T cell immune tolerance is established in part through the activity of the Auto-immune Regulator (AIRE) transcription factor in the medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells (mTEC) of the thymus. AIRE induces expression of SELF peripheral tissue-specific antigens for presentation to naïve T cells to promote activation/deletion of potentially autoreactive T cells. We show, for the first time to our knowledge, that tumors mimic the role of AIRE in mTEC to evade immune rejection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Long-lived, re-activatable immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants will rely on T cells recognizing conserved regions of viral proteins across strains. Heterologous prime-boost regimens can elicit elevated levels of circulating CD8+ T cells that provide a reservoir of first responders upon viral infection. Although most vaccines are currently delivered intramuscularly (IM), the initial site of infection is the nasal cavity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have had limited success against solid tumors. Here, we used an oncolytic foamy virus (oFV) to display a model CAR target antigen (CD19) on tumors in combination with anti-CD19 CAR T cells. We generated oFV-Δ and oFV- vectors to test the efficiency and stability of viral/CD19 spread.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to analyze the association between food insecurity (FI) and academic performance in university students, including mental health and sleep quality (SQ), in an association model. A cross-sectional design included university students ( = 466, 72.5% women) from Mexico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViral strains, age, and host factors are associated with variable immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and disease severity. Puerto Ricans have a genetic mixture of races: European, African, and Native American. We hypothesized that unique host proteins/pathways are associated with COVID-19 disease severity in Puerto Rico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The purpose of this research was to design and psychometrically validate a new instrument (the Biobehavioural Pain and Movement Questionnaire/BioPMovQ), which assesses the relationship between pain and various factors related to motor behaviour from a biobehavioural perspective.
Methods: A mixed-method design combining a qualitative study with an observational and cross-sectional study was employed to develop (content validity) and psychometrically validate (construct validity, reliability and concurrent/discriminant validity) a new instrument. A total of 200 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recruited.
Arthropod herbivory poses a serious threat to crop yield, prompting plants to employ intricate defense mechanisms against pest feeding. The generalist pest 2-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) inflicts rapid damage and remains challenging due to its broad target range. In this study, we explored the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) response to T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrough GWAS studies we identified PATJ associated with functional outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of this study was to determine PATJ role in brain endothelial cells (ECs) in the context of stroke outcome. PATJ expression analyses in patient's blood revealed that: (i) the risk allele of rs76221407 induces higher expression of PATJ, (ii) PATJ is downregulated 24 h after IS, and (iii) its expression is significantly lower in those patients with functional independence, measured at 3 months with the modified Rankin scale ((mRS) ≤2), compared to those patients with marked disability (mRS = 4-5).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood exporting companies play a fundamental role in the development of international trade. However, the conceptualization and measurement of their online corporate reputation has not been extensively studied in Business to Business markets, unlike in Business to Consumer contexts. The aim of this research is to identify the variables that determine the online reputation of food companies operating in B2B markets, and to analyze their relationship with the volume of food exports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe interaction between plants and phytophagous arthropods encompasses a complex network of molecules, signals, and pathways to overcome defences generated by each interacting organism. Although most of the elements and modulators involved in this interplay are still unidentified, plant redox homeostasis and signalling are essential for the establishment of defence responses. Here, focusing on the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, we demonstrate the involvement in plant defence of the thioredoxin TRXh5, a small redox protein whose expression is induced by mite infestation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: There are no available questionnaires in Spanish that assess the function and performance of shoulder and elbow in overhead sports. The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) score is a reference tool for this purpose. We aimed to cross-culturally adapt and investigate its measurement properties in Spanish overhead athletes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study is to present the development and analysis of the factorial structure and psychometric properties of a new self-administered questionnaire (Dizziness Fear-Avoidance Behaviours and Beliefs Inventory (D-FABBI)) designed to measure fear-avoidance behaviors and cognitions related to dizziness disability. A mixed-method design combining a qualitative study with an observational and cross-sectional study was employed to develop (content validity) and psychometrically validate (construct validity, reliability, and convergent/discriminant validity) a