scholarly journals Genetic, environmental and intrinsic determinants of the human antibody epitope repertoire

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Andreu-Sánchez ◽  
Arno R. Bourgonje ◽  
Thomas Vogl ◽  
Alexander Kurilshikov ◽  
Sigal Leviatan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Human Antibody ◽  
Temporal Consistency ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Antibody Epitope ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Antibody Repertoires ◽  
Environmental Antigens

AbstractPhage-displayed immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-Seq) has successfully enabled high-throughput profiling of human antibody profiles. However, a comprehensive overview of environmental and genetic determinants shaping human adaptive immunity is currently lacking. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of genetic, environmental and intrinsic factors on the variation in human antibody repertoires. We characterized serological antibody repertoires against 344,000 peptides using PhIP-Seq libraries from a wide range of microbial and environmental antigens in 1,443 participants from a population cohort. We demonstrate individual-specificity, temporal consistency and co-housing similarities in antibody repertoire. Genetic analyses showed involvement of the HLA, IGHV and FUT2 regions. Furthermore, we uncovered associations between 48 phenotypic factors and 544 antibody-bound peptides, including age, cell counts, sex, smoking behavior and allergies, among others. Overall, our results indicate that human antibody epitope repertoires are shaped by both host genetics and environmental exposures and highlight unique signatures of distinct phenotypes and genotypes.

Strong Association between Serotonin Transporter 5-HTTVNTR Variant and Psychoactive Substance (Nicotine) Use in the Turkish Cypriot Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 466-470
Author(s):  
Emine Kandemis ◽  
Gulten Tuncel ◽  
Ozen Asut ◽  
Sehime G. Temel ◽  
Mahmut C. Ergoren
Keyword(s):  
Serotonin Transporter ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genotype Distribution ◽  
Psychological Traits ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Turkish Cypriot

Background: The use of psychoactive substances is one of the most dangerous social problems worldwide. Nicotine dependence results from the interaction between neurobiological, environmental and genetic factors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a wide range of central nervous system activities. The serotonin transporter gene has been previously linked to psychological traits. Objective: A variable number of tandem repeats within the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic gene region are believed to alter the transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between this polymorphic site and smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population. Methods: A total of 259 (100 smokers, 100 non-smokers and 59 ex-smokers) Turkish Cypriots were included in this population-based cross-sectional study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and the 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms were determined by the PCR-RFLP. Results: The allelic frequency and genotype distribution results of this study showed a strong association (P<0.0001) between smokers and non-smokers. No statistical significance was found between non-smokers and ex-smokers. Conclusion: This is the first genetic epidemiology study to investigate the allelic frequencies of 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms associated with smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population. Based on the results of this study, genome-wide association studies should be designed for preventive medicine in this population.

scholarly journals What Do Meditators Do When They Meditate? Proposing a Novel Basis for Future Meditation Research

Mindfulness ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Matko ◽  
Ulrich Ott ◽  
Peter Sedlmeier
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Contemplative Practices ◽  
Comprehensive List ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vast Range ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Objectives Meditation is an umbrella term for a vast range of contemplative practices. Former proposals have struggled to do justice to this variety. To our knowledge, there is to date no comprehensive overview of meditation techniques spanning all major traditions. The present studies aimed at providing such a comprehensive list of meditation techniques. Methods In a qualitative study, we compiled a collection of 309 meditation techniques through a literature search and interviews with 20 expert meditators. Then, we reduced this collection to 50 basic meditation techniques. In a second, quantitative study, 635 experienced meditators from a wide range of meditative backgrounds indicated how much experience they had with each of these 50 meditation techniques. Results Meditators’ responses indicated that our choice of techniques had been adequate and only two techniques had to be added. Our additional statistical and cluster analyses illustrated preferences for specific techniques across and within diverse traditions as well as sets of techniques commonly practiced together. Body-centered techniques stood out in being of exceptional importance to all meditators. Conclusions In conclusion, we found an amazing variety of meditation techniques, which considerably surpasses previous collections. Our selection of basic meditation techniques might be of value for future scientific investigations and we encourage researchers to use this set.

scholarly journals UV Nanoimprint Lithography: Geometrical Impact on Filling Properties of Nanoscale Patterns

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 822
Author(s):  
Christine Thanner ◽  
Martin Eibelhuber
Keyword(s):  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Process Parameters ◽  
Nanoimprint Lithography ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Production Method ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Replication Method ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pattern Size

