1,720,986 research outputs found
Early Differential Molecular Response of a Macrophage Cell Line toYeast and Hyphal Forms of Candida albicans
No full textThe dimorphic transition of Candida albicans from the yeast (Y-Candida) to the hyphal (H-Candida) form is a complex event; the relevance of this transition in fungal pathogenicity is still poorly understood. By using a cloned macrophage cell line (ANA-1), we questioned whether the interaction between macrophages and Y-Candida or H-Candida could affect specific cell functions, i.e., tumor necrosis factor and lysozyme production. We found that ANA-1 macrophages selectively responded to H-Candida with increased tumor necrosis factor and downregulated lysozyme, as assessed by measurement of relative mRNA levels and secreted biological activities. The H-Candida-mediated effects were (i) dependent upon the ratio between ANA-1 macrophages and H-Candida, (ii) detectable after 1 h of coincubation, and (iii) accomplished without fungal ingestion. Conversely, Y-Candida, which was found inside the ANA-1 macrophages, did not affect tumor necrosis factor and lysozyme production, nor did it prevent the macrophage response to other stimuli. Overall, these results indicate that a macrophage can distinguish between Y-Candida and H-Candida and that only the latter is able to modulate specific functions. H-Candida is recognized and probably processed as an extracellular target. The possible implication of macrophages as autocrine and paracrine regulatory cells during Candida infections is discussed
Tumor Necrosis Factor as an Autocrine and ParacrineSignal Controlling the Macrophage SecretoryResponse to Candida albicans
No full textWe have previously demonstrated that the hyphal form of Candida albicans (H-Candida), but not the yeast form (Y-Candida), acts as a macrophage-stimulating agent. The early response (1 to 3 h) of the macrophage cell line ANA-1 to H-Candida results in enhanced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) transcription and production.Here we show that when coincubation times are prolonged (3 to 24 h), Y-Candida also exhibits stimulatory properties. This phenomenon has been ascribed to the occurrence of the dimorphic transition, as demonstrated by microscopic evaluation of the cultures and by experiments in which both killed Y-Candida and the agerminative strain C. albicans PCA-2 failed to induce cytokine production. TNF produced in response to H-Candida acts as an autocrine and paracrine signal controlling the macrophage secretory response to C. albicans. In fact, addition of anti-TNF polyclonal antibodies to the coculture of ANA-1 macrophages and H-Candida results in a marked and time-dependent decrease of TNF transcript levels. Moreover, pretreatmentof macrophages with recombinant TNF for 3 h enhances TNF and induces interleukin-1 production in response to both forms of Candida, while pretreatment for 18 h renders macrophages refractory to any stimuli.Interestingly, the kinetics of interleukin-1 transcription and secretion in response to H-Candida are delayed with respect to those of TNF. Overall, these data indicate that TNF, produced by macrophages in response to H-Candida, regulates its own production as well as that of other soluble factors, thus suggesting that this cytokine plays multiple roles in the immune mechanisms involved in Candida infection.We have previously demonstrated that the hyphal form of Candida albicans (H-Candida), but not the yeast form (Y-Candida), acts as a macrophage- stimulating agent. The early response (1 to 3 h) of the macrophage cell line ANA-1 to H-Candida results in enhanced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) transcription and production. Here we show that when coincubation times are prolonged (3 to 24 h), Y-Candida also exhibits stimulatory properties. This phenomenon has been ascribed to the occurrence of the dimorphic transition, as demonstrated by microscopic evaluation of the cultures and by experiments in which both killed Y-Candida and the agerminative strain C. albicans PCA-2 failed to induce cytokine production. TNF produced in response to H-Candida acts as an autocrine and paracrine signal controlling the macrophage secretory response to C. albicans. In fact, addition of anti-TNF polyclonal antibodies to the coculture of ANA-1 macrophages and H-Candida results in a marked and time-dependent decrease of TNF transcript levels. Moreover, pretreatment of macrophages with recombinant TNF for 3 h enhances TNF and induces interleukin-1 production in response to both forms of Candida, while pretreatment for 18 h renders macrophages refractory to any stimuli. Interestingly, the kinetics of interleukin-1 transcription and secretion in response to H-Candida are delayed with respect to those of TNF. Overall, these data indicate that TNF, produced by macrophages in response to H- Candida, regulates its own production as well as that of other soluble factors, thus suggesting that this cytokine plays multiple roles in the immune mechanisms involved in Candida infection
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Candida albicans stress mannoprotein, SMP 200, enhances tumor necrosis factor secretion in the murine macrophage cell line ANA-1
No full textTumour necrosis factor (TNF) secretory activity has been studied in the murine macrophage cell line ANA-1 following in vitro exposure to Candida albicans 200 kDa stress mannoprotein (SMP200). Treatment of ANA-1 murine macrophages with 200 kDa stress mannoprotein results in increased TNF secretion. The phenomenon is (i) dose- and time-dependent, (ii) abrogated by 200 kDa stress mannoprotein preincubation with a specific monoclonal antibody, and (iii) dependent on intact murine macrophage Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase function
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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
Differential susceptibility of yeast and hyphal forms of Candida albicans to macrophage-derived nitrogen-containing compounds
No full textCandida albicans is a dimorphic Fungus capable of transition from the yeast form (Y-Candida) to the hyphal form (H-Candida). Both Y-Candida and H-Candida are known to be growth inhibited by murine macrophages (M phi) in vitro. In the present report, we demonstrate that M phi exposed to interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) show enhanced anti-Y-Candida and anti-H-Candida activities. To further investigate the phenomenon, Y-Candida and H-Candida were assessed for susceptibilities to M phi-derived supernatants. Only the growth of H-Candida, and not that of Y-Candida, is impaired by cell-free supernatants from M phi, treated with IFN-gamma plus LPS. In contrast, no H-Candida growth inhibition occurs when supernatants from M phi exposed to IFN-gamma plus LPS in the presence of N-G-monomethyl-L-arginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, are employed. Finally, supernatants from M phi incubated with sodium nitroprusside, an NO-generating agent, also show anti-H-Candida activity, In conclusion, these results indicate that H-Candida but not Y-Candida is susceptible to extracellular antifungal mechanisms employed by M phi, which likely involve stable nitrogen-containing compounds
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