new instrument. A total of 198 patients with vestibular disorders (acute vestibular syndrome (AVS), 23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJasmonates are essential modulators of plant defences but the role of JA-derivatives has been scarcely studied, particularly in the plant-pest interplay. To deepen into the JA catabolism and its impact on plant responses to spider mite infestation, we selected the Arabidopsis JAO2 gene as a key element involved in the first step of the JA-catabolic route. JAO2 is responsible for the hydroxylation of JA into 12-OH-JA, contributes to attenuate JA and JA-Ile content and consequently, determines the formation of other JA-catabolites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn multiple models of oncolytic virotherapy, it is common to see an early anti-tumor response followed by recurrence. We have previously shown that frontline treatment with oncolytic VSV-IFN-β induces APOBEC proteins, promoting the selection of specific mutations that allow tumor escape. Of these mutations in B16 melanoma escape (ESC) cells, a C-T point mutation in the cold shock domain-containing E1 () gene was present at the highest frequency, which could be used to ambush ESC cells by vaccination with the mutant CSDE1 expressed within the virus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe structural addictive characteristics of gambling products are important targets for prevention, but can be unintuitive to laypeople. In the PictoGRRed (Pictograms for Gambling Risk Reduction) study, we aimed to develop pictograms that illustrate the main addictive characteristics of gambling products and to assess their impact on identifying the addictiveness of gambling products by laypeople. We conducted a three-step study: (1) use of a Delphi consensus method among 56 experts from 13 countries to reach a consensus on the 10 structural addictive characteristics of gambling products to be illustrated by pictograms and their associated definitions, (2) development of 10 pictograms and their definitions, and (3) study in the general population to assess the impact of exposure to the pictograms and their definitions (n = 900).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrecision medicine can significantly improve outcomes for patients with cancer, but implementation requires comprehensive characterization of tumor cells to identify therapeutically exploitable vulnerabilities. Here, we describe somatic biallelic TET2 mutations in an elderly patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that was chemoresistant to anthracycline and cytarabine but acutely sensitive to 5'-azacitidine (5'-Aza) hypomethylating monotherapy, resulting in long-term morphological remission. Given the role of TET2 as a regulator of genomic methylation, we hypothesized that mutant TET2 allele dosage affects response to 5'-Aza.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife (Basel)
August 2022
The frequency of a high Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) total score and the prevalence of pain have already been established among breast cancer survivors (BCS). However, the psychological factors' influence based on the clinical features of pain is still unknown, as well as BCS characteristics with no pain. Thus, our main aim was to evaluate the presence of a high CSI total score in BCS with pain and compare it with BCS without pain and to evaluate the influence of psychosocial factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFactor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor formation is a major clinical concern during replacement therapy in patients with hemophilia A. Immune tolerance induction (ITI) is the only therapeutic approach to attempt inhibitor eradication and establishment of long-term immune tolerance to FVIII. Hemophilia Inhibitor Previously Untreated Patient (PUP) Study (HIPS) was a prospective clinical trial to investigate changes in the immune system of PUPs with severe hemophilia A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant-pest interactions involve multifaceted processes encompassing a complex crosstalk of pathways, molecules, and regulators aimed at overcoming defenses developed by each interacting organism. Among plant defensive compounds against phytophagous arthropods, cyanide-derived products are toxic molecules that directly target pest physiology. Here, we identified the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gene encoding hydroxynitrile lyase (AtHNL, At5g10300) as one gene induced in response to spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) infestation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOncolytic viruses (OVs) encoding a variety of transgenes have been evaluated as therapeutic tools to increase the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in the solid tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, using systemically delivered OVs and CAR T cells in immunocompetent mouse models, we have defined a mechanism by which OVs can potentiate CAR T cell efficacy against solid tumor models of melanoma and glioma. We show that stimulation of the native T cell receptor (TCR) with viral or virally encoded epitopes gives rise to enhanced proliferation, CAR-directed antitumor function, and distinct memory phenotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity and state of being overweight are beginning to be treated as global epidemics. In this context, health professionals are increasingly acting as expert opinion leaders that use social media to connect with the public, in order to promote healthy lifestyles and provide specific recommendations for different product categories, including fresh, processed, and ultra-processed meat products. This study investigates how exposure to content created by health professionals, and posted on social media, influences consumers' attitudes.
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