A search for the decay of the tau lepton to seven charged pions and one or zero pizero mesons was performed using the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. The analysis uses ...232.2 fb-1 of data at center-of-mass energies on or near the Y(4S) resonance. We observe 24 events with an expected background of 21.6+-1.3 events. Without evidence for a signal, we calculate an upper limit of BR(tau- --> 4pi- 3pi+ (pizero) nu_tau) < 3.0*10^-7 at 90 % confidence level. This is an improvement by nearly an order of magnitude over the previously established limit. In addition, we set upper limits for the exclusive decays tau- --> 4pi- 3pi+ nu_tau and tau- --> 4pi- 3pi+ pizero nu_tau.
The focus of this paper is the relationship between subjective measures of well-being and individual environmental attitudes. We use an ordered probit model to examine the relationship between ...measures of subjective well-being and attitudes regarding ozone pollution and species extinction. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey we find a negative coefficient for concern about ozone pollution on individual's well-being and a positive one for concern about species extinction. These results hold when explanatory variables are included indicating whether or not the person lives in a polluted environment, whether or not the person engages in outdoor leisure activities, and the region where an individual lives. These results also hold when we control for individual psychological traits.
A system based on ROOT for handling the micro-DST of the
BaBar experiment is described. The purpose of the
Kanga system is to have micro-DST data available in a format well suited for data ...distribution within a world-wide collaboration with many small sites. The design requirements, implementation and experience in practice after three years of data taking by the
BaBar experiment are presented.
Obesity is associated with increased risk for infections and poor responses to vaccinations, which may be due to compromised B cell function. However, there is limited information about the influence ...of obesity on B cell function and underlying factors that modulate B cell responses. Therefore, we studied B cell cytokine secretion and/or Ab production across obesity models. In obese humans, B cell IL-6 secretion was lowered and IgM levels were elevated upon ex vivo anti-BCR/TLR9 stimulation. In murine obesity induced by a high fat diet, ex vivo IgM and IgG were elevated with unstimulated B cells. Furthermore, the high fat diet lowered bone marrow B cell frequency accompanied by diminished transcripts of early lymphoid commitment markers. Murine B cell responses were subsequently investigated upon influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 infection using a Western diet model in the absence or presence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA, an essential fatty acid with immunomodulatory properties, was tested because its plasma levels are lowered in obesity. Relative to controls, mice consuming the Western diet had diminished Ab titers whereas the Western diet plus DHA improved titers. Mechanistically, DHA did not directly target B cells to elevate Ab levels. Instead, DHA increased the concentration of the downstream specialized proresolving lipid mediators (SPMs) 14-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid, 17-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid, and protectin DX. All three SPMs were found to be effective in elevating murine Ab levels upon influenza infection. Collectively, the results demonstrate that B cell responses are impaired across human and mouse obesity models and show that essential fatty acid status is a factor influencing humoral immunity, potentially through an SPM-mediated mechanism.
This study was designed to compare the effects of different media and containers on longevity of motility of spermatozoa during in vitro incubation at 38 degrees C in either air or 5% CO2 atmosphere. ...Three ejaculates were collected from each of 4 stallions. The media tested were skim milk-glucose, modified Krebs/Ringer and Hank's salts solution for incubation in an air atmosphere, and modified Krebs/Ringer and Brackett and Oliphant (BO) defined medium for incubation in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. All samples were incubated in 5-mL borosilicate glass tubes filled with 3 mL of extended spermatozoa, 5-mL borosilicate tubes filled with 6 mL (topped) of extended spermatozoa, 35-mm Petri dishes filled with 3 mL of extended spermatozoa, and 35-mm Petri dishes with 200-microL microdroplets of extended spermatozoa under sterile mineral oil. For all treatments, individual samples were removed at 2, 4, 6 and 12 h of incubation to determine the percentage of motile cells. Overall, spermatozoa incubated in Petri dishes in both 3-mL and microdroplet treatments had significantly higher motility than those incubated in glass tubes (P<0.01). At 6 and 12 h of incubation in Petri dishes, progressive motility was significantly higher for spermatozoa extended in the Hank's salts solution than in the other media. Both the medium and container used significantly affected the longevity of motility of spermatozoa incubated at 38 degrees C.
