1,720,964 research outputs found
Impact of natural occurring erap1 single nucleotide polymorphisms within mirna-binding sites on hcmv infection
Full text linkhuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta-herpesvirus that causes serious problems in people with a compromised immune system, whereas it coexists asymptomatically within the host with a healthy immune system. Like other viruses, HCMV has adopted multiples strategies to manipulate the host's immune responses. among them, expression of viral microRNAs (miRNAs) is one of the most intriguing. HCMV miR-UL112-5p and miR-US4-1 have been found to contribute to immune evasion by targeting the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), a highly polymorphic key component of antigen processing. the current incomplete picture on the interplay between viral miRNAs and host immunity implies the need to better characterize the host genetic determinants. naturally occurring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the miRNA binding sites of target genes may affect miRNA-target interactions. In this review, we focus on the relevance of 3 ' untranslated region (3 ' UTR)ERAP1SNPs within miRNA binding sites in modulating miRNA-mRNA interactions and the possible consequent individual susceptibility to HCMV infection. moreover, we performed an in silico analysis using different bioinformatic algorithms to predictERAP1variants with a putative powerful biological function. this evidence provides a basis to deepen the knowledge on how 3 ' UTRERAP1variants may alter the mechanism of action of HCMV miRNAs, in order to develop targeted antiviral therapies
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
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
Targeting the antigen processing and presentation pathway to overcome resistance to immune checkpoint therapy.
No full textDendritic cells: Behind the scenes of t-cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment
Full text linksimple summary high T-cell infiltration has been associated with improved clinical outcomes in many human solid tumors. however, these cells are not autonomous in their effector function, depending on the interaction with other immune and non-immune cells, as well as soluble factors released into the tumor microenvironment (TME). identification of the key elements underlying T-cell recruitment within tumors is of fundamental importance to improve the success of immunotherapy strategies. this review summarizes the most recent findings on dendritic cells (DC), a key cellular element that regulates the recruitment of functional tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells, and current strategies that exploit this innate immune cell to improve the efficacy of therapeutic treatments.Tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells have been shown to play a crucial role in controlling tumor progression. however, the recruitment and activation of these immune cells at the tumor site are strictly dependent on several factors, including the presence of dendritic cells (DCs), the main orchestrators of the antitumor immune responses. among the various DC subsets, the role of cDC1s has been demonstrated in several preclinical experimental mouse models. In addition, the high density of tumor-infiltrating cDC1s has been associated with improved survival in many cancer patients. the ability of cDC1s to modulate antitumor activity depends on their interaction with other immune populations, such as NK cells. this evidence has led to the development of new strategies aimed at increasing the abundance and activity of cDC1s in tumors, thus providing attractive new avenues to enhance antitumor immunity for both established and novel anticancer immunotherapies. In this review, we provide an overview of the various subsets of DCs, focusing in particular on the role of cDC1s, their ability to interact with other intratumoral immune cells, and their prognostic significance on solid tumors. finally, we outline key therapeutic strategies that promote the immunogenic functions of DCs in cancer immunotherapy
ERAP1 and ERAP2 enzymes: A protective shield for ras against COVID-19?
Full text linkpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have a wide variety of clinical outcomes ranging from asymptomatic to severe respiratory syndrome that can progress to life-threatening lung lesions. the identification of prognostic factors can help to improve the risk stratification of patients by promptly defining for each the most effective therapy to resolve the disease. the etiological agent causing COVID-19 is a new coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that enters cells via the ACE2 receptor. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a reduction in ACE2 levels, leading to an imbalance in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and consequently, in blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. ERAP1 and ERAP2 are two RAS regulators and key components of MHC class I antigen processing. their polymorphisms have been associated with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, hypertension, and cancer. based on their involvement in the RAS, we believe that the dysfunctional status of ERAP1 and ERAP2 enzymes may exacerbate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection, aggravating the symptomatology and clinical outcome of the disease. In this review, we discuss this hypothesis
- …
