IgA deficiency destabilizes homeostasis toward intestinal microbes and increases systemic immune dysregulation.

The ability of most patients with selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency (SIgAD) to remain apparently healthy has been a persistent clinical conundrum. Compensatory mechanisms, including IgM, have been proposed, yet it remains unclear how secretory IgA and IgM work together in the mucosal system and, on a larger scale, whether the systemic and mucosal anti-commensal responses are redundant or have unique features. To address this gap in knowledge, we developed an integrated host-commensal approach combining microbial flow cytometry and metagenomic sequencing (mFLOW-Seq) to comprehensively define which microbes induce mucosal and systemic antibodies.

Slowed Processing Speed Disrupts Patient Expectancy in Late Life Depression.

Objective: Slowed processing speed and executive dysfunction are associated with poor outcomes in Late Life Depression (LLD), though it is unclear why. We investigated whether these variables interfere with the development of positive treatment expectancies in an antidepressant trial.

Methods: Depressed older subjects were randomized to Open (intended to increase patient expectancy) or Placebo-controlled (termed 'Hidden,' intended to decrease expectancy) administration of antidepressant medication for 8 weeks.

Neuroanatomical predictors of L-DOPA response in older adults with psychomotor slowing and depression: A pilot study.

Background: Declining function in dopamine circuits is implicated in normal aging and late-life depression (LLD). Dopamine augmentation recently has shown therapeutic promise, but predictors of response are unknown.

Methods: Depressed elders with slowed gait underwent baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and [C]raclopride positron emission tomography (PET).

Exploration of T-Cell Diversity Using Mass Cytometry.

T-cell diversity is multifactorial and includes variability in antigen specificity, differentiation, function, and cell-trafficking potential. Spectral overlap limits the ability of traditional flow cytometry to fully capture the diversity of T-cell subsets and function. The development of mass cytometry permits deep immunoprofiling of T-cell subsets, activation state, and function simultaneously from even small volumes of blood.

Frailty and Its Correlates in Adults With Late Life Depression.

Objective: To investigate the rates of frailty and frailty characteristics and examine the clinical and neuropsychological correlates of frailty in adults with late life depression (LLD).

Methods: Data were used from the evaluation of 134 individuals over the age of 60 years (45 men, 89 women) with a depressive diagnosis who enrolled in studies for the treatment of their depression. Depression, neuropsychological functioning, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden via magnetic resonance imaging, and characteristics of frailty were assessed.

T follicular helper cells in human efferent lymph retain lymphoid characteristics.

T follicular helper cells (Tfh), a subset of CD4+ T cells, provide requisite help to B cells in the germinal centers (GC) of lymphoid tissue. GC Tfh are identified by high expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR5 and the inhibitory molecule PD-1. Although more accessible, blood contains lower frequencies of CXCR5+ and PD-1+ cells that have been termed circulating Tfh (cTfh).

Effects of a combination of 3,4-methylenedioxymeth amphetamine and caffeine on real time stimulated dopamine release in the rat striatum: Studies using fast cyclic voltammetry.

It is well documented that caffeine exacerbates the hyperthermia associated with acute exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats. Previous reports have also indicated that MDMA-related enhancement of dopamine release is exacerbated in the presence of caffeine. In the present study we have examined whether the effects of MDMA on real-time stimulated dopamine release, in the absence of uptake inhibition, are accentuated in the presence of caffeine.

Multiple UBXN family members inhibit retrovirus and lentivirus production and canonical NFκΒ signaling by stabilizing IκBα.

UBXN proteins likely participate in the global regulation of protein turnover, and we have shown that UBXN1 interferes with RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling by interacting with MAVS and impeding its downstream effector functions. Here we demonstrate that over-expression of multiple UBXN family members decreased lentivirus and retrovirus production by several orders-of-magnitude in single cycle assays, at the level of long terminal repeat-driven transcription, and three family members, UBXN1, N9, and N11 blocked the canonical NFκB pathway by binding to Cullin1 (Cul1), inhibiting IκBα degradation. Multiple regions of UBXN1, including its UBA domain, were critical for its activity.

High-level production of replication-defective human immunodeficiency type 1 virus vector particles using helper-dependent adenovirus vectors.

Gene transfer vectors based upon human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) are widely used in bench research applications and increasingly in clinical investigations, both to introduce novel genes but also to reduce expression of unwanted genes of the host and pathogen. At present, the vast majority of HIV-based vector supernatants are produced in 293T cells by cotransfection of up to five DNA plasmids, which is subject to variability and difficult to scale. Here we report the development of a HIV-based vector production system that utilizes helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd).

First-in-class thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-based compound binds to a pharmacologically distinct TRH receptor subtype in human brain and is effective in neurodegenerative models.

JAK4D, a first-in-class thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-based compound, is a prospective therapeutic candidate offering a multifaceted approach to treating neurodegeneration and other CNS conditions. The purpose of these studies was to determine the ability of JAK4D to bind to TRH receptors in human brain and to evaluate its neuropharmacological effects in neurodegenerative animal models. Additionally, JAK4D brain permeation was examined in mouse, and initial toxicology was assessed in vivo and in vitro.

An in vitro approach to assessing a potential drug interaction between MDMA (ecstasy) and caffeine.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a popular recreational drug which causes long-term neurotoxicity and increased risk of fatality. In rats, MDMA toxicity is exacerbated by co-administration of caffeine. The aim of this study was to investigate whether caffeine altered the effects of MDMA in a battery of in vitro tests selected to model some of the known actions of MDMA in vivo.

An evaluation of the appropriateness and safety of nurse and midwife prescribing in Ireland.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical appropriateness and safety of nurse and midwife prescribing practice.

