1,720,980 research outputs found
Characterization of dendritic cell phenotype in allergic conjunctiva: increased expression of Fc epsilon RI, the high-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E
Abstract
PURPOSE:
Dendritic cells (DCs) express the high-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc(epsilon)RI) on their surface, which may enhance their ability to capture and internalize antigens for presentation to T-lymphocytes. The aim of this study was to determine if expression of Fc(epsilon)RI(+) DCs is increased in the conjunctivae of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) patients compared with those of normal controls.
METHODS:
Conjunctival biopsies were obtained from non-atopic and VKC patients. Double immunohistochemical staining was carried out using antibodies against Fc(epsilon)RI and the CD1a antigen, a DC marker. The double-positive cells were counted in five representative fields of view for each conjunctival sample.
RESULTS:
Fc(epsilon)RI(+) CD1a(+) cells were present in significantly higher numbers in VKC conjunctivae compared with normal controls (mean cell count of 21.3 in VKC vs5.0 in controls, P<0.005). In normal patients the Fc(epsilon)RI-expressing DCs tended to be confined to the epithelial layer or the superficial substantia propria, but in the VKC samples these Fc(epsilon)RI(+) cells were mainly concentrated in the deeper substantia propria.
CONCLUSIONS:
Fc(epsilon)RI(+) DC numbers are elevated in the conjunctivae of VKC patients, a finding consistent with the results of other studies focusing on atopic conditions. Elevated expression of Fc(epsilon)RI on DCs would facilitate antigen presentation and enhance T-cell priming, thereby contributing to ocular symptoms
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The 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
“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
Characterisation of the phenotype and function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells in allergic conjunctiva
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells involved in initiating the immune response, presenting antigens to T cells and leading to T cell proliferation. In an immature state, DCs lack accessory signals required for T cell stimulation but are highly specialised to capture antigens. Full DC maturation changes the cell surface phenotype and facilitates stimulation of T cell proliferative responses. To examine the degree of DC maturity associated with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), the authors examined the phenotype and antigen-presentation capability of blood derived DCs from VKC patients and from normal controls.
METHODS:
Flow cytometry was used to identify the cell surface expression of markers of DC maturity (CD83, CD86, major histocompatibility complex class II) and mixed leucocyte reactions to assess DC induction of T cell proliferation.
RESULTS:
DCs derived from VKC patients were of a more mature phenotype than those from normal controls. However, these VKC DCs had reduced capability for induction of T cell proliferation compared with DCs from controls.
CONCLUSION:
The increased maturity of DCs in VKC patients correlates with the heightened immune responsiveness associated with this disorder. A number of mechanisms may underlie the impaired ability of DCs in atopy to stimulate T cell proliferation. This impairment of DC induction of T cell activation is likely to be one factor which contributes to the modified inflammatory response seen in VKC patients and the recognised susceptibility of these patients to viral infection
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
We 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
We 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
We 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
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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