Multidisciplinary integration and fusion based on critical care medicine and immunology:History,current status,and prospects

Critical care medicine focuses on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment approaches for life-threatening conditions,including sepsis,severe trauma/burns,hemorrhagic shock,heatstroke,and acute pancreatitis,all of which have high incidence rates.These conditions are primarily characterized by acute multi-organ dysfunction,with sudden onset,severe illness,and high mortality rates.Additionally,critical care treatment demands substantial medical resources,imposing significant economic burdens on patients’families and society.In recent years,critical care medicine has achieved notable progress,especially in multidisciplinary integration with immunology-based fields.Collaboration across disciplines has not only accelerated advancements in critical care but also propelled the rapid development of modern immunology.This paper provides an overview and assessment of the cross-disciplinary fusion between critical care medicine and immunology,exploring how these fields related extensions mutually enhance each other.It further analyzes China’s potential to become a global leader in this area within the next 5 to 10 years.

Introduction of Infection, Inflammation & Immunology Team Led by Professor Zheng Yuejuan

The Infection, Inflammation&Immunology Team led by Professor Zheng Yuejuan(郑月娟) from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM) is committed to deciphering the protective roles and underlying mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of inflammatory or infectious diseases.

An embedded electron current layer observed at the edge of the plasma sheet in the Earth’s magnetotail

The formation of an embedded electron current sheet within the magnetotail plasma sheet has been poorly understood.In this article,we present an electron current layer detected at the edge of the magnetotail plasma sheet.The ions were demagnetized inside the electron current layer,but the electrons were still frozen in with the magnetic field line.Thus,this decoupling of ions and electrons gave rise to a strong Hall electric field,which could be the reason for the formation of the embedded thin current layer.The magnetized electrons,the absence of the nongyrotropic electron distribution,and negligible energy dissipation in the layer indicate that magnetic reconnection had not been triggered within the embedded thin current layer.The highly asymmetric plasma on the two sides of the current layer and low magnetic shear across it could suppress magnetic reconnection.The observations indicate that the embedded electric current layer,probably generated by the Hall electric field,even down to electron scale,is not a sufficient condition for magnetic reconnection.

Leveraging ROTI map derived from Indonesian GNSS receiver network for advancing study of Equatorial Plasma Bubble in Southeast/East Asia

This paper highlights the crucial role of Indonesia’s GNSS receiver network in advancing Equatorial Plasma Bubble(EPB)studies in Southeast and East Asia,as ionospheric irregularities within EPB can disrupt GNSS signals and degrade positioning accuracy.Managed by the Indonesian Geospatial Information Agency(BIG),the Indonesia Continuously Operating Reference Station(Ina-CORS)network comprises over 300 GNSS receivers spanning equatorial to southern low-latitude regions.Ina-CORS is uniquely situated to monitor EPB generation,zonal drift,and dissipation across Southeast Asia.We provide a practical tool for EPB research,by sharing two-dimensional rate of Total Electron Content(TEC)change index(ROTI)derived from this network.We generate ROTI maps with a 10-minute resolution,and samples from May 2024 are publicly available for further scientific research.Two preliminary findings from the ROTI maps of Ina-CORS are noteworthy.First,the Ina-CORS ROTI maps reveal that the irregularities within a broader EPB structure persist longer,increasing the potential for these irregularities to migrate farther eastward.Second,we demonstrate that combined ROTI maps from Ina-CORS and GNSS receivers in East Asia and Australia can be used to monitor the development of ionospheric irregularities in Southeast and East Asia.We have demonstrated the combined ROTI maps to capture the development of ionospheric irregularities in the Southeast/East Asian sector during the G5 Geomagnetic Storm on May 11,2024.We observed simultaneous ionospheric irregularities in Japan and Australia,respectively propagating northwestward and southwestward,before midnight,whereas Southeast Asia’s equatorial and low-latitude regions exhibited irregularities post-midnight.By sharing ROTI maps from Indonesia and integrating them with regional GNSS networks,researchers can conduct comprehensive EPB studies,enhancing the understanding of EPB behavior across Southeast and East Asia and contributing significantly to ionospheric research.

