scholarly journals Role of the immune response in COVID-19

ANALES RANM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 137 (137(02)) ◽  
pp. 113-116
Author(s):  
Emilio Gómez de la Concha

Immune response plays a dual role in COVID-19 infection. On the one hand virus activates innate and adaptative immune responses that most of the times achieve antiviral control. On the other hand in a minority of patients uncontrolled inflammatory response may lead to harmful tissue damage. Here we summarize the current state of knowledge of the factors that contribute to disease severity and death and the rationale of the posible therapeutic strategies.

2005 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Zecconi ◽  
Enrica Binda ◽  
Vitaliano Borromeo ◽  
Renata Piccinini

Staphylococcus aureus isolates produce several pathogenic factors. The combination of these products influences the pathogenic role of different isolates, but their specific effects are well known in the pathogenesis of udder infections. This study focused on the association of polymorphism of the coagulase gene, protein A gene, collagen-binding protein gene, and of fibrinogen-binding protein gene on somatic cell count (SCC) and on Staph. aureus growth rate. Fifty Staph. aureus isolates from 13 dairy cow herds, located in seven different provinces, were considered. The results showed a low frequency of cna gene, similar to the one observed in human isolates. Meanwhile, the high frequency of efb gene indirectly confirmed the role of this factor in bacterial pathogenesis, being associated with adhesion to epithelia. The association of these two single genes with SCC and growth rate showed to be not significant. The polymorphism of spa gene was confirmed to be significantly associated with inflammatory response and growth rate, albeit with a pattern different from the one suggested for human isolates. Sorting of isolates based on the clusters obtained by combining polymorphisms of spa and coa genes and the presence of cna and efb genes, showed that a single cluster (cluster V) was prevalent in the different herds and provinces, while the other six clusters identified were widely spread among the remaining 60% of the isolates. Results showed that clusters VI and VII had significantly higher growth rates at 3, 4, and 6 h in comparison with the other clusters. Meanwhile, quarters infected with these strains showed significantly lower SCC levels. The frequency of isolates from cluster V, suggested that they should possess pathogenic factors increasing their invasiveness, even if in the presence of a stronger inflammatory response. These results indirectly confirm previous findings on the different interactions between isolates and the udder immune system. They also suggest that isolates with higher growth rates and inducing a lower inflammatory response have better chances to spread among the herd. The relatively simple genomic method proposed in this study could be applied by an increasing number of diagnostic laboratories and could be useful in studying the epidemiology of Staph. aureus intramammary infections in dairy herds when collecting data from the field.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2141
Author(s):  
Katie Alexander ◽  
Charles O. Elson

Bacteria and mammals have co-evolved with one another over millennia, and it has become impossible to interpret mucosal immunity without taking the microbiota into consideration. In fact, the primary role of the mucosal immune system is regulating homeostasis and the host relationship with the microbiota. Bacteria are no longer seen as simply invading pathogens, but rather a necessary component to one’s own immune response. On the one hand, the microbiota is a vital educator of immune cells and initiator of beneficial responses; but, on the other, dysbiosis of microbiota constituents are associated with inflammation and autoimmune disorders. In this review, we will consider recent advances in the understanding of how the microbiota influences host mucosal immunity, particularly the initial development of the immune response and its implications.


Seminar.net ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Hug ◽  
Reinhold Madritsch

Digitization initiatives in the field of education always correspond with developments in the education industry. In recent years, globally networked development dynamics have emerged that are essentially characterized by an education-industrial complex and are also relevant in Austria. While on the one hand the corona-induced developmental boosts of 'digital' education are welcomed, especially in edtech contexts, on the other hand the international discourses on the problematic role of the global education industry can no longer be ignored. This contribution ties in with these discourses and explores the current state of affairs in Austria. The lack of alternatives to an innovation path, which is often suggested by industry, education policy and education technology, is questioned.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (03) ◽  
pp. A12
Author(s):  
Diana Garrisi

This contribution concerns the role of the Victorian newspaper correspondence column in advancing knowledge of dermatology in relation to corporal punishment. It explores The Times' coverage of an inquest into the death by flogging of a British soldier. I argue that on the one hand, The Times participated in the debate about flogging in the army by bringing forward skin anatomy as an argument against corporal punishment. On the other hand, the paper might have used the publication of letters with medical content as a marketing strategy to maintain its authority and credibility against accusations of sensationalism.


Author(s):  
Maria Blancas ◽  
Cristina Valero ◽  
Vasiliki Vouloutsi ◽  
Anna Mura ◽  
Paul F. M. J. Verschure

The aim of this work is two-fold. On the one hand, the authors wish to provide relevant information to educators willing to develop an educational robotics (ER) curriculum. They thus provide the current state of the art in the field of ER and the various approaches reported in the literature. They also provide examples of how computational thinking (CT) can be applied in ER and main theories behind ER: constructivism, constructionism, and inquiry-based learning. As ER requires problem-solving abilities, they discuss the link between CT and metacognition, which is considered one of the required educational improvements of the 21st century (also related to the role of gender in STEM methodologies). On the other hand, they wish to present their methodology to teach coding and ER (coding robots through exploring their affordances – CREA), how it was designed, and its main outcomes. It aims at teaching programming and robotics to children in primary school, focusing not on only the performance of the students, but also the cultivation of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.


