Dynamic changes in the systemic immune responses of spinal cord injury model mice

Intraspinal inflammatory and immune responses are considered to play central roles in the pathological development of spinal cord injury.This study aimed to decipher the dynamics of systemic immune responses,initiated by spinal cord injury.The spinal cord in mice was completely transected at T8.Changes in the in vivo inflammatory response,between the acute and subacute stages,were observed.A rapid decrease in C-reactive protein levels,circulating leukocytes and lymphocytes,spleen-derived CD4~+interferon-γ+T-helper cells,and inflammatory cytokines,and a marked increase in neutrophils,monocytes,and CD4~+CD25~+FOXP3~+regulatory T-cells were observed during the acute phase.These systemic immune alterations were gradually restored to basal levels during the sub-acute phase.During the acute phase of spinal cord injury,systemic immune cells and factors showed significant inhibition;however,this inhibition was transient,and the indicators of these serious disorders gradually returned to baseline levels during the subacute phase.All experiments were performed in accordance with the institutional animal care guidelines,approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Experimental Animal Center of Drum Tower Hospital,China(approval No.2019 AE01040)on June 25,2019.

Evaluation of virus-specific cellular immune response in transplant patients

Virus-specific immune responses have a major impact on the outcome of the infection. Viral agents that are characterized by latency, such as herpesviruses and polyomaviruses, require a continuous immune control to reduce the extent of viral reactivation, as viral clearance cannot be accomplished, independently from the anti-viral treatment. In transplant patients, morbidity and mortality related to viral infections are significantly increased. In fact, the key steps of activation of T-cells are major target for anti-rejection immunosuppressive therapy and anti-viral immune response may be altered when infected cells and cellular effectors of immune response coexist in a transplanted organ. The role of cellular immune response in controlling viral replication and the main methods employed for its evaluation will be discussed. In particular, the main features, including both advantages and limitations, of available assays, including intracellular cytokine staining, major histocompatibility complex- multimer-based assays, Elispot assay, and Quanti FERON test, will be described. The potential applications of these assays in the transplant context will be discussed, particularly in relation to cytomegalovirus and polyomavirus BK infection. The relevance of introducing viro-immunological monitoring, beside virological monitoring, in order to identify the risk profile for viral infections in the transplant patients will allows for define a patient-tailored clinical management, particular in terms of modulation of immunosuppressive therapy and anti-viral administration.

Antigen epitopes of animal coronaviruses:a mini-review

Coronaviruses are widespread in nature and can infect mammals and poultry,making them a public health concern.Globally,prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging animal coronaviruses is a great challenge.The mecha-nisms of virus-mediated immune responses have important implications for research on virus prevention and control.The antigenic epitope is a chemical group capable of stimulating the production of antibodies or sensitized lympho-cytes,playing an important role in antiviral immune responses.Thus,it can shed light on the development of diagnos-tic methods and novel vaccines.Here,we have reviewed advances in animal coronavirus antigenic epitope research,aiming to provide a reference for the prevention and control of animal and human coronaviruses.

T-细胞无关免疫响应的动力学研究

为描述T-细胞无关免疫系统对于抗原的反应,提出了关于大B淋巴细胞分化为浆细胞和退化为记忆细胞的分化—退化假定机制,从而建立了一个完全动力学的模型,并利用计算机模拟得出模型的数值解,其结果可以较好地与已知的实验事实相符。

司法责任制与司法豁免权平衡问题研究

司法责任制是当前司法体制改革的重要内容,目前司法界过于侧重司法责任制而对司法豁免权有所忽视,使得二者处于明显失衡状态,司法豁免权在我国仍然处于起步阶段,理论界和实务界存在的主要问题是:重责任轻保障、立法不规范、缺少完善的豁免机制。司法责任制是权责统一的制度保障,司法豁免权又是司法权力能动性的履职保障,二者相辅相成,有效提升司法效能。鉴于此,应当完善相关立法规范、落实法官检察官独立办案、进一步明确司法豁免权的内容和界限、完善司法责任的追责与豁免程序、提升法官检察官的职业保障,以保证司法责任制与司法豁免权处于动态平衡。

Dose-dependent effect of histamine on antibody generation in vivo

Objective:To delineate immunomodulatory role of histamine on antibody generation pr of ile in rabbit in the present dose-dependent histamine study.Methods:The cohort comprised of three groups(Ⅲ,ⅣandⅤ),containing six rabbits each,and received subcutaneous histamine 50μg/kg×bis in die(b.i.d.),100μg/kg×b.i.d.and 200μg/kg X b.i.d.,respectively for 10 days (starting from the 1st day).They were subsequently immunized on the 3rd day with intravenous injection of sheep blood cell(SRBC)(1×10 cells/mL).GroupⅡ(positive control)(n=6) received vehicle(sterile distilled water) and immunized at day 3 similarly while groupⅠ(negative control) (n=6) remained non-immunized and received only vehicle.All experimentations were performed in triplicate.Blood samples were collected on pre-immunization(pre-I)(day 0),as well as on days 7-,14-,21-,28- and 58- post-immunization(post-I).Immunological parameters[total immunoglobulins(Igs),IgM and IgG]were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique.Results:Histamine could influence a detectable antibody response to SRBC as early as day 7-post-I,which lasted until day 58- post-I.The results were found statistically significant(P【 0.05).Conclusions:Our results provide evidence that histamine has a short-term effect on antibody generation(until its presence in the body),and the antibody generation titer in vivo were affected by the concentration of histamine.

