Search

Objectives Antibodies against anti-CD74 are related to axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The objectives were (i) to study IgA anti-CD74 in radiographic (r)-axSpA patients in the Backbone cohort and to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of anti-CD74, (ii) to study the fluctuation of IgA anti-CD74 levels in prospectively collected samples, and (iii) to explore the relation between IgA anti-CD74 and radiographic spinal changes. Methods IgA anti-CD74 was analysed by ELISA in 155 patients with r-axSpA and age- and sex-matched controls. BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI and BASMI were assessed and spinal radiographs were scored for r-axSpA-related changes with mSASSS. Previously donated samples, before inclusion in the Backbone study, were identified in the Medical Biobank of Northern Sweden. Results A total of 155 patients comprising 69% men and 31% women, age [mean (s.d.)] 55.5 (11.4) years and 152 (98.1%) HLA-B27 positive, were included. The plasma level of IgA anti-CD74 was significantly higher in the patients [median (interquartile range), 12.9 (7.9–17.9) U/ml] compared with controls [10.9 (7.2–14.6) U/ml, P = 0.003]. IgA anti-CD74 was above the cut-off level of 20 U/ml in 36/155 (23.2%) patients and in 15/151 (9.9%) controls (P = 0.002). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed ≥1 syndesmophyte associated with IgA anti-CD74 (odds ratio 5.64; 95% CI: 1.02, 35.58; P = 0.048) adjusted for hsCRP, smoking, BMI, sex and age. No distinct pattern of IgA anti-CD74 over time was revealed. Conclusion Plasma levels of IgA anti-CD74 were increased in r-axSpA and independently associated with radiographic spinal changes, which suggests that IgA anti-CD74 could play a role in the pathogenies of r-axSpA.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease affecting parts of the skeletal structure in particular. Previously increased levels of the inflammatory cell types Th17, Th22, Tc17 and Tc22 cells have been shown to be associated with AS. Here, we analysed the levels of inflammatory T cell subsets, related cytokines and clinical characteristics of AS patients vs controls from northern Sweden. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from 50 AS patients and 50 matched controls were short term stimulated with PMA/Ionomycin, stained and analysed by flow cytometry. Plasma levels of Interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, IL-10 as well as clinically relevant markers were determined. Compared to male controls, male AS patients showed 1.5- to 2-fold increases of Th17 (P = .013), Th22 (P = .003) and Tc22 (P = .024) among CD45+CD3+ lymphocytes. Plasma IL-22 levels correlated with the Tc17 proportion in male patients (Rs = 0.499, P = .003) and plasma IL-10 levels were inversely correlated with Tc17 among all patients (Rs = −0.276, P = .05). Male patients with syndesmophytes showed significantly higher Th17 proportions (P = .038). In female AS patients, Tc22 was negatively correlated with C-reactive protein (high sensitivity) (hsCRP) (Rs = −0.573, P = .016). We confirmed increased proportions of inflammatory T cells and correlations with relevant cytokines from male AS patients. The correlation between Th17 and syndesmophytes supports a role of Th17 in the pathogenic process.

A report is given on the genus Rhiostoma (Cyclophoridae) collected in Vietnam during recent fieldwork. Locality data, Vietnam distribution and general distribution are given for each species, including references to previously published records. Five named species are listed, of which a new species is described, Rhiostoma ningbien sp. nov., from Dien Bien, North-western Vietnam.

The report proposed and demonstrated some properties about smoothing, roughen the values of the condition index attribute or decision index attribute on the decision block and on the slice of the decision block. Every time the condition equivalence class or decision equivalence class on the decision block have been smoothed or roughened then they will partial pullulate or pullulate smoothing, roughing the corresponding class on the slice. From the results found of the smoothing, roughening the condition equivalence class or decision equivalence class partial pullulate or pullulate on the slice then the incremental calculation of the support matrices on the slice will be simpler and therefore faster than recalculating these matrices when smoothing, roughing the values of the condition index attribute or decision index attribute.