Statistical analysis on the validity of the cold plasma approximation for chorus waves based on Van Allen Probe observations and their effects on radiation belt electrons

Theoretical analysis has demonstrated that the dispersion relation of chorus waves plays an essential role in the resonant interaction and energy transformation between the waves and magnetospheric electrons.Previous quantitative analyses often simplified the chorus dispersion relation by using the cold plasma assumption.However,the applicability of the cold plasma assumption is doubtful,especially during geomagnetic disturbances.We here present a systematic statistical analysis on the validity of the cold plasma dispersion relation of chorus waves based on observations from the Van Allen Probes over the period from 2012 to 2018.The statistical results show that the observed magnetic field intensities deviate substantially from those calculated from the cold plasma dispersion relation and that they become more pronounced with an increase in geomagnetic activity or a decrease in background plasma density.The region with large deviations is mainly concentrated in the nightside and expands in both the radial and azimuthal directions as the geomagnetic activity increases or the background plasma density decreases.In addition,the bounce-averaged electron scattering rates are computed by using the observed and cold plasma dispersion relation of chorus waves.Compared with usage of the cold plasma dispersion relation,usage of the observed dispersion relation considerably lowers the minimum resonant energy of electrons and lowers the scattering rates of electrons above tens of kiloelectronvolts but enhances those below.Furthermore,these differences are more pronounced with the enhancement of geomagnetic activity or the decrease in background plasma density.

Storage time affects the level and diagnostic efficacy of plasma biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases

Several promising plasma biomarker proteins,such as amyloid-β(Aβ),tau,neurofilament light chain,and glial fibrillary acidic protein,are widely used for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.However,little is known about the long-term stability of these biomarker proteins in plasma samples stored at-80°C.We aimed to explore how storage time would affect the diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers using a large cohort.Plasma samples from 229 cognitively unimpaired individuals,encompassing healthy controls and those experiencing subjective cognitive decline,as well as 99 patients with cognitive impairment,comprising those with mild cognitive impairment and dementia,were acquired from the Sino Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Decline project.These samples were stored at-80°C for up to 6 years before being used in this study.Our results showed that plasma levels of Aβ42,Aβ40,neurofilament light chain,and glial fibrillary acidic protein were not significantly correlated with sample storage time.However,the level of total tau showed a negative correlation with sample storage time.Notably,in individuals without cognitive impairment,plasma levels of total protein and tau phosphorylated protein threonine 181(p-tau181)also showed a negative correlation with sample storage time.This was not observed in individuals with cognitive impairment.Consequently,we speculate that the diagnostic accuracy of plasma p-tau181 and the p-tau181 to total tau ratio may be influenced by sample storage time.Therefore,caution is advised when using these plasma biomarkers for the identification of neurodegenerative diseases,such as Alzheimer's disease.Furthermore,in cohort studies,it is important to consider the impact of storage time on the overall results.

A Multi-Agent Immunology Model for Security Computer

This paper presents a computer immunology model for computer security, whose main components are defined as idea of Multi Agent. It introduces the natural immune system on the principle, discusses the idea and characteristics of Multi Agent. It gives a system model, and describes the structure and function of each agent. Also, the communication method between agents is described.

Exercise immunology:Future directions

Several decades of research in the area of exercise immunology have shown that the immune system is highly responsive to acute and chronic exercise training.Moderate exercise bouts enhance immunosurveillance and when repeated over time mediate multiple health benefits.Most of the studies prior to 2010 relied on a few targeted outcomes related to immune function.During the past decade,technologic advances have created opportunities for a multi-omics and systems biology approach to exercise immunology.This article provides an overview of metabolomics,lipidomics,and proteomics as they pertain to exercise immunology,with a focus on immunometabolism.This review also summarizes how the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota can be influenced by exercise,with applications to human health and immunity.Exercise-induced improvements in immune function may play a critical role in countering immunosenescence and the development of chronic diseases,and emerging omics technologies will more clearly define the underlying mechanisms.This review summarizes what is currently known regarding a multi-omics approach to exercise immunology and provides future directions for investigators.

