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•Decidual γδT cells during human early pregnancy showed:•high cytotoxic potential despite low perforin expression.•low production of Th1 cytokines IFNγ and TNFα.•private CDR3 ...repertoire and enriched for TRGV2/TRDV1 segments.
Human γδ T cells are enriched at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI, decidua basalis) showing a highly differentiated phenotype. However, their functional potential is not well-known and it is not clear whether this decidua-enrichment is associated with specific γδ T cell receptors (TCR) as is observed in mice. Here we addressed these open questions by investigating decidual γδ T cells during early and late gestation, in comparison with paired blood samples, with flow cytometry (cytotoxic mediators, cytokines) and TCR high-throughput sequencing. While decidual γδ T cells expressed less perforin than their counterparts in the blood, they expressed significant more granulysin during early pregnancy. Strikingly, this high granulysin expression was limited to early pregnancy, as it was reduced at term pregnancy. In contrast to this granulysin expression pattern, decidual γδ T cells produced reduced levels of IFNγ and TNFα (compared to paired blood) in early pregnancy that then increased by term pregnancy. TCR repertoire analysis indicated that human decidual γδ T cells are not generated early in life as in the mouse. Despite this, a specific enrichment of the Vγ2 chain in the decidua in early pregnancy was observed that disappeared later onwards, reflecting dynamic changes in the decidual γδ TCR repertoire during human gestation. In conclusion, our data indicate that decidual γδ T cells express a specific and dynamic pattern of cytotoxic mediators, Th1 cytokines and TCR repertoire suggesting an important role for these unconventional T cells in assuring a healthy pregnancy in human.
A
bstract
The cross section of the process
e
+
e
−
→
π
+
π
−
has been measured in the Spherical Neutral Detector (SND) experiment at the VEPP-2000
e
+
e
−
collider VEPP-2000 in the energy region 525
...<
s
<
883 MeV. The measurement is based on data with an integrated luminosity of about 4.6 pb
−
1
. The systematic uncertainty of the cross section determination is 0.8% at
s
>
0
.
600 GeV. The
ρ
meson parameters are obtained as
m
ρ
= 775
.
3 ± 0
.
5 ± 0
.
6 MeV, Γ
ρ
= 145
.
6 ± 0
.
6 ± 0
.
8 MeV,
B
ρ
→
e
+
e−
×
B
ρ
→
π
+
π−
= (4
.
89 ± 0
.
02 ± 0
.
04) × 10
−
5
, and the parameters of the
e
+
e
−
→
ω
→
π
+
π
−
process, suppressed by
G
-parity, as
B
ω
→
e
+
e−
×
B
ω
→
π
+
π−
= (1
.
32 ± 0
.
06 ± 0
.
02) × 10
−
6
and and
ϕ
ρω
= 110
.
7 ± 1
.
5 ± 1
.
0 degrees.
The ability of bacteria to exist as a population of self-replicating forms with defective or entirely missing cell wall (L-forms) is an adaptive mechanism for their survival and reproduction under ...unfavorable conditions. Bacterial mother-to-fetus transfer is a universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom. However, data about vertical transfer of L bacterial forms are extremely scarce. Bacille Calmette-Guérin is an attenuated strain of M. bovis and the only licensed vaccine used for tuberculosis prevention. We already have shown that filterable L-forms of BCG exist freely in the vaccine and are able to reproduce and to form colonies. The present study was focused on the placental microbiome in the context of mother's BCG vaccination. Here we report an isolation of filterable mycobacterial L-form cultures from gestational tissues and blood of healthy newborns delivered by healthy BCG-vaccinated mothers after normal pregnancy. Of note, vertically transmitted mycobacterial L-forms as a part of placentobiome of the pregnant women didn't influence the number of resident pathogen-reactive Vδ2 cells. Placenta colonization with mycobacterial L-forms occurs by maternal blood-to-decidua transfer very early in gestation. Together, these data showed that BCG L-forms have the capacity to pass trans-placental barrier and that maternal BCG vaccination affects the placentobiome.
The process
e
+
e
-
→
n
n
¯
is studied in the experiment at the VEPP-2000
e
+
e
-
collider with the SND detector. The technique of the time measurements in the multichannel NaI(Tl) electromagnetic ...calorimeter is used to select
n
n
¯
events. The value of the measured cross section in the center-of-mass energy range from 1.894 to 2 GeV varies from 0.5 to 0.35 nb. The effective neutron timelike form factor is derived from the measured cross section and compared with the proton form factor. The ratio of the neutron electric and magnetic form factors is obtained from the analysis of the antineutron polar angle distribution and found to be consistent with unity.
