migration of myeloid cells clears Chlamydia muridarum from the arterial intima.

Regions of the normal arterial intima predisposed to atherosclerosis are sites of ongoing monocyte trafficking and also contain resident myeloid cells with features of dendritic cells. However, the pathophysiological roles of these cells are poorly understood. Here we found that intimal myeloid cells underwent reverse transendothelial migration (RTM) into the arterial circulation after systemic stimulation of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs).

Single-trial classification of NIRS signals during emotional induction tasks: towards a corporeal machine interface.

Background: Corporeal machine interfaces (CMIs) are one of a few available options for restoring communication and environmental control to those with severe motor impairments. Cognitive processes detectable solely with functional imaging technologies such as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can potentially provide interfaces requiring less user training than conventional electroencephalography-based CMIs. We hypothesized that visually-cued emotional induction tasks can elicit forehead hemodynamic activity that can be harnessed for a CMI.

A review of emerging access technologies for individuals with severe motor impairments.

Research and development in the field of access technologies for individuals with severe motor impairments has accelerated over the past 10 years. Many emergent alternatives to conventional mechanical switches, such as infrared sensing, electromyography, oculography, and computer vision, have been investigated for those retaining some limited volitional motor ability. At the same time, electroencephalography, electrocorticography, intracortical recordings, and electrodermal activity have been explored for those presenting as locked in.