Immunology of tuberculosis

Various T cells and macrophages as well as cytokines are involved in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis(TB). A better understanding of immunology of TB can not only lead to the discovery of new immunodiagnostic tools, accelerate and facilitate the assessment of new therapeutic methods, but also find new treatment regimens. In this highlight topic we cover the latest developments in the role of T cells, macrophages, Natural killer(NK) cells, invariant NK T(iN KT) cells and γδ T cells with TB infection. Histologically, TB displays exudative inflammation, proliferative inflammation and productive inflammation depending on the time course. T cells first recognize antigen within the mycobacterially-infected lung, and then activate, differentiate, but the first T cell activation occurs in the draining lymph nodes of the lung. When protective T cells reach sufficient numbers, they can stop bacterial growth. Except for T cells, neutrophils also participate actively in defense against early-phase TB. NK cells are innate lymphocytes which are a first line of defense against mycobacterial infection. Human NK cells use the NKp46, NCRs and NKG2 D receptors to lyse Mycobacterium TB-infected monocytes and alveolar macrophages. NK cells produce not only interferon-γ, but also interleukin(IL)-22, which is induced by IL-15 and DAP-10. iN KT cells show different phenotypes and functions. Many iN KT cells are CD4+,few iN KT cells are CD8+, while an additional fraction of iN KT cells are negative for both CD4 and CD8. γδ T cells represent an early innate defense in antimycobacterial immunity. Studies done in humans and animal models have demonstrated complex patterns of γδ T cell immune responses during chronic TB. Human alveolar macrophages and monocytes can serve as antigen presentation cells for γδ T cells. Furthermore, the predominance of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in TB has been confirmed.

Liver immunology and herbal treatment

Beyond the metabolic functions, the liver recently has been defined as an organ of immune system(IS), which have central regulatory role for innate and adaptive immunity. The liver keeps a delicate balance between hepatic screening of pathogenic antigens and immune tolerance to self-antigens. Herbal treatments with immunological effects have potential to alter this hepatic immune balance towards either therapeutic side or diseases side by inducing liver injury via hepatotoxicity or initiation of autoimmune diseases. Most commonly known herbal treatments, which have therapeutic effect on liver and IS, have proven via in vitro, in vivo, and/or clinical studies were summarized in this review.

Progresses in Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medical Research on Reproductive Immunology

Reproductive immunology is a crossed subject of reproductive biology and immunobiology. Great progresses have been achieved in the subject along with the deep development in life science. Modern reproductive immunology includes immunological regulation of fertility, materno-fetal immuno-regu-lation, and neuro-reproductive endocrino-immune network. With the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (ICWM) applied to reproductive immunology it has been greatly enriched in research contents and depth. The present review is to introduce the recent progresses in research of integrated medicine on reproductive immunology.

Core fucosylation and its roles in gastrointestinal glycoimmunology

Glycosylation is a common post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells.It is involved in the production of many biologically active glycoproteins and the regulation of protein structure and function.Core fucosylation plays a vital role in the immune response.Most immune system molecules are core fucosylated glycoproteins such as complements,cluster differentiation antigens,immunoglobulins,cytokines,major histocompatibility complex molecules,adhesion molecules,and immune molecule synthesis-related transcription factors.These core fucosylated glycoproteins play important roles in antigen recognition and clearance,cell adhesion,lymphocyte activation,apoptosis,signal transduction,and endocytosis.Core fucosylation is dominated by fucosyltransferase 8(Fut8),which catalyzes the addition ofα-1,6-fucose to the innermost GlcNAc residue of N-glycans.Fut8 is involved in humoral,cellular,and mucosal immunity.Tumor immunology is associated with aberrant core fucosylation.Here,we summarize the roles and potential modulatory mechanisms of Fut8 in various immune processes of the gastrointestinal system.

