1,749,590 research outputs found
Early growth response gene-2 (Egr-2) regulates the development of B and T cells
No full textThe study was supported by Arthritis Research UK.
Copyright @ 2011 Li et al.BACKGROUND: Understanding of how transcription factors are involved in lymphocyte development still remains a challenge. It has been shown that Egr-2 deficiency results in impaired NKT cell development and defective positive selection of T cells. Here we investigated the development of T, B and NKT cells in Egr-2 transgenic mice and the roles in the regulation of distinct stages of B and T cell development. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The expression of Egr1, 2 and 3 were analysed at different stages of T and B cell development by RT-PCT and results showed that the expression was strictly regulated at different stages. Forced expression of Egr-2 in CD2+ lymphocytes resulted in a severe reduction of CD4+CD8+ (DP) cells in thymus and pro-B cells in bone marrow, which was associated with reduced expression of Notch1 in ISP thymocytes and Pax5 in pro-B cells, suggesting that retraction of Egr-2 at the ISP and pro-B cell stages is important for the activation of lineage differentiation programs. In contrast to reduction of DP and pro-B cells, Egr-2 enhanced the maturation of DP cells into single positive (SP) T and NKT cells in thymus, and immature B cells into mature B cells in bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that Egr-2 expressed in restricted stages of lymphocyte development plays a dynamic, but similar role for the development of T, NKT and B cells.This article is provided by the Brunel Open Access publishing fund
Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions B(B0→K∗0γ )/B(B0s→φγ ) and the directCP asymmetry inB 0→K∗0γ
Full text linkThe ratio of branching fractions of the radiative B decays B0→K⁎0γ and B0s→ϕγ has been measured using an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=7TeV. The value obtained is
B(B0→K⁎0γ)B(B0s→ϕγ)=1.23±0.06(stat.)±0.04(syst.)±0.10(fs/fd),
where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is the experimental systematic uncertainty and the third is associated with the ratio of fragmentation fractions fs/fd. Using the world average value for B(B0→K⁎0γ), the branching fraction B(B0s→ϕγ) is measured to be (3.5±0.4)×10−5.
The direct CP asymmetry in B0→K⁎0γ decays has also been measured with the same data and found to be
ACP(B0→K⁎0γ)=(0.8±1.7(stat.)±0.9(syst.))%.
Both measurements are the most precise to date and are in agreement with the previous experimental results and theoretical expectations
Correlation of group C meningococcal conjugate vaccine response with B- and T-lymphocyte activity.
Full text linkDespite the success of conjugate vaccination against meningococcal group C (MenC) disease, post-vaccination, some individuals still exhibit rapid waning of initially protective bactericidal antibody levels. The mechanism of this relative loss of humoral protection remains undetermined. In this report we have investigated the relationship between T- and B-cell activation and co-stimulation and the loss of protective antibody titers. We have found that healthy volunteers who lose protective MenC antibody levels one year after receipt of glycoconjugate vaccine exhibit no detectable cellular defect in polyclonal B- or T-cell activation, proliferation or the B-memory pool. This suggests that the processes underlying the more rapid loss of antibody levels are independent of defects in either initial T- or B-cell activation
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Raymond B. Witt correspondence with John T. Henniss, 1969 March 13
No full textLetter from Raymond B. Witt to fellow attorney John T. Henniss discussing constitutional rights and their legal impact on desegregation cases
Raymond B. Witt correspondence with John T. Henniss, 1969 March 13
No full textLetter from Raymond B. Witt to fellow attorney John T. Henniss discussing constitutional rights and their legal impact on desegregation cases
Letter from T. B. Jones, President of Harbison Junior College, to W. T. Johnson
No full textLetter from T. B. Jones, President of Harbison Junior College, to W. T. Johnson, sending in statement on S. B. Simmons camp. Note for souvenir program
Expansion of CD4+ T cells with a cytotoxic phenotype in patients with B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL)
No full textAbnormal CD4/CD8 ratios and T-cell function have previously been shown in patients with B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL). We have demonstrated that CD4+ T cells containing both serine esterase and perforin (PF) are increased in the blood of these patients. Using flow cytometry, we have shown that the CD4+ PF+ cells were CD57+ but lacked expression of CD28, suggesting a mature population. The same phenotype in CD8+ T cells is characteristic of mature cytotoxic T cells. However, in contrast to the CD8+ T cells, the CD4+ T cells were more frequently CD45RO positive than CD45RA positive, indicating prior antigen experience. In contrast, this population lacked expression of either CD69 or HLA-DR, arguing that they were not activated or that they are an abnormal population of T cells. Their constitutive cytokine levels showed them mainly to contain IL4 and not IFNgamma, suggesting a Th2 phenotype. The role of the CD4+ PF+ T-cell population is at present uncertain. However, this potentially cytotoxic T-cell population could contribute both to enhancing survival of the B-CLL tumour cells through production of IL4, and to the immunodeficient state frequently seen in patients with this tumour, independent of drug treatment
Measurement of the CKM angle gamma from a combination of B->Dh analyses
Full text linkA combination of three LHCb measurements of the CKM angle gamma is presented. The decays B->DK and B->Dpi are used, where D denotes an admixture of D0 and D0-bar mesons, decaying into K+K-, pi+pi-, K+-pi-+, K+-pi-+pi+-pi-+, KSpi+pi-, or KSK+K- final states. All measurements use a dataset corresponding to 1.0 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. Combining results from B->DK decays alone a best-fit value of gamma = 72.0 deg is found, and confidence intervals are set gamma in [56.4,86.7] deg at 68% CL, gamma in [42.6,99.6] deg at 95% CL. The best-fit value of gamma found from a combination of results from B->Dpi decays alone, is gamma = 18.9 deg, and the confidence intervals gamma in [7.4,99.2] deg or [167.9,176.4] deg at 68% CL, are set, without constraint at 95% CL. The combination of results from B->DK and B->Dpi decays gives a best-fit value of gamma = 72.6 deg and the confidence intervals gamma in [55.4,82.3] deg at 68% CL, gamma in [40.2,92.7] deg at 95% CL are set. All values are expressed modulo 180 deg, and are obtained taking into account the effect of D0-D0bar mixing
Letter from W. T. Johnson to S. B. Simmons. Letter from S. B. Simmons to W. T. Johnson
No full textLetter from W. T. Johnson to S. B. Simmons, concerning job in Durham. Letter from S. B. Simmons to W. T. Johnson, thanking him for previous letter
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