Background Increased levels of TH17 and TH22 as well as TC17 and TC22 cells and their related cytokines have previously been associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, the status of these inflammatory cells in a well characterized AS cohort from northern Sweden has not been studied.Objectives The aim of this study was to confirm the increased presence of inflammatory T cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients with AS and controls from northern Sweden and explore the association with clinically relevant parameters with the level of the inflammatory T cell subset(s) and related cytokines.Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a cohort of 50 patients (66% men) with AS from Region Västerbotten (age 52.1±9.0 years, 100% HLA-B27+) and 50 pairwise sex- and age-matched blood donor controls (66% men, mean age 54.6±9.1 years) were stained for CD45, CD3, CD4, CD8, intracellular IL-17 and IL-22 and analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, levels of IL-17, IL-22 and IL-10 in plasma were determined. The patients with AS were assessed for mSASSS, hsCRP, ESR, BASMI, BASFI, ASDAS-hsCRP and BASDAI.Results Pairwise comparisons of AS patients and controls showed a 1,5x to 2-fold increase of TH17, TH22 and TC22 cells among CD45+CD3+ lymphocytes in PBMCs in male patients (p=0.013, p=0.003 and p=0.024 respectively). Levels of IL-22 in plasma and proportion of TC17 correlated in male patients (Rs=0.499 p=0.003) and plasma levels of IL-10 showed an inverse correlation to TC17 in all patients (Rs=-0.276 p=0.05). In addition, male patients with ≥ 1 syndesmophyte showed significantly higher proportion of TH17 cells (p=0.038). In female AS patients there was a negative correlation between TC22 and hsCRP (Rs= -0.573, p=0.016). Conclusions We confirm an increased proportion of TH17, TH22 and TC22 cells in blood in AS male patients from northern Sweden. A positive correlation with the proinflammatory cytokine IL-22 and reverse correlation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in relation to TC17 corroborate the influence of these cells. In addition, a role of TH17 in the pathogenesis process is supported by the correlation between TH17 proportions and the presence of ≥ 1 syndesmophyte.

INTRODUCTION: The participation rates of Indigenous Australians in disability services were significantly lower than the prevalence of disability in Indigenous communities. The Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) promises changes to the lives of Australians with disability in general and particularly for the Indigenous population living with disability. This article presents research exploring how the NDIS takes into consideration the issues challenging Indigenous people’s access to, and use of, disability services.METHODS: The theoretical underpinning of the research drew on the social model of disability and post-colonial theory, which informed a systematic review of disability services for Indigenous people, an analysis of the current policy-making process and current NDIS legislation.FINDINGS: The systematic literature review revealed the social, attitudinal, physical and communication barriers experienced by Indigenous people accessing and using disability services; however, the policy analysis of the NDIS indicates that the new legislation does not address these challenges faced by this multi-disadvantaged Australian population group.CONCLUSION: This research highlights the urgent need for disability policy improvements and promotes further design of culturally appropriate healthcare for Indigenous populations, who are still “disabled”, not only by colonised histories but also through contemporary socio-economic marginalization.

The recent surge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has set forth demands for a new generation of the labor force with a comprehensive set of skills to meet the standards of the global market. Despite widespread concerns about educational reforms and renovations to enhance the workforce capacity in terms of information and communication technology (ICT) skills, research into the digital proficiencies of students has been limited in Vietnam. This dataset contains 1061 observations on the digital competency level of 10th-grade students in 20 surveyed schools from five provinces in Vietnam. The investigation, joining frequentist and Bayesian analyses, aims to provide valuable insights into the current state of children’s attitudes, behaviors, competency levels, and use of ICT within the Vietnamese educational context. The values of the dataset lie in its proposed scientific framework for replication in multiple regions and contexts as well as the feasibility of categorical regression techniques together with Bayesian statistics for hierarchical regression analysis.

Natural Language Processing has largely addressed automatic metaphor detection on grounds of (cognitive) linguistic frameworks, especially the Conceptual Metaphor Theory of Lakoff and Johnson [1], which sees metaphor as ubiquitous. In contrast, in this work we view metaphor as an exceptional phenomenon [2]. This change in perspective affects applicability of machine learning approaches for metaphor detection, usage of corresponding features, as well as availability of datasets. We propose a combination of manual annotation and automatic filtering as an approach to conduct first steps into the direction of genuine metaphor detection.

The clinical and therapeutic value of humanin vitrogenerated monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) and macrophages is well established. However, in line with recent findings regarding myeloid cell ontogeny and due to our limited understanding of their physiological counterparts, transcriptional regulation and heterogeneity, the full potential of these important cellular systems is still underestimated.In this study, we use cutting edge high-dimensional analysis methods to better understand the transcriptional organization, phenotypic heterogeneity and functional differences between humanex vivoisolated andin vitrogenerated mononuclear phagocytes with the aim to better realize their full potential in the clinic.We demonstrate that human monocytes activated by MCSF or GMCSF most closely resemble inflammatory macrophages identifiedin vivo, while IL4 signalling in the presence of GMCSF generates moDCs resembling inflammatory DCsin vivo, but not steady state cDC1 or cDC2. Moreover, these reprogramming regimes lead to activated monocytes that present with profoundly different transcriptomic, metabolic, phenotypic and functional profiles. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CD14+monocytes are integrating multiple exogenous activation signals such as GMCSF and IL4 in a combinatorial and temporal fashion, resulting in a high-dimensional cellular continuum of reprogrammed monocytes dependent on the mode and timing of cytokine exposure. Utilizing nanostraw-based knockdown technology, we demonstrate that the IL4-dependent generation of moDCs relies on the induction, nuclear localization and function of the transcriptional regulator NCOR2.Finally, we unravel unappreciated heterogeneity within the clinically moDCs population and propose a novel high-dimensional phenotyping strategy to better tailor clinical quality control strategies for patient need and culture conditions to enhance therapeutic outcome.

Occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria and their toxins has been a root of many consequently serious problems to aquatic plants, animals, and human in the world. However, the toxicity of cyanobacterial toxins from Vietnam waters to the germination and growth of plants has not studied yet. In this study, we investigated the effects of microcystins (MC) (at the concentrations of 20 and 200 µg MC L–1) from field water and crude extract of cyanobacterial scum (mainly Microcystis spp.) from the Dau Tieng Reservoir, on the germination and seedling of Brassica juncea and Medicago sativa during 7 days. The results showed that MC inhibited the germination of the exposed seeds from 10 – 35% compared to the control. The fresh weight of exposed B. juncea and M. sativa compared to the control was from 44 – 89% and from 55 – 90%, respectively. Root length of the plants reduced from 12 – 73% for B. juncea and from 17 – 54% for M. sativa during toxin exposures. Similarly, the decrease of the shoot length, compared to the control, was from 20 – 80% for B. juncea and 13 – 52% for M. sativa. Therefore, the use of water contaminated with MC for irrigation may negatively influence on the quality and yield of agricultural crops. It could be inferred that there should be an uptake of MC by the exposed seeds and th toxin might be transferred to the next consumers via the food chain.

Books are the invaluable, colossal storage of mankind’s immense scholarship and are still commonly perceived as a more reliable source of knowledge even in this age of digitized information. Extensive reading is often promoted as being vital to cognitive development, especially for students in primary and secondary education. While it could now be considered common knowledge that reading is highly beneficial, reading habits vary among individuals in the same culture and receiving the same public education. This could be due to demographic variations and differences in socioeconomic status, or other factors such as family background and education. Despite the ample literature on reading habits, there still exists a lack of holistic approach with empirical results concerning the reciprocal interactions of reading and its relevant affecting factors. This data article presents a dataset of 1676 responses to the survey “Studying reading habits and preferences„ of junior high school students in Vietnam. Result analysis facilitates evaluation of reading habits and their affecting factors, thus holding implications on education measures and policy. The dataset is available with the paper.

This paper describes the development of methods for selective extraction of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from soils and sediments, using pressurized liquid extraction with in-cell clean-up (SPLE). Two binary solvent mixtures, viz. dichloromethane/n-heptane (DCM/Hp), and diethylether/n-heptane (DEE/Hp), were evaluated. The SPLE extraction conditions were optimized using central composite face (CCF) design. Three factors were investigated: extraction temperature (60-160 °C), number of extraction cycles (1-3) and time per cycle (2-18 min). The results showed that DCM/Hp (1/1, v/v) and DEE/Hp (1/2, v/v) were the best extraction solvent compositions and that the extraction temperature was a critical factor that needed careful optimization to achieve high extraction efficiency without co-extraction of sulfuric acid. Under the optimal conditions, the SPLE methods provided results with good accuracy and precision. For the sandy soil certified reference material (CRM-529) the quantification results ended up in the range 82-110% as compared to the concentrations obtained by a reference method based on Soxhlet extraction and external column clean-up. Furthermore, for a clay soil (CRM-530) and a sediment reference material (WMS-01), the accuracy (trueness) of the TEQ values were +11% (DCM/Hp) and +8% (DEE/Hp) for CRM-530, +8% and -7% for WMS-01, respectively. The individual congener concentrations also agreed well with the certified values. These findings show that SPLE is a promising method for combined extraction and clean-up of PCDD/Fs in soil/sediment samples.

No abstract available.

Hyaluronan is a negatively charged polydisperse polysaccharide where both its size and tissue concentration play an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. The various functions of hyaluronan depend on its molecular size. Up to now, it has been difficult to study the role of hyaluronan in diseases with pathological changes in the extracellular matrix where availability is low or tissue samples are small. Difficulty to obtain large enough biopsies from human diseased tissue or tissue from animal models has also restricted the study of hyaluronan. In this paper, we demonstrate that gas-phase electrophoretic molecular mobility analyzer (GEMMA) can be used to estimate the distribution of hyaluronan molecular sizes in biological samples with a limited amount of hyaluronan. The low detection level of the GEMMA method allows for estimation of hyaluronan molecular sizes from different parts of small organs. Hence, the GEMMA method opens opportunity to attain a profile over the distribution of hyaluronan molecular sizes and estimate changes caused by disease or experimental conditions that has not been possible to obtain before.