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Alemtuzumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against human CD52, is used in the treatment of MS. To characterize the impact of anti-CD52 administration, a monoclonal antibody to mouse CD52 (anti-muCD52) was generated and evaluated in EAE mouse models of MS. A single course of anti-muCD52 provided a therapeutic benefit accompanied by a reduction in the frequency of autoreactive T lymphocytes and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Examination of the CNS revealed a decrease in infiltrating lymphocytes, demyelination and axonal loss. Electrophysiological assessment showed preservation of axonal conductance in the spinal cord. These findings suggest that anti-CD52 therapy may help preserve CNS integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation cropping systems are being developed for cotton (Gossypiumspp.) traditionally grown on raised beds with several soil-disturbing tillage passes in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California, USA. Overhead (OH) irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation (SSDI) systems are water-conserving techniques being tested with reduced tillage in the SJV. However, crop growth, yield, microclimate, and pest population dynamics in these systems have not been documented. A field study was conducted in 2011 and 2012 at Five Points, Calif., to evaluate the difference between the two irrigation systems. Cotton cv. Phytogen 725 RF was no-till planted into wheat residue. In both years, the soil surfaces in the OH plots were 1° to 2°C cooler and 5% to 15% wetter than the SSDI plots. These differences had no effect on crop growth, development, yield, or quality, but weed densities and biomass were lower in the SSDI than in the OH in both years. However, the SSDI plots had more spider mites (Tetranychussp.) than the OH plots in 2011. The study showed that cotton could be successfully grown with conservation tillage, high residue systems, with either OH or SSDI systems in the SJV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody specific for the CD52 protein present at high levels on the surface of B and T lymphocytes. In clinical trials, alemtuzumab has shown a clinical benefit superior to that of interferon-β in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. Treatment with alemtuzumab leads to the depletion of circulating lymphocytes followed by a repopulation process characterized by alterations in the number, proportions and properties of lymphocyte subsets. Of particular interest, an increase in the percentage of T cells with a regulatory phenotype (Treg cells) has been observed in multiple sclerosis patients after alemtuzumab. Since Treg cells play an important role in the control of autoimmune responses, the effect of alemtuzumab on Treg cells was further studied in vitro. Alemtuzumab effectively mediated complement-dependent cytolysis of human T lymphocytes and the remaining population was enriched in T cells with a regulatory phenotype. The alemtuzumab-exposed T cells displayed functional regulatory characteristics including anergy to stimulation with allogeneic dendritic cells and ability to suppress the allogeneic response of autologous T cells. Consistent with the observed increase in Treg cell frequency, the CD25hi T-cell population was necessary for the suppressive activity of alemtuzumab-exposed T cells. The mechanism of this suppression was found to be dependent on both cell-cell contact and interleukin-2 consumption. These findings suggest that an alemtuzumab-mediated increase in the proportion of Treg cells may play a role in promoting the long-term efficacy of alemtuzumab in patients with multiple sclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody against the CD52 antigen present at high levels on the surface of lymphocytes. While treatment of multiple sclerosis patients with alemtuzumab results in marked depletion of lymphocytes from the circulation, it has not been associated with a high incidence of serious infections. In a human CD52 transgenic mouse, alemtuzumab treatment showed minimal impact on the number and function of innate immune cells. A transient decrease in primary adaptive immune responses was observed post-alemtuzumab but there was little effect on memory responses. These results potentially help explain the level of immunocompetence observed in alemtuzumab-treated MS patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sustaining irrigated agricultural production systems in semi-arid and arid regions requires consideration of with saline and sodic soil conditions. The spatial variability of these conditions makes soil reclamation an ideal practice in which to apply site-specific management (SSM). We discuss an application of SSM in which preliminary measurements of apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), supplemented by ECa-directed soil sampling, are used to construct a GIS map of salinity zones on which site-specific amendment application can be based. Our primary objective was to develop a field-implementable methodology for site-specific soil amendment application. The focus of the program was on cotton production, although the method should be applicable to other crops. A second objective was to establish experiments to test the effectiveness of this program. Evaluating the effectiveness of a sprinkler application for the first irrigation was incorporated as a part of this program in hopes of reducing variability due to poor germination. This study consisted of two commercial fields located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Based on the consideration that ECa is directly related to electrical conductivity from soil saturation paste extract (ECe) for known saline-sodic conditions, we developed a four-step method for site-specific salinity management in commercial fields. The steps included the following: (1) generation of an ECa map; (2) directed soil sampling for ECe; (3) determination of the estimated amendment requirement as a function of location in the field; and (4) integration of the individual amendment requirements into a practical spatial pattern for amendment application. Cotton yield monitors were utilized to indicate spatial yield variation throughout the replicated plots instead of aggregated yield values. Because of the high levels of variability in these commercial fields and the time required for amendments to have a substantial effect, we can provide only short-term results of these experiments. In both of the experiments no significant differences existed between the irrigation and amendment treatments (p >0.05), but increased yield trends supported the benefit of sprinkler application of the first irrigation. A Scheffe test of the cotton yield monitor data indicated significant yield differences between in-plot treatment zones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Identification of antibody targets associated with malignant disease is indispensable to developing passive and active antibody-based therapeutics or diagnostic agents. We have developed a novel technique combining Western blotting, genetic profiling, and mass spectroscopy that allows for the rapid and unambiguous identification of such antigens in a high-throughput manner. Herein, we demonstrate this technique, designated Ab SCAN, by deducing the known target of a monoclonal antibody and by identifying a new antigen that was observed to be the frequent target of humoral immune responses in prostate cancer patients. In both instances, a specific antigen emerged as the sole protein candidate. The newly identified antigen, mannose-6-phosphate/IGF II receptor, may be an important naturally immunogenic antigen involved in prostate cancer. The Ab SCAN technique is uniquely suited to the analysis of longitudinal serum samples from clinical studies and could be a powerful tool to correlate humoral immune responses directed against discreet antigens with clinical events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two negative priming experiments in older and younger adults are reported. Participants in Experiment 1, involving both positive and negative priming conditions, showed both types of priming. There were no significant differences between age groups. If anything, older participants showed more negative priming. In Experiment 2, involving only negative priming conditions, similar results were obtained. Our findings rule out possible effects of experimental conditions that episodic retrieval theorists have suggested might account for negative priming in older adults. Although our results may be consistent with an explanation of negative priming in older adults by an expansively specified theory of episodic retrieval, they are at least as consistent with the view that inhibitory processes are intact in older adults. In light of these findings, conflicting empirical results and alternative views of negative priming in older adults are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]