γδ T cells uniquely contribute to host immune defense, but how this is accomplished remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the nonclassical major histocompatibility complex class I T10 and T22-specific ...γδ T cells in mice and found that encountering antigen in the thymus was neither required nor inhibitory for their development. But when triggered through the T cell receptor, ligand-naive lymphoid-γδ T cells produced IL-17, whereas ligand-experienced cells made IFN-γ. Immediately after immunization, a large fraction of IL-17
+ γδ T cells were found in the draining lymph nodes days before the appearance of antigen-specific IL-17
+ αβ T cells. Thus, thymic selection determines the effector fate of γδ T cells rather than constrains their antigen specificities. The swift IL-17 response mounted by antigen-naive γδ T cells suggests a critical role for these cells at the onset of an acute inflammatory response to novel antigens.
In children-robot interactions, an impression of a robot's "social presence" (i.e., an interactive agent that feels like a person) links positively to an improved relationship with the robot. ...However, building relationships takes many exposures, and there is an intellectual gap in how social presence and familiarity collaborate in modulating children-robot relationships. We investigated whether social presence altered over time, how repeated exposure and social presence affected rapport, and how social presence would modulate children's attitudes toward the robot. Fourteen children (four female, age = 10.79 ± 1.12) interacted with a companion robot for four days in spontaneous interactions. The findings revealed that children who perceived the robot as having a higher social presence developed a stronger rapport than those who perceived a lower social presence. However, repeated encounters did not change the children's perceptions of the robot's social presence. Children rated higher rapport after repeated interactions regardless of social presence levels. This suggests that while a higher social presence initially elevated the positive relationship between children and the robot, it was the repeated interactions that continued solidifying the rapport. Additionally, children who perceived a higher social presence from the robot felt less relational uneasiness about their relationship with robots. These findings highlight the importance of robots' social presence and familiarity in promoting positive relationships in children-robot interaction.
The relationship between food insecurity and the experience of sleep disturbance has received little attention among researchers, although food insecurity is associated with poor physical and mental ...health globally. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food security status and sleep disturbance among adults 20-64 years old.
The study's population-based sample included 20,212 Indonesian adults who participated in the fifth wave of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS5) in 2014. Dietary intake data, gathered using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), were used to assess the food security status. Sleep disturbance was assessed using the 10-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaire. We used multiple linear and logistic regression models to test the study hypothesis.
A higher likelihood of experiencing sleep disturbance was recorded in people aged older than 56 years (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.17-2.72,
= 0.007), people with depressive symptoms (OR = 3.57, 95% CI: 2.77-4.61,
< 0.001), and food-insecure people (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02-1.70,
= 0.036). A lower likelihood of experiencing sleep disturbance was recorded in people with low educational attainment (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.30-0.57,
< 0.001). Sleep disturbance was dependent on the food consumption groups and food security status among men (
= 0.004).
Sleep disturbance may be affected by the food-insecure status of adults, and later, may lead to serious health outcomes.
Here we report a peptide-MHC (pMHC) dodecamer as a “next generation” technology that is a significantly more sensitive and versatile alternative to pMHC tetramers for the detection, isolation, and ...phenotypic analysis of antigen-specific T cells. In particular, dodecamers are able to detect two- to fivefold more antigen-specific T cells in both human and murine CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ αβ T-cell compartments compared with the equivalent tetramers. The low-affinity, tetramer-negative, dodecamer-positive T cells showed comparable effector cytokine responses as those of high-affinity, tetramer-positive T cells. Dodecamers are able to detect early stage CD4⁺CD8⁺ double-positive thymocytes on which T-cell receptors are 10- to 30-fold less dense than mature T cells. Dodecamers also show utility in the analysis of γδ T cells and in cytometry by time-of-flight applications. This construct has a simple structure with a central scaffold protein linked to four streptavidin molecules, each having three pMHC ligands or other molecules. The dodecamer is straightforward and inexpensive to produce and is compatible with current tetramer technology and commercially available streptavidin conjugates.
Infection in acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with nutritional therapies including naso-gastric (NG), naso-jejunal (NJ), and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). To examine infections among NG, NJ, ...TPN, and no nutritional support (NNS) in treating patients with AP.
The investigators completed comprehensive search in the Cochrane library, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov without restriction on language and publication date before January 21, 2019. They also searched the reference lists of relevant studies for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NG, NJ, TPN, and NNS among patients with AP. Quantitative synthesis was conducted in a contrast-based network meta-analysis. To clarify effects, a network meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Beside of overall infections, the event rates of infected pancreatic necrosis, bacteremia, line infection, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and other types of infections were measured.