Intranasal administration of a single dose of a candidate live attenuated vaccine derived from an NSP16-deficient SARS-CoV-2 strain confers sterilizing immunity in animals

Live attenuated vaccines might elicit mucosal and sterilizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 that the existing mRNA,adenoviral vector and inactivated vaccines fail to induce.Here,we describe a candidate live attenuated vaccine strain of SARS-CoV-2 in which the NSP16 gene,which encodes 2′-O-methyltransferase,is catalytically disrupted by a point mutation.This virus,designated d16,was severely attenuated in hamsters and transgenic mice,causing only asymptomatic and nonpathogenic infection.A single dose of d16 administered intranasally resulted in sterilizing immunity in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts of hamsters,thus preventing viral spread in a contact-based transmission model.It also robustly stimulated humoral and cell-mediated immune responses,thus conferring full protection against lethal challenge with SARS-CoV-2 in a transgenic mouse model.The neutralizing antibodies elicited by d16 effectively cross-reacted with several SARS-CoV-2 variants.Secretory immunoglobulin A was detected in the blood and nasal wash of vaccinated mice.Our work provides proof-of-principle evidence for harnessing NSP16-deficient SARS-CoV-2 for the development of live attenuated vaccines and paves the way for further preclinical studies of d16 as a prototypic vaccine strain,to which new features might be introduced to improve safety,transmissibility,immunogenicity and efficacy.

Distinct roles but cooperative effect of TLR3/9 agonists and PD-1 blockade in converting the immunotolerant microenvironment of irreversible electroporation-ablated tumors

Irreversible electroporation(IRE)is a new cancer ablation technology,but methods to improve IRE-induced therapeutic immunity are only beginning to be investigated.We developed a mouse model bearing large primary(300 mm^(3))and medium distant(100 mm^(3))EG7 lymphomas engineered to express ovalbumin(OVA)as a nominal tumor antigen.We established experimental protocols including IRE alone and IRE combined with Toll-like receptor(TLR)3/9 agonists(poly I:C/CpG)(IRE+pIC/CpG),PD-1 blockade(IRE+PD-1 blockade),or both(IRE+Combo)to investigate therapeutic effects on primary and distant EG7 tumors and conversion-promoting effects on the immunotolerant tumor microenvironment(TME).We demonstrated that IRE alone simulated very weak OVA-specific CD8^(+)T cell responses and did not inhibit primary tumor growth.IRE+pIC/CpG synergistically stimulated more efficient OVA-specific CD8^(+)T cell responses and primary tumor growth inhibition than IRE+PD-1 blockade.IRE+pIC/CpG played a major role in the modulation of immune cell profiles but a minor role in the downregulation of PD-L1 expression in the TME and vice versa for IRE+PD-1 blockade.IRE+Combo cooperatively induced potent OVA-specific CD8^(+)T cell immunity and rescued exhausted intratumoral CD8^(+)T cells,leading to eradication of not only primary tumors but also untreated concomitant distant tumors and lung metastases.IRE+Combo efficiently modulated immune cell profiles,as evidenced by reductions in immunotolerant type-2(M2)macrophages,myeloid-derived suppressor-cells,plasmacytoid dendritic cells,and regulatory T cells and by increases in immunogenic M1 macrophages,CD169^(+)macrophages,type-1 conventional dendritic cells,and CD8^(+)T cells,leading to conversion of immunotolerance in not only primary TMEs but also untreated distant TMEs.IRE+Combo also showed effective therapeutic effects in two breast cancer models.Therefore,our results suggest that IRE+Combo is a promising strategy to improve IRE ablation therapy in cancer.

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein activates splenic T cells during sepsis in a TLR4-dependent manner

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) is a novel inflammatory mediator that stimulates the release of proinflammatory cytokines from macrophages in sepsis. Given the immune dysregulation that characterizes sepsis, the effect of CIRP on other immune cells is an area of increasing interest that has not yet been studied. In the present study, we hypothesized that extracellular CIRP promotes activation of T lymphocytes in the spleen during sepsis. We observed that mice subjected to sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture showed significantly higher expression of the early activation markers CD69 and CD25 at 20 h on CD4+ splenic T cells, and significantly higher CD69 expression on CD8+ splenic T cells compared with sham-operated controls. Furthermore, at 20 h after receiving intravenous injection of recombinant murine CIRP (rmCIRP, 5 mg/kg body weight (BW)) or PBS (vehicle), those mice receiving rmCIRP showed significantly increased expression of CD69 and CD25 on both CD4+ and CD8+ splenic T cells. This effect, however, was not seen in TLR4-deficient mice after rmCIRP injection. In addition, treatment with CIRP predisposed CD4+ T cells to a Th1 hyperinflammatory response profile, and influenced CD8+ T cells toward a cytotoxic profile. Taken together, our findings indicate that CIRP is a proinflammatory mediator that plays an important role in T-cell dysregulation during sepsis in a TLR4-dependent manner.