Author(s):  
Iryna Rusnak

The author of the article analyses the problem of the female emancipation in the little-known feuilleton “Amazonia: A Very Inept Story” (1924) by Mykola Chirsky. The author determines the genre affiliation of the work and examines its compositional structure. Three parts are distinguished in the architectonics of associative feuilleton: associative conception; deployment of a “small” topic; conclusion. The author of the article clarifies the role of intertextual elements and the method of constantly switching the tone from serious to comic to reveal the thematic direction of the work. Mykola Chirsky’s interest in the problem of female emancipation is corresponded to the general mood of the era. The subject of ridicule in provocative feuilleton is the woman’s radical metamorphoses, since repulsive manifestations of emancipation becomes commonplace. At the same time, the writer shows respect for the woman, appreciates her femininity, internal and external beauty, personality. He associates the positive in women with the functions of a faithful wife, a caring mother, and a skilled housewife. In feuilleton, the writer does not bypass the problem of the modern man role in a family, but analyses the value and moral and ethical guidelines of his character. The husband’s bad habits receive a caricatured interpretation in the strange behaviour of relatives. On the one hand, the writer does not perceive the extremes brought by female emancipation, and on the other, he mercilessly criticises the male “virtues” of contemporaries far from the standard. The artistic heritage of Mykola Chirsky remains little studied. The urgent task of modern literary studies is the introduction of Mykola Chirsky’s unknown works into the scientific circulation and their thorough scientific understanding.


Author(s):  
Ксения Ивановна Голубцова

Статья посвящена рассмотрению проблем профилактики преступлений оперативными подразделениями исправительных учреждений (далее - ИУ). Автор, раскрывая роль оперативных отделов ИУ в общей профилактике правонарушений, указывает на ее двоякость, поскольку, с одной стороны, рассматриваемые подразделения обладают значительным преимуществом перед другими службами учреждения в выявлении негативных факторов (негласный метод получения оперативно значимой информации), с другой стороны - далеко не все условия, которые способствуют совершению преступлений в ИУ, можно устранить оперативным путем. Изучение специальной литературы позволило выявить в деятельности начальников ИУ определенные проблемы, связанные с оценкой состояния оперативной обстановки в ИУ, сложившейся ситуации; с отсутствием прогноза развития криминогенной ситуации в ИУ, а также с профессиональной некомпетентностью руководителей, неумением объективно оценивать результаты деятельности структурных подразделений. Автор особое внимание уделяет анализу статистических данных о совершенных и предотвращенных преступлениях лицами, находящимися в местах лишения свободы. The article is devoted to the consideration of problems of crime prevention by operational units of correctional institutions (hereinafter referred to as IA). The author, revealing the role of the operational departments of the IA in the general prevention of offences, points to its twofold. On the one hand, the units under consideration have significant advantages over other services of the institution in identifying negative factors (these are tacit methods of obtaining promptly meaningful information). On the other hand, not all conditions conducive to the commission of crimes in IA can be eliminated by operational means: For example, shortcomings in the activities of other departments and services (security department, duty shift, etc.). The study of special literature has made it possible to identify problems in the activities of heads of correctional institutions in the sphere of implementation of solutions in case of lack of objective and complete information on the state of the operational situation in IA, the current situation, the results of the activities of structural subdivisions; No forecast of the development of the crime situation in IE; Professional incompetence of managers, inability to objectively assess the results of activities of structural subdivisions. The author pays particular attention to the analysis of statistics on crimes committed and prevented by persons in detention.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27
Author(s):  
Manzoor M. Khan

Interstitial lung disease, a term for a group of disorders, causes lung fibrosis, is mostly refractory to treatments and has a high death rate. After diagnosis the survival is up to 3 years but in some cases the patients live much longer. It involves a heterogenous group of lung diseases that exhibit progressive and irreversible destruction of the lung due to the formation of scars. This results in lung malfunction, disruption of gas exchange, and eventual death because of respiratory failure. The etiology of lung fibrosis is mostly unknown with a few exceptions. The major characteristics of the disease are comprised of injury of epithelial type II cells, increased apoptosis, chronic inflammation, monocytic and lymphocytic infiltration, accumulation of myofibroblasts, and inability to repair damaged tissue properly. These events result in abnormal collagen deposition and scarring. The inflammation process is mild, and the disease is primarily fibrotic driven. Immunosuppressants do not treat the disease but the evidence is evolving that both innate and acquired immune responses a well as the cytokines contribute to at least early progression of the disease. Furthermore, mediators of inflammation including cytokines are involved throughout the process of lung fibrosis. The diverse clinical outcome of the disease is due to different pattern of inflammatory markers. Nonetheless, the development of novel therapeutic strategies requires better understanding of the role of the immune response. This review highlights the role of the immune response in interstitial lung disease and considers the therapeutic strategies based on these observations. For this review several literature data sources were used to assess the role of the immune response in interstitial lung disease and to evaluate the possible therapeutic strategies for the disease.


1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Oldroyd

This article examines the role that correspondence played in the accounting systems of Tudor merchants. Merchants relied heavily on letters as a means of controlling their businesses at a distance by making agents accountable. Written accountability, as well as information for business decisions, was encouraged by agency relationships in mercantile enterprises. The system could be undermined by the breakdown of communication through the negligence of a factor or the lack of involvement by the principal. The time delays between the sending and the receipt of letters, on the one hand, and the procurement and conveyance of goods, on the other, were additional problems.


Author(s):  
Zoltán Kövecses

The chapter reports on work concerned with the issue of how conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) functions as a link between culture and cognition. Three large areas are investigated to this effect. First, work on the interaction between conceptual metaphors, on the one hand, and folk and expert theories of emotion, on the other, is surveyed. Second, the issue of metaphorical universality and variation is addressed, together with that of the function of embodiment in metaphor. Third, a contextualist view of conceptual metaphors is proposed. The discussion of these issues leads to a new and integrated understanding of the role of metaphor and metonymy in creating cultural reality and that of metaphorical variation across and within cultures, as well as individuals.


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