Ultraviolet (UV) Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) is a replication method that is well known for its capability to address a wide range of pattern sizes and shapes. It has proven to be an efficient production method for patterning resist layers with features ranging from a few hundred micrometers and down to the nanometer range. Best results can be achieved if the fundamental behavior of the imprint resist and the pattern filling are considered by the equipment and process parameters. In particular, the material properties and pattern size and shape play a crucial role. For capillary force-driven filling behavior it is important to understand the influencing parameters and respective failure modes in order to optimize the processes for reliable full wafer manufacturing. In this work, the nanoimprint results obtained for different pattern geometries are compared with respect to pattern quality and residual layer thickness: The comprehensive overview of the relevant process parameters is helpful for setting up NIL processes for different nanostructures with minimum layer thickness.

scholarly journals Electrospun Fiber Scaffolds for Engineering Glial Cell Behavior to Promote Neural Regeneration

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Devan L. Puhl ◽  
Jessica L. Funnell ◽  
Derek W. Nelson ◽  
Manoj K. Gottipati ◽  
Ryan J. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Glial Cell ◽  
Cell Response ◽  
Electrospun Fiber ◽  
Neural Regeneration ◽  
Cell Phenotype ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Fiber Alignment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fiber Scaffolds

Electrospinning is a fabrication technique used to produce nano- or micro- diameter fibers to generate biocompatible, biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Electrospun fiber scaffolds are advantageous for neural regeneration because they mimic the structure of the nervous system extracellular matrix and provide contact guidance for regenerating axons. Glia are non-neuronal regulatory cells that maintain homeostasis in the healthy nervous system and regulate regeneration in the injured nervous system. Electrospun fiber scaffolds offer a wide range of characteristics, such as fiber alignment, diameter, surface nanotopography, and surface chemistry that can be engineered to achieve a desired glial cell response to injury. Further, electrospun fibers can be loaded with drugs, nucleic acids, or proteins to provide the local, sustained release of such therapeutics to alter glial cell phenotype to better support regeneration. This review provides the first comprehensive overview of how electrospun fiber alignment, diameter, surface nanotopography, surface functionalization, and therapeutic delivery affect Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system and astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia in the central nervous system both in vitro and in vivo. The information presented can be used to design and optimize electrospun fiber scaffolds to target glial cell response to mitigate nervous system injury and improve regeneration.

scholarly journals Developmental perspectives on personality: implications for ecological and evolutionary studies of individual differences

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1560) ◽  
pp. 4029-4041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy A. Stamps ◽  
Ton G. G. Groothuis
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Animal Personality ◽  
Temporal Consistency ◽  
Developmental Processes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Evolutionary Studies ◽  
Research Programmes

Developmental processes can have major impacts on the correlations in behaviour across contexts (contextual generality) and across time (temporal consistency) that are the hallmarks of animal personality. Personality can and does change: at any given age or life stage it is contingent upon a wide range of experiential factors that occurred earlier in life, from prior to conception through adulthood. We show how developmental reaction norms that describe the effects of prior experience on a given behaviour can be used to determine whether the effects of a given experience at a given age will affect contextual generality at a later age, and to illustrate how variation within individuals in developmental plasticity leads to variation in contextual generality across individuals as a function of experience. We also show why niche-picking and niche-construction, behavioural processes which allow individuals to affect their own developmental environment, can affect the contextual generality and the temporal consistency of personality. We conclude by discussing how an appreciation of developmental processes can alert behavioural ecologists studying animal personality to critical, untested assumptions that underlie their own research programmes, and outline situations in which a developmental perspective can improve studies of the functional significance and evolution of animal personality.

Production of human antibody repertoires in transgenic mice

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Brüggemann ◽  
Michael J Taussig
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Human Antibody ◽  
Antibody Repertoires

scholarly journals Maintenance Therapy in Crohn's Disease

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (suppl c) ◽  
pp. 23C-28C ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillary Steinhart
Keyword(s):  
Crohn’S Disease ◽  
Crohn's Disease ◽  
Maintenance Therapy ◽  
Immunosuppressive Agents ◽  
Human Antibody ◽  
Chimeric Mouse ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Systemic Glucocorticoids ◽  
Necrosis Factor