Old game, new players: Linking classical theories to new trends in transplant immunology

The evolutionary emergence of an efficient immune system has a fundamental role in our survival against pathogenic attacks. Nevertheless, this same protective mechanism may also establish a negative consequence in the setting of disorders such as autoimmunity and transplant rejection. In light of the latter, although research has long uncovered main concepts of allogeneic recognition, immune rejection is still the main obstacle to long-term graft survival. Therefore, in order to define effective therapies that prolong graft viability, it is essential that we understand the underlying mediators and mechanisms that participate in transplant rejection. This multifaceted process is characterized by diverse cellular and humoral participants with innate and adaptive functions that can determine the type of rejection or promote graft acceptance. Although a number of mediators of graft recognition have been described in traditional immunology, recent studies indicate that defining rigid roles for certain immune cells and factors may be more complicated than originally conceived. Current research has also targeted specific cells and drugs that regulate immune activation and induce tolerance. This review will give a broad view of the most recent understanding of the allogeneic inflammatory/tolerogenic response and current insights into cellular and drug therapies that modulate immune activation that may prove to be useful in the induction of tolerance in the clinical setting.

Effect of Yanhuning in combined with azithromycin on the inflammatory cytokines and immunological function in children with mycoplasma pneumonia

Objective: To explore the effect of Yanhuning in combined with azithromycin on the inflammatory cytokines and immunological function in children with mycoplasma pneumonia. Methods: A total of 130 children with mycoplasma pneumonia were included in the study and randomized into the treatment group (n=65) and the control group (n=65). The patients in the control group were given azithromycin. On the above basis, the patients in the treatment group were given Yanhuning. The patients in the two groups were continuously treated for 7 d. The levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and immunological function indicators before and after treatment in the two groups were detected and compared. Results: When compared with before treatment, the serum IL-2 level after treatment in the two groups was significantly elevated, while IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels were significantly reduced;moreover, the improvement in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group. When compared with before treatment, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ after treatment in the two groups were significantly elevated, and those in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while CD8+ was significantly reduced, but the comparison between the two groups was not statistically significant. When compared with before treatment, RBC-C3bR after treatment in the two groups was significantly elevated, while RBC-ICR was significantly reduced;moreover, the improvement in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group. Conclusions: Yanhuning in combined with azithromycin in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children can significantly enhance the immunological function, and reduce the inflammatory reaction, with an effect significantly superior to that by single application of azithromycin.

Systems Immunology Enabled Immune Engineering

The immune checkpoint blockade has revolutionized cancer treatment.However,not all cancer types are susceptible to this therapy.Even in melanoma,one of the best scenario,about half of the patients do not respond to immune checkpoint blockade.Since CD8+T cell is the main driving force behind cancer elimination,then having a complete and competent T cell repertoire to cover all possible cancer antigens expressed by cancer cells should be a determining factor to the success of this therapy.Conversely,if there are'holes'in patients’T cell repertoire and/or'weak spots'manifested as functional dysregulation or exhaustion on T cells specific to a set of cancer antigens that dominantly expressed by cancer cells,cancer immune escape is inevitable.However,these two types of cancer immune escape might need different treatment strategies:the first group with'holes'in the T cell repertoire,whether the'holes'are taking on a form of missing T cells to cover these cancer antigens or missing high-affinity TCRs that are known to be more sensitive to antigen stimulation,would be benefited from TCR re-directed adoptive cell transfer(ACT)therapy;the other group with T cell repertoire'weak spots'would be benefited from immune checkpoint blockade alone or in combination with additional stimulatory factors such as cytokines and peptide vaccine.In the past decade,we have developed several tools to profile the T cell repertoire from T cell receptor diversity to T cell receptor affinity to high-throughput linking antigen specificity to single T cell receptor sequences in large scale.In this talk,I will first introduce these tools and then give examples on how we use them to answer some of the fundamental questions in systems immunology with a focus on cancer immunology,which in turn help us design new therapeutics immune engineering.

