Publications by authors named "Mary L Fischer"
Innate immune responses that allow hosts to survive infection depend on the action of multiple conserved signaling pathways. Pathogens and parasites in turn have evolved virulence factors to target these immune signaling pathways in an attempt to overcome host immunity. Consequently, the interactions between host immune molecules and pathogen virulence factors play an important role in determining the outcome of an infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular matrix protein N-glycosylation mediates immune self-tolerance in .
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2021
Article Synopsis
- Hosts need to distinguish between pathogens and their own tissues for effective immune responses and to avoid damaging their own cells through self-tolerance.
- The study identifies a mutant strain that shows an autoimmune response against its own fat body, linked to two specific genetic mutations: one affecting protein glycosylation and another leading to early activation of immune cells.
- The findings suggest that the glycan signals on extracellular matrix proteins indicate self-tissue, and when those signals are absent, immune cells attack, hinting at a simple self-recognition system that might be present in various animal species.
Introduction: Little is known about the nurse-midwifery workforce in rural Kansas hospitals, despite Kansas facing a shortage of primary care physicians providing maternity care rurally. This study investigated the current number of hospitals with certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) with privileges to attend births in Kansas hospitals located in frontier, rural, and densely settled rural counties and anticipated trends in the size of the CNM workforce at hospitals over the next 5 years.
Methods: Electronic surveys were distributed to senior hospital administrators at 94 hospitals in rural Kansas from June to July 2019.