Yaeger, Shaikh, and Gowdy focus on the role of CD36 in oxidized phospholipid (OxPLs)-driven lung injury. Phospholipids area core unit of cell biology, making up membranes, affecting membrane ...fluidity, facilitating membrane transport, participating in cellular signaling and cell-cell adhesion, storing energy, constituting a large component of lung surfactant, and influencing immune responses. Research by Karki and collleagues characterized damage to the EC barrier in-vitro by evaluating transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) and by measuring phosphorylated vascular endothelial (VE) cadherin (marking adherens junction breakdown) concentrations and VE cadherin immunofluorescence. A strength of this study is the investigation of several Tr-OxPLs, all of which reduced TER and increased phosphorylated VE cadherin.
In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and the most important challenges they face. While such instruments can play a role in improving ...environmental governance, we argue that over‐reliance on payments as win‐win solutions might lead to ineffective outcomes, similar to earlier experience with integrated conservation and development projects. Our objective is to raise awareness, particularly among policy makers and practitioners, about the limitations of such instruments and to encourage a dialogue about the policy contexts in which they might be appropriate.
Obesity is a major independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality upon infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for the current ...coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). Therefore, there is a critical need to identify underlying metabolic factors associated with obesity that could be contributing toward increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in this vulnerable population. Here, we focus on the critical role of potent endogenous lipid metabolites known as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) that are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acids. SPMs are generated during the transition of inflammation to resolution and have a vital role in directing damaged tissues to homeostasis; furthermore, SPMs display anti-viral activity in the context of influenza infection without being immunosuppressive. We cover evidence from rodent and human studies to show that obesity, and its co-morbidities, induce a signature of SPM deficiency across immunometabolic tissues. We further discuss how the effects of obesity upon SARS-CoV-2 infection are likely exacerbated with environmental exposures that promote chronic pulmonary inflammation and augment SPM deficits. Finally, we highlight potential approaches to overcome the loss of SPMs using dietary and pharmacological interventions. Collectively, this mini-review underscores the need for mechanistic studies on how SPM deficiencies driven by obesity and environmental exposures may exacerbate the response to SARS-CoV-2.
Purpose of Review
Increases in ambient levels of air pollutants have been linked to lung inflammation and remodeling, processes that lead to the development and exacerbation of allergic asthma. ...Conventional research has focused on the role of CD4
+
T helper 2 (T
H
2) cells in the pathogenesis of air pollution-induced asthma. However, much work in the past decade has uncovered an array of air pollution-induced non-T
H
2 immune mechanisms that contribute to allergic airway inflammation and disease.
Recent Findings
In this article, we review current research demonstrating the connection between common air pollutants and their downstream effects on non-T
H
2 immune responses emerging as key players in asthma, including PRRs, ILCs, and non-T
H
2 T cell subsets. We also discuss the proposed mechanisms by which air pollution increases immune-mediated asthma risk, including pre-existing genetic risk, epigenetic alterations in immune cells, and perturbation of the composition and function of the lung and gut microbiomes.
Summary
Together, these studies reveal the multifaceted impacts of various air pollutants on innate and adaptive immune functions via genetic, epigenetic, and microbiome-based mechanisms that facilitate the induction and worsening of asthma.
Lung disease causes significant morbidity and mortality, and is exacerbated by environmental injury, for example through lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or ozone (O
). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) orchestrate ...immune responses to injury by recognizing pathogen- or danger-associated molecular patterns. TLR4, the prototypic receptor for LPS, also mediates inflammation after O
, triggered by endogenous hyaluronan. Regulation of TLR4 signaling is incompletely understood. TLR5, the flagellin receptor, is expressed in alveolar macrophages, and regulates immune responses to environmental injury. Using in vivo animal models of TLR4-mediated inflammations (LPS, O
, hyaluronan), we show that TLR5 impacts the in vivo response to LPS, hyaluronan and O
. We demonstrate that immune cells of human carriers of a dominant negative TLR5 allele have decreased inflammatory response to O
exposure ex vivo and LPS exposure in vitro. Using primary murine macrophages, we find that TLR5 physically associates with TLR4 and biases TLR4 signaling towards the MyD88 pathway. Our results suggest an updated paradigm for TLR4/TLR5 signaling.
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