This work presents results from a nearly two-year monitoring of the hydrologic dynamics of the largest submarine spring system in Florida, Spring Creek Springs. During the summer of 2007 this spring ...system was observed to have significantly reduced flow due to persistent drought conditions. Our examination of the springs revealed that the salinity of the springs' waters had increased significantly, from 4 in 2004 to 33 in July 2007 with anomalous high radon (
222Rn,
t
1/2=3.8 days) in surface water concentrations indicating substantial saltwater intrusion into the local aquifer. During our investigation from August 2007 to May 2009 we deployed on an almost monthly basis a continuous radon-in-water measurement system and monitored the salinity fluctuations in the discharge area. To evaluate the springs' freshwater flux we developed three different models: two of them are based on water velocity measurements and either salinity or
222Rn in the associated surface waters as groundwater tracers. The third approach used only salinity changes within the spring area. The three models showed good agreement and the results confirmed that the hydrologic regime of the system is strongly correlated to local precipitation and water table fluctuations with higher discharges after major rain events and very low, even reverse flow during prolong droughts. High flow spring conditions were observed twice during our study, in the early spring and mid-late summer of 2008. However the freshwater spring flux during our observation period never reached that reported from a 1970s value of 4.9×10
6
m
3/day. The maximum spring flow was estimated at about 3.0×10
6
m
3/day after heavy precipitation in February–March 2008. As a result of this storm (total of 173
mm) the salinity in the spring area dropped from about 27 to 2 in only two days. The radon-in-water concentrations dramatically increased in parallel, from about 330
Bq/m
3 to about 6600
Bq/m
3. Such a rapid response suggests a direct connection between the deep and the surficial aquifers.
► In this study we monitor the hydrologic regime of one of the largest submarine spring systems in Florida. ► We found that the spring system response very quickly to precipitation changes in the recharge area. The rapid response in the coastal waters suggests that the surficial aquifer is one of the major contributors for SGD in the area. ► Substantial saltwater intrusion was evident during periods of prolong drought. ► The maximum calculated flow never reached the reported historical freshwater discharge during our observations.
The process
e
+
e
-
→
η
η
γ
is studied in the center-of-mass energy range 1.17–2.00 GeV using data with an integrated luminosity of 201 pb
-
1
collected by the SND detector at the VEPP-2000
e
+
e
-
...collider. The
e
+
e
-
→
η
η
γ
cross section is measured for the first time. It is shown that the dominant mechanism of this reaction is the transition through the
ϕ
η
intermediate state. Our result on the
e
+
e
-
→
η
η
γ
cross section is consistent with the
e
+
e
-
→
ϕ
η
measurement in the
ϕ
→
K
+
K
-
mode. The search for radiative processes contributing to the
e
+
e
-
→
η
η
γ
cross section is performed, and no significant signal is observed.
Recent results on
annihilation to hadrons below 2 GeV obtained at the SND experiment at the VEPP-2000 collider are presented. In particular, we discuss measurements of the
and
cross sections, and ...study of the processes
,
,
,
,
, and
.
Coxiella burnetii in ticks and wild birds Tokarevich, N.K.; Panferova, Yu.A.; Freylikhman, O.A. ...
Ticks and tick-borne diseases,
February 2019, 2019-02-00, 20190201, Letnik:
10, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The study objective was to get more information on C. burnetii prevalence in wild birds and ticks feeding on them, and the potentialities of the pathogen dissemination over Europe by both.
Blood, ...blood sera, feces of wild birds and ticks removed from those birds or from vegetation were studied at two sites in Russia: the Curonian Spit (site KK), and the vicinity of St. Petersburg (site SPb), and at two sites in Bulgaria: the Atanasovsko Lake (site AL), and the vicinity of Sofia (site SR).
C. burnetii DNA was detected in blood, feces, and ticks by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). All positive results were confirmed by Sanger's sequencing of 16SrRNA gene target fragments. The antibodies to C. burnetii in sera were detected by CFR (complement fixation reaction).
Eleven of 55 bird species captured at KK site hosted Ixodes ricinus.
C. burnetii DNA was detected in three I. ricinus nymphs removed from one bird (Erithacus rubecula), and in adult ticks flagged from vegetation: 0.7% I. persulcatus (site SPb), 0.9% I. ricinus (site KK), 1.0% D. reticulatus (AL site). C. burnetii DNA was also detected in 1.4% of bird blood samples at SPb site, and in 0.5% of those at AL site. Antibodies to C. burnetii were found in 8.1% of bird sera (site SPb). C. burnetii DNA was revealed in feces of birds: 0.6% at AL site, and 13.7% at SR site.
Both molecular-genetic and immunological methods were applied to confirm the role of birds as a natural reservoir of C. burnetii. The places of wild bird stopover in Russia (Baltic region) and in Bulgaria (Atanasovsko Lake and Sofia region) proved to be natural foci of C. burnetii infection. Migratory birds are likely to act as efficient “vehicles” in dispersal of C. burnetii -infested ixodid ticks.
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