1,721,093 research outputs found
Malassezia sympodialis Mala s 1 allergen is a potential KELCH protein that cross reacts with human skin
No full textAbstract Malassezia yeast species are the dominant commensal fungal species of the human skin microbiota, but are also associated with inflammatory skin diseases, such as seborrheic dermatitis and atopic eczema (AE). Mala s 1, a β-propeller protein, is an allergen identified in Malassezia sympodialis inducing both IgE and T-cell reactivity in the majority of patients with AE. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of Mala s 1 allergen in skin disease. An anti-Mala s 1 antibody was used to investigate the cellular localisation of Mala s 1, the potential of Mala s 1 as a therapeutic target and examine cross-reactivity of the anti-Mala s 1 antibody with human skin. We demonstrate by high pressure freezing electron microscopy and immune-staining that Mala s 1 is located in the cell wall of M. sympodialis yeast cells. Despite the ability of the anti-Mala s 1 antibody to bind to yeast cells, it did not inhibit M. sympodialis growth suggesting Mala s 1 may not be an attractive antifungal target. The Mala s 1 predicted protein sequence was analysed in silico and was found to contain a motif indicative of a KELCH protein, a group of β-propeller proteins. Humans express a large number of KELCH proteins including some that are localised in the skin. To test the hypothesis that antibodies against Mala s 1 cross react with human skin proteins we examined the binding of anti-Mala s 1 antibody to human skin explant samples. Reactivity with the antibody was visualised in the epidermal layer of skin. To further characterise putative human targets recognised by the anti-Mala s 1 antibody, proteins were extracted from immunoblot gel bands and proteomic analysis performed. Several candidate human proteins were identified. To conclude, we propose that Mala s 1 is a KELCH-like β-propeller protein with similarity to human skin proteins and Mala s 1 recognition may trigger the production of cross-reactive responses that contribute to skin diseases associated with M. sympodialis
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Mutational analysis of amino acid residues involved in IgE-binding to the Malassezia sympodialis allergen Mala s 11
No full textThe yeast Malassezia sympodialis, which is an integral part of the normal cutaneous flora, has been shown to elicit specific IgE- and T-cell reactivity in atopic eczema (AE) patients. The M. sympodialis allergen Mala s 11 has a high degree of amino acid sequence homology to manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) from Homo sapiens (50%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (56%). Humoral and cell-mediated cross-reactivity between MnSOD from H. sapiens and A. fumigatus has been demonstrated. Taken together with the recent finding that human MnSOD (hMnSOD) can act as an autoallergen in AE patients sensitised to M. sympodialis, we hypothesized that cross-reactivity could also occur between hMnSOD and Mala s 11, endogenous hMnSOD thus being capable of stimulating an immune response through molecular mimicry. Herein we demonstrate that recombinant Mala s 11 (rMala s 11) is able to inhibit IgE-binding to recombinant hMnSOD and vice versa, indicating that these two homologues share common IgE-binding epitopes and providing an explanation at a molecular level for the autoreactivity to hMnSOD observed in AE patients sensitised to Mala s 11. Using molecular modelling and mapping of identical amino acids exposed on the surface of both Mala s 11 and hMnSOD we identified four regions each composed of 4-5 residues which are potentially involved in IgE-mediated cross-reactivity. Mutated rMala s 11 molecules were produced in which these residues were altered. Native-like folding was verified by enzymatic activity tests and circular dichroism. The rMala s 11 mutants displayed lower IgE-binding in comparison to wild-type rMala s 11 using plasma from AE patients. In particular, mutation of the residues E29, P30, E122 and K125 lowered the IgE-binding to Mala s 11. The results of this study provide new insights in the molecular basis underlying the cross-reactivity between Mala s 11 and hMnSO
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
The Malassezia sympodialis Allergen Mala s 11 with Sequence Similarity to Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Induces Maturation and Production of Inflammatory Cytokines in Human Dendritic Cells
No full textThe chronic inflammatory skin disease atopic eczema (AE) affects almost 15% of the population in many countries today. The pathogenesis of AE is not fully understood. A combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors like microorganisms seems to contribute to the symptoms. The yeast Malassezia sympodialis is part of our normal skin micro flora but can act as an allergen and elicit specific IgE and T‐cell reactivity in patients with AE. Recently, we identified a novel major M. sympodialis allergen, designated Mala s 11 (22.4 kDa), with sequence similarity to the mitochondrial enzyme manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Interestingly, Mala s 11 has a high degree of homology to human MnSOD. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of recombinant Mala s 11 on antigen‐presenting dendritic cells. Monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) from healthy blood donors were cultured with or without Mala s 11 for different time periods. It was found that the maturation marker CD83 and the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 were upregulated on the MDDCs exposed to Mala s 11 for 24 h, as demonstrated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, coculture of MDDCs with Mala s 11 for 9 h induced an increased production of the inflammatory cytokines IL‐6 (200‐fold), TNF‐α (100‐fold) and IL‐8 (sixfold), as detected by the cytometric bead array (CBA) analysis. Our results suggest that Mala s 11 affects the immune response through DC maturation and production of inflammatory cytokines. The potential cross‐reactivity with human MnSOD needs to be explored and the exact role of Mala s 11 in the pathogenesis of AE assessed in clinical studies involving skin prick and atopy patch tests
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