Overview of the immunological mechanisms in hepatitis B virus reactivation:Implications for disease progression and management strategies

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)reactivation is a clinically significant challenge in disease management.This review explores the immunological mechanisms underlying HBV reactivation,emphasizing disease progression and management.It delves into host immune responses and reactivation’s delicate balance,spanning innate and adaptive immunity.Viral factors’disruption of this balance,as are interac-tions between viral antigens,immune cells,cytokine networks,and immune checkpoint pathways,are examined.Notably,the roles of T cells,natural killer cells,and antigen-presenting cells are discussed,highlighting their influence on disease progression.HBV reactivation’s impact on disease severity,hepatic flares,liver fibrosis progression,and hepatocellular carcinoma is detailed.Management strategies,including anti-viral and immunomodulatory approaches,are critically analyzed.The role of prophylactic anti-viral therapy during immunosuppressive treatments is explored alongside novel immunotherapeutic interventions to restore immune control and prevent reactivation.In conclusion,this compre-hensive review furnishes a holistic view of the immunological mechanisms that propel HBV reactivation.With a dedicated focus on understanding its implic-ations for disease progression and the prospects of efficient management stra-tegies,this article contributes significantly to the knowledge base.The more profound insights into the intricate interactions between viral elements and the immune system will inform evidence-based approaches,ultimately enhancing disease management and elevating patient outcomes.The dynamic landscape of management strategies is critically scrutinized,spanning anti-viral and immunomodulatory approaches.The role of prophylactic anti-viral therapy in preventing reactivation during immunosuppressive treatments and the potential of innovative immunotherapeutic interventions to restore immune control and proactively deter reactivation.

Plasma‐oxidized 2D MXenes subnanochannel membrane for high‐performance osmotic energy conversion

Nanofluidic channels inspired by electric eels open a new era of efficient harvesting of clean blue osmotic energy from salinity gradients.Limited by less charge and weak ion selectivity of the raw material itself,energy conversion through nanofluidic channels is still facing considerable challenges.Here,a facile and efficient strategy to enhance osmotic energy harvesting based on drastically increasing surface charge density of MXenes subnanochannels via oxygen plasma is proposed.This plasma could break Ti–C bonds in the MXenes subnanochannels and effectively facilitate the formation of more Ti–O,C═O,O–OH,and rutile with a stronger negative charge and work function,which leads the surface potential of MXenes membrane to increase from 205 to 430 mV.This significant rise of surface charge endows the MXenes membrane with high cation selectivity,which could make the output power density of the MXenes membrane increase by 248.2%,reaching a high value of 5.92Wm^(−2) in the artificial sea‐river water system.Furthermore,with the assistance of low‐quality heat at 50℃,the osmotic power is enhanced to an ultrahigh value of 9.68Wm^(−2),which outperforms those of the state‐of‐the‐art two‐dimensional(2D)nanochannel membranes.This exciting breakthrough demonstrates the enormous potential of the facile plasma‐treated 2D membranes for osmotic energy harvesting.

A Novel Evolutionary Feedforward Neural Network with Artificial Immunology

A hybrid algorithm to design the multi layer feedforward neural network was proposed. Evolutionary programming is used to design the network that makes the training process tending to global optima. Artificial immunology combined with simulated annealing algorithm is used to specify the initial weight vectors, therefore improves the probabiligy of training algorithm to converge to global optima. The applications of the neural network in the modulation style recognition of analog modulated rader signals demonstrate the good performance of the network.

Welcome to the World Journal of Immunology

We are pleased to announce the launch of the World Journal of Immunology （WJI） as a new member of the family of the World series of journals. The pace of discovery in the field of immunology has accelerated signifcantly in recent years due to important discover-ies and the implementation of new technologies and methodologies that have become readily accessible to many investigators. WJI is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, whose preparatory work was initiated on November 30, 2010 and will be offcially published on December 27, 2011. The WJI Editorial Board con-sists of 99 experts in experimental medicine from 23 countries. By taking into account the widespread use of the internet and the necessity that scientifc journals should reach out to wider audiences through the provi-sion of barrier-free information, WJI aims to provide rapid publication through an established system that is targeted at dissemination to the scientific community via online open-access.