The network meta-analysis of 16 RCTs showed that NJ had significantly lower overall infection rates compared with TPN (risk ratio: 0.59; 95% confidence interval: 0.38, 0.90); and NG had a larger effect size and higher rank probability compared with NJ, TPN, and NNS (mean rank = 1.7; SUCRA = 75.8). TPN was the least preferred (mean rank = 3.2; SUCRA = 26.6).
NG and NJ may be preferred therapies for treating patients with AP. Clinicians may consider NG as a first-line treatment for patients with AP (including severe AP) and even in patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics. In addition, we found that NNS should be avoided when treating patients with severe AP.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Dysregulation of eicosanoids is associated with asthma and a composite of oxylipins, including exhaled leukotriene B4 (LTB4), characterizes childhood asthma. While fractional exhaled ...nitric oxide (FeNO) has been used as the standard for monitoring steroid responsiveness, the potential utility of eicosanoids in monitoring the therapeutic outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to examine the levels of major eicosanoids representing different metabolic pathways in exhaled breath condensates (EBCs) of children with asthma during exacerbation and after treatment.
Methods
Levels of 6 exhaled eicosanoid species in asthmatic children and healthy subjects were evaluated using ELISA.
Results
In addition to those previously reported, including LTB4, the levels of exhaled 15‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15‐HETE), but not thromboxane B2 (TXB2), showed significant difference between asthmatics (N = 318) and healthy controls (N = 97), particularly the severe group showed the lowest levels of exhaled 15‐HETE. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses revealed similar distinguishing power for the levels of 15‐HETE, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second), and FeNO, while the 15‐HETE/LTB4 ratio was significantly lower in subjects with asthma as compared to that of healthy controls (p < 0.0001). Analysis of asthmatics (N = 75) during exacerbation and convalescence showed significant improvement in lung function (FEV1, p < .001), but not FeNO, concomitant with significantly increased levels of 15‐HETE (p < .001) and reduced levels of TXB2 (p < .05) at convalescence, particularly for those who at the top 30% level during exacerbation. Further, decreased LTB4 and lipoxin A4 (LXA4) at convalescence were noted only in those at the top 30 percentile during exacerbation.
Conclusion
The exhaled 15‐HETE was found to discriminate childhood asthma while decreased levels of exhaled TXB2 and increased levels of 15‐HETE were prominent at convalescence.
Background and aims: Digital food viewing is a vital skill for connecting dieticians to e-health. The aim of this study was to integrate a novel pedagogical framework that combines interactive three- ...(3-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) food models into a formal dietetic training course. The level of agreement between the digital food models (first semester) and the effectiveness of educational integration of digital food models during the school closure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (second semester) were evaluated. Method: In total, 65 second-year undergraduate dietetic students were enrolled in a nutritional practicum course at the School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University (Taipei, Taiwan). A 3-D food model was created using Agisoft Metashape. Students’ digital food viewing skills and receptiveness towards integrating digital food models were evaluated. Results: In the first semester, no statistical differences were observed between 2-D and 3-D food viewing skills in food identification (2-D: 89% vs. 3-D: 85%) and quantification (within ±10% difference in total calories) (2-D: 19.4% vs. 3-D: 19.3%). A Spearman correlation analysis showed moderate to strong correlations of estimated total calories (0.69~0.93; all p values < 0.05) between the 3-D and 2-D models. Further analysis showed that students who struggled to master both 2-D and 3-D food viewing skills had lower estimation accuracies than those who did not (equal performers: 28% vs. unequal performers:16%, p = 0.041), and interactive 3-D models may help them perform better than 2-D models. In the second semester, the digital food viewing skills significantly improved (food identification: 91.5% and quantification: 42.9%) even for those students who struggled to perform digital food viewing skills equally in the first semester (equal performers: 44% vs. unequal performers: 40%). Conclusion: Although repeated training greatly enhanced students’ digital food viewing skills, a tailored training program may be needed to master 2-D and 3-D digital food viewing skills. Future study is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital food models for future “eHealth” care.
•The present study addresses sources of error affecting the validity of mobile-based dietary assessments in a free-living setting.•A two-stage data modification process that included manual data ...cleaning and reanalyzing of prepackaged foods improved the accuracy of an image-assisted mobile nutrition app.•Stage 1 errors were commonly observed and associated with wrong food code selections, portion size estimates, misreporting, and missing condiments.•Stage 2 errors related to the mobile nutrition app were associated with prepackaged and restaurant/street foods that only provide limited micronutrient information.•Reanalyzing food codes with missing nutrients substantially improved the accuracy of micronutrient intake levels and enhanced correlations between the app and 24-h dietary recall.•Results highlight the importance of addressing errors in mobile-based dietary assessments and continually updating and expanding prepackaged food databases with full nutrient information.
