1,473 research outputs found
DNA fusion gene vaccination mobilizes effective anti-leukemic cytotoxic T lymphocytes from a tolerized repertoire
No full textThe majority of known human tumor-associated antigens derive from non-mutated self proteins. T cell tolerance, essential to prevent autoimmunity, must therefore be cautiously circumvented to generate cytotoxic T cell responses against these targets. Our strategy uses DNA fusion vaccines to activate high levels of peptide-specific CTL. Key foreign sequences from tetanus toxin activate tolerance-breaking CD4+ T cell help. Candidate MHC class Ibinding tumor peptide sequences are fused to the C terminus for optimal processing and presentation. To model performance against a leukemia-associated antigen in a tolerized setting, we constructed a fusion vaccine encoding an immunodominant CTL epitopederived from Friend murine leukemia virus gag protein (FMuLVgag) and vaccinated tolerant FMuLVgag-transgenic (gag-Tg) mice. Vaccination with the construct induced epitopespecificIFN-c-producing CD8+ T cells in normal and gag-Tg mice. The frequency and avidity of activated cells were reduced in gag-Tg mice, and no autoimmune injury resulted. However, these CD8+ T cells did exhibit gag-specific cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Also, epitope-specific CTL killed FBL-3 leukemia cells expressing endogenous FMuLVgag antigen and protected against leukemia challenge in vivo. These results demonstrate a simple strategy to engage anti-microbial T cell help to activate epitope-specific polyclonal CD8+ T cell responses from a residual tolerized repertoire
Paul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in its Epistolary Context
No full textDegree awarded: Ph.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of AmericaPaul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in Its Epistolary Context.Jason G. Weaver, Ph.D.Director: Frank J. Matera, Ph.D.The Pauline call to imitation is one of the most distinctive aspects of Pauline thought. The explicit call to imitation occurs five times in the non-disputed Pauline letters: 1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; and Phil 3:17. It is a call to imitate the example that Paul sets before the community to which he writes. Although these letters are the only ones in which Paul explicitly calls others to imitate him, the theme of imitation occurs throughout his writings. The monographs and articles that have addressed the theme of imitation in Pauline thought use either the historical-critical method or a rhetorical method to develop their thesis. This study examines the rhetorical function of the theme of imitation in its epistolary context. The rhetorical situation of the community to which Paul writes is an important element in the study of his letters. Therefore, examining each call to imitation within the rhetorical situation of the community to which Paul writes provides a clear understanding of his call to imitation. Although each call to imitation is found within a different rhetorical situation, this study argues that with each call to imitate him, Paul establishes a new set of community relationships to which each believing community must adhere. Within this new set of relationships there are four themes that are crucial to Paul's call to imitation: humility, suffering, unity, and salvation. These four themes form the shape and structure of true community life. Paul's call to imitation and his desire to create this new set of community relationships requires believers to live in humility and to be willing to endure suffering. The purpose of this imitation is to create unity within the community so that at the parousia all believers will share in salvation. Through his own example and the example of Christ, Paul demonstrates the example he calls others to imitate.Made available in DSpace on 2013-02-08T16:06:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
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Deadness: technologies of the intermundane
No full textPosthumous duets—performances involving a dead singer and a living one—have become ubiquitous in popular music. As the case of Natalie and Nat “King” Cole’s “Unforgettable” makes clear, all sound recording harnesses the productive capacities of both living and dead, patterned through specific forms of co-laboring, or “deadness.