Symptoms of active Crohn’s disease may respond to one or more of a number of classes of drug therapies. These include systemic glucocorticoids, budesonide, sulphasalazine, mesalazine (5-aminosalicylates), immunosuppressive agents and antibiotics. More recently, a chimeric mouse-human antibody to tumour necrosis factor (infliximab) has been shown to induce clinical remission and endoscopic improvement in patients with moderately active Crohn’s disease refractory to other therapies. Despite this wide range of existing therapies and the potential of emerging biological therapies, recurrent Crohn’s disease continues to be a major impediment to the fulfilment of a normal lifestyle and optimal quality of life for patients with Crohn’s disease. Many drugs known to be effective for the treatment of active disease have been tried as maintenance therapy to prevent disease relapse or recurrence following medical or surgical therapy. The available evidence suggests that most of these drugs are not as useful in maintaining remission as they are in inducing it. Systemic glucocorticoids, budesonide, mesalazine (5-aminosalicylates), sulphasalazine and antibiotics are all associated with either marginal therapeutic gain in the setting of maintenance therapy or unacceptable long term toxicity. The immunosuppressive agents azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate have been shown to have a beneficial effect in maintaining remission and may be helpful as steroid-sparing agents. Repeated infusions of antitumour necrosis factor antibody maintain the improvements observed after one or two initial infusions. The relative long term safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of the various choices of maintenance therapy remain to be determined.

scholarly journals STUDIES ON HOST FACTORS IN PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTIONS

1934 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Goodner
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cell ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Type I ◽  
Specific Antibodies ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Blood Cell Counts ◽  
White Blood Cell Counts ◽  
Extrinsic And Intrinsic Factors

The power of specific antipneumococcus serum to protect rabbits against infection with Type I Pneumococcus has been studied with reference to the capacity of the animal to utilize the specific antibodies. Under conditions ensuring relatively controlled genetic factors it was found that heavier animals and those with high white blood cell counts are much better able to utilize the passively conferred immune principles. The interrelationships of the extrinsic and intrinsic factors responsible for immunity have been discussed.

scholarly journals Insights into Clinical, Genetic, and Pathological Aspects of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias: A Comprehensive Overview

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liena E. O. Elsayed ◽  
Isra Zuhair Eltazi ◽  
Ammar E. Ahmed ◽  
Giovanni Stevanin
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Clinical Genetic ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Complex Forms

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are a heterogeneous group of motor neurodegenerative disorders that have the core clinical presentation of pyramidal syndrome which starts typically in the lower limbs. They can present as pure or complex forms with all classical modes of monogenic inheritance reported. To date, there are more than 100 loci/88 spastic paraplegia genes (SPG) involved in the pathogenesis of HSP. New patterns of inheritance are being increasingly identified in this era of huge advances in genetic and functional studies. A wide range of clinical symptoms and signs are now reported to complicate HSP with increasing overall complexity of the clinical presentations considered as HSP. This is especially true with the emergence of multiple HSP phenotypes that are situated in the borderline zone with other neurogenetic disorders. The genetic diagnostic approaches and the utilized techniques leave a diagnostic gap of 25% in the best studies. In this review, we summarize the known types of HSP with special focus on those in which spasticity is the principal clinical phenotype (“SPGn” designation). We discuss their modes of inheritance, clinical phenotypes, underlying genetics, and molecular pathways, providing some observations about therapeutic opportunities gained from animal models and functional studies. This review may pave the way for more analytic approaches that take into consideration the overall picture of HSP. It will shed light on subtle associations that can explain the occurrence of the disease and allow a better understanding of its observed variations. This should help in the identification of future biomarkers, predictors of disease onset and progression, and treatments for both better functional outcomes and quality of life.

COVID-19: Epidemiology, Pathology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saimon Shahriar ◽  
Md. Sohel Rana ◽  
Md. Sabbir Hossain ◽  
Ariful Karim ◽  
Tasneem Nayla Mredula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Targets ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Respiratory Problems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Critical Patients ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Second Wave

: The pandemic, well-known as COVID-19, has been brought about by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and it has distinct characteristics from other coronavirus-related epidemics. This pandemic has been ravaging the whole world for more than a year now and no drugs or vaccines have been found to eliminate this virus from the infected people effectively; only physical measures like social distancing, hand washing and face-mask wearing have been taken to reduce its spreading and very recently Veklury (remdesivir) has been permitted by the USFDA to manage the critical patients. This disease can be asymptomatic but when it is symptomatic, it presents with respiratory problems and cold- or flu-like symptoms which can be diagnosed with a chest CT and confirmed with RT-PCR tests. In this review, the taxonomy and structure of SARS-CoV-2 and history, transmission, epidemiology, pathology, clinical features and impacts of the COVID-19 have been discussed. A summary of possible drug targets, attempted physical and chemical measures, as well as vaccine candidates, have also been provided. How this coronavirus is different from other coronaviruses, the obstacles in managing this disease and the possibility of a second wave have also been reviewed. This review represents a wide range of information regarding COVID-19 and intends to be used as a comprehensive overview in this regard.

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