Background: The number of countries introducing nurse and midwife prescribing is increasing; however, concerns over patient safety remain.

Design: A multi-site documentation evaluation was conducted using purposeful and random sampling.

Dystroglycan expression in human placenta: basement membrane localization and subunit distribution change between the first and third trimester.

Objectives: This study describes the distribution of dystroglycan (DG) in human placenta, membranes, and uterine decidua.

Study Design: Dystroglycan expression was characterized by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence microscopy using human tissues and cultured cells.

Results: Both α-DG and β-DG are expressed in the term syncytiotrophoblast, and α-DG is localized to the basement membrane.

Patients' level of satisfaction and self-reports of intention to comply following consultation with nurses and midwives with prescriptive authority: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Prescriptive authority for nurses and midwives was introduced in Ireland in 2007. This allows nurses and midwives who have completed a prescribing preparation programme to independently prescribe a wide-range of medications. To date little is known of patient outcomes such as satisfaction with the consultation process and intention to comply as a consequence of the introduction of nurse and midwife prescribing.

Biological study of the angiogenesis inhibitor N-(8-(3-ethynylphenoxy)octyl-1-deoxynojirimycin.

The alpha-glucosidase inhibitors N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (MDNJ) and castanospermine have been shown to inhibit angiogenesis. A hybrid of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) and an aryl-1,2,3-triazole, which inhibits both an alpha-glucosidase and methionine aminopeptidase-2 (MetAP2), displayed properties associated with inhibition of angiogenesis (Bioorg. Med.

D2 receptor-mediated inhibition of dopamine release in the rat striatum in vitro is modulated by CB1 receptors: studies using fast cyclic voltammetry.

Cannabinoid CB(1) receptors are highly expressed in the striatum where they are known to be co-localized with dopamine D(2) receptors. There is now strong evidence that cannabinoids modulate dopamine release in the brain. Using fast cyclic voltammetry, single pulse stimulation (0.

Hybrids of 1-deoxynojirimycin and aryl-1,2,3-triazoles and biological studies related to angiogenesis.

Hybrids of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) and aryl-1,2,3-triazole have been synthesized with a view to identifying an inhibitor of both alpha-glucosidase and methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2). One compound was a potent inhibitor of alpha-glucosidase at both the enzyme and cellular level, and this agent also inhibited bovine aortic endothelial cell (BAEC) growth and tube formation. The anti-proliferative activity of this hybrid is due to its ability to induce cell-cycle arrest in the G(1) phase.

Three phase II cytokine working group trials of gp100 (210M) peptide plus high-dose interleukin-2 in patients with HLA-A2-positive advanced melanoma.

Purpose: High-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) induces responses in 15% to 20% of patients with advanced melanoma; 5% to 8% are durable complete responses (CRs). The HLA-A2-restricted, modified gp100 peptide (210M) induces T-cell immunity in vivo and has little antitumor activity but, combined with high-dose IL-2, reportedly has a 42% (13 of 31 patients) response rate (RR). We evaluated 210M with one of three different IL-2 schedules to determine whether a basis exists for a phase III trial.

Hybrid angiogenesis inhibitors: synthesis and biological evaluation of bifunctional compounds based on 1-deoxynojirimycin and aryl-1,2,3-triazoles.

Synthesis of hybrids of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) and 5-aryl-1,2,3-triazole as potential bifunctional inhibitors of angiogenesis is described. The DNJ component inhibits the biosynthesis of cell surface oligosaccharides necessary for angiogenesis, whereas the aryl-1,2,3-triazole inhibits methionine aminopeptidase II, a target in angiogenesis therapy. One bifunctional compound was a more potent inhibitor of angiogenesis in vitro than DNJ alone or the 5-aryl-1,2,3-triazole alone.

A novel TRH analog, Glp-Asn-Pro-D-Tyr-D-TrpNH2, binds to [3H][3-Me-His2]TRH-labelled sites in rat hippocampus and cortex but not pituitary or heterologous cells expressing TRHR1 or TRHR2.

Glp-Asn-Pro-D-Tyr-D-TrpNH(2) is a novel synthetic peptide that mimics and amplifies central actions of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in rat without releasing TSH. The aim of this study was to compare the binding properties of this pentapeptide and its all-L counterpart (Glp-Asn-Pro-Tyr-TrpNH(2)) to TRH receptors in native rat brain tissue and cells expressing the two TRH receptor subtypes identified in rat to date, namely TRHR1 and TRHR2. Radioligand binding studies were carried out using [(3)H][3-Me-His(2)]TRH to label receptors in hippocampal, cortical and pituitary tissue, GH4 pituitary cells, as well as CHO cells expressing TRHR1 and/or TRHR2.

Adenosine A1 receptor-mediated inhibition of dopamine release from rat striatal slices is modulated by D1 dopamine receptors.

Dopamine release is regulated by presynaptic dopamine receptors and interactions between adenosine and dopamine receptors have been well documented. In the present study, dopamine release from isolated striatal slices from Wistar rats was measured using fast cyclic voltammetry. Single-pulse stimulation (0.

Inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation by per-O-acetylated mannose conjugates.

Background: The inhibition of angiogenesis, defined as the process of new blood vessel formation, represents a promising strategy for treating cancer.

Materials And Methods: The inhibitory properties of two N-(per-O-acetylated-beta-D- mannopyranosyl)thiophene-2-carboxamides derivatives (AMTCs, [1],[2]), N-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-ethoxycarbonyl-beta-D-mannopyranosyl)- thiophene-2-carboxamide [3] and of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-mannopyranosyl-acetamide [4] on the growth of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) induced by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were assessed using a [3H]thymidine incorporation assay. The cellular uptake of AMTCs and the non-acetylated homologue (MTC) into BAEC were compared using mass spectrometry analysis of cell lysates.