FIGURE 9 in A rare new treefrog of the genus Sarcohyla (Anura: Hylidae) from Guerrero, Mexico
No full textFIGURE 9. Call analysis of Sarcohyla toyota sp. nov. from 11.4 km (by road) SW of Puerto de Gallo, Municipio de Atoyac de Álvarez, Guerrero, Mexico.Published as part of Grünwald, Christoph I., Franz-Chávez, Hector, Morales-Flores, Karen I., Ahumada-Carrillo, Ivan T. & Jones, Jason M., 2019, A rare new treefrog of the genus Sarcohyla (Anura: Hylidae) from Guerrero, Mexico, pp. 345-364 in Zootaxa 4712 (3) on page 358, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4712.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/358632
Estuarine habitat ecology of adult weakfish (Cynoscion regalis): a multi-scale approach
No full textThe habitat ecology of adult weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) remains poorly understood, although they comprise an important ecological and economic portion of estuarine environments. Weakfish are particularly susceptible to confusion over how to best delineate important habitat resources, such as those used for reproduction, because they may change over multiple spatial (coastal and estuary) and temporal (seasonal and diel) scales. In this study, weakfish habitat dynamics were evaluated at multiple scales using acoustic telemetry within the Mullica River-Great Bay estuary in southern New Jersey. At the broader estuary scale, residency, habitat use, and movements were quantified across the reproductive/post-reproductive season. Tagged adult weakfish were resident in bay, lower river, and subtidal creek habitats during reproduction (May through July) and following the reproductive season (August through November) but showed limited use of inlet and upriver habitats in both seasons. Movement rates increased at the end of the post-reproductive season and weakfish apparently moved into fringing, unmonitored habitats within the study area following the reproductive period. Estuarine egress occurred throughout the study period but was lowest during July and highest during the final month of emigration in November. At smaller spatial scales, weakfish displayed patterns of site fidelity both seasonally and daily. At the seasonal scale, a majority of weakfish tagged in 2008 maintained fidelity to their original tagging location or established new “core areas” in other parts of the estuary. In both cases, fish were detected at these areas for the duration of their residency or made short- or long-term excursions before returning to their original core area. At the diel scale, weakfish displayed movements of varying distances from their original tagging location beginning around sundown and returning around the sunrise period, which also corresponds to the timing of nightly weakfish reproduction. These findings represent new evidence of the role that estuary habitats may play in adult weakfish life history and, because weakfish habitat dynamics may be influenced by reproduction, it will be important to incorporate these changes into future management of the fishery.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Jason T. Turnur
T Cell responses to whole SARS Coronavirus in humans
No full textEffective vaccines should confer long-term protection against future outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a novel zoonotic coronavirus (SARS-CoV) with unknown animal reservoirs. We conducted a cohort study examining multiple parameters of immune responses to SARS-CoV infection, aiming to identify the immune correlates of protection. We used a matrix of overlapping peptides spanning whole SARS-CoV proteome to determine T cell responses from 128 SARS convalescent samples by ex vivo IFN-γ ELISPOT assays. Approximately 50% of convalescent SARS patients were positive for T cell responses, and 90% possessed strongly neutralizing Abs. Fifty-five novel T cell epitopes were identified, with spike protein dominating total T cell responses. CD8+ T cell responses were more frequent and of a greater magnitude than CD4+ T cell responses (p < 0.001).
Polychromatic cytometry analysis indicated that the virus-specific T cells from the severe group tended to be a central memory phenotype (CD27+/CD45RO+) with a significantly higher frequency of polyfunctional CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2, and CD8+ T cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and CD107a (degranulation), as compared with the mild-moderate group. Strong T cell responses correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with higher neutralizing Ab. The serum cytokine profile during acute infection indicated a significant elevation of innate immune responses. Increased Th2 cytokines were observed in patients with fatal infection. Our study provides a roadmap for the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV and types of immune responses that may be responsible for the virus clearance, and should serve as a benchmark for SARS-CoV vaccine design and evaluation
Authors’ Reply to "A Call for New Theories on the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Endometriosis"
No full textRefers to Regarding “A Call for New Theories on the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Endometriosis” Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, Volume 31, Issue 7, July 2024, Pages 624 Yie Hou Lee.
Answering Dr Lee about the future role of phenome.The Endometriosis Initiative Group (Jason Abbott ... Mary Louise Hull ... Neil P. Johnson ... et al.
Zarathustra / Zoroaster
No full textThe name Zarathustra refers to a prophet or religious reformer of ancient Iran. He is believed to be the
author of the Gathas, the linguistically oldest part of the Avestan corpus. Information relating to
his life is extremely scarce: mentions in the sources are contradictory and there is no agreement among
the scholars on the time in which he lived or the place where he was active. Some scholars believe that
he was amythical figure and never really existed. Even his name is problematic froma linguistic point of
view and there is still no generally accepted etymology. He is a figure who had a deep impact both on the
Classical world (particularly ancient Greece) and in the Middle Ages and in modern and contemporary
Europe
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