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Mobile nutrition applications (apps) provide a simple way for individuals to record their diet, but the validity and inherent errors need to be carefully evaluated. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and clarify the sources of measurement errors of image-assisted mobile nutrition apps.
This was a cross-sectional study with 98 students recruited from School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University. A 3-d nutrient intake record by Formosa Food and Nutrient Recording App (FoodApp) was compared with a 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR). A two-stage data modification process, manual data cleaning, and reanalyzing of prepackaged foods were employed to address inherent errors. Nutrient intake levels obtained by the two methods were compared with the recommended daily intake (DRI), Taiwan. Paired t test, Spearman's correlation coefficients, and Bland–Altman plots were used to assess agreement between the FoodApp and 24-HDR.
Manual data cleaning identified 166 food coding errors (12%; stage 1), and 426 food codes with missing micronutrients (32%) were reanalyzed (stage 2). Positive linear trends were observed for total energy and micronutrient intake (all Ptrend < 0.05) after the two stages of data modification, but not for dietary fat, carbohydrates, or vitamin D. There were no statistical differences in mean energy and macronutrient intake between the FoodApp and 24-HDR, and this agreement was confirmed by Bland–Altman plots. Spearman's correlation analyses showed strong to moderate correlations (r = 0.834 ∼ 0.386) between the two methods. Participants’ nutrient intake tended to be lower than the DRI, but no differences in proportions of adequacy/inadequacy for DRI values were observed between the two methods.
Mitigating errors significantly improved the accuracy of the Formosa FoodApp, indicating its validity and reliability as a self-reporting mobile-based dietary assessment tool. Dietitians and health professionals should be mindful of potential errors associated with self-reporting nutrition apps, and manual data cleaning is vital to obtain reliable nutrient intake data.
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a cellular chemical sensor, controls cellular homeostasis, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive intermediate of sphingolipid metabolism, is believed to have ...a role in immunity and inflammation, but their potential crosstalk is currently unknown. We aimed to determine whether there is a functional linkage between AhR signaling and sphingolipid metabolism. We showed that AhR ligands, including an environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), induced S1P generation, and inhibited S1P lyase (S1PL) activity in resting cells, antigen/IgE-activated mast cells, and mouse lungs exposed to the AhR ligand alone or in combination with antigen challenge. The reduction of S1PL activity was due to AhR-mediated oxidation of S1PL at residue 317, which was reversible by the addition of an antioxidant or in cells with knockdown of the ORMDL3 gene encoding an ER transmembrane protein, whereas C317A S1PL mutant-transfected cells were resistant to the AhR-mediated effect. Furthermore, analysis of AhR ligand-treated cells showed a time-dependent increase of the ORMDL3-S1PL complex, which was confirmed by FRET analysis. This change increased the S1P levels, which in turn, induced mast cell degranulation via S1PR2 signaling. In addition, elevated levels of plasma S1P were found in children with asthma compared to non-asthmatic subjects. These results suggest a new regulatory pathway whereby the AhR-ligand axis induces ORMDL3-dependent S1P generation by inhibiting S1PL, which may contribute to the expression of allergic diseases.
Recent studies have indicated that the ratio of C-reactive protein to albumin (CRP-Alb ratio) is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with disease. We examined the predictive value of this ...ratio in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). In this cross-sectional study, 91 eligible adult HD patients were analyzed, and the correlation between the CRP-Alb ratio and skeletal muscle mass normalized for body weight (SMM/wt; estimated using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer) was investigated. The mean age of the study participants was 54.9 ± 6.6 years (ranging from 27 to 64 years); 43 (47.2%) were men. The mean values for the SMM/wt were 39.1% ± 5.4%. The CRP-Alb ratio was found to be negatively correlated with SMM/wt (r = -0.33, P = 0.002) and creatinine (r = -0.20, P = 0.056). All the univariate significant and nonsignificant relevant covariates were selected for multivariable stepwise regression analysis. We determined that the homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance and CRP-Alb ratio were independent risk determinants for SMM/wt (βHOMA-IR = -0.18 and βCRP-Alb ratio = -3.84, adjusted R2 = 0.32). This study indicated that the CRP-Alb ratio may help clinicians in predicting muscle mass in adult patients undergoing HD.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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