Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the development and status quo quality high throughput in vitro diagnostic testing for tetanus diphtheria antitoxin antibody (ATX) concentrations based on external assessment (EQA) data. Methods We analyzed manufacturer-specific data 22 EQA surveys—each detection ATX—to check strength corresponding systems. Results While results were mos...

Infection by nematode parasites with a pulmonary migration in their life cycle and allergic asthma are two highly prevalent diseases in humans; therefore, one may expect both may occur concomitantly. There is a predominant and essential role of Th2 lymphocytes in the mechanisms underlying the control of parasite elimination as well as in the pathology observed in the asthmatic lung. The consequ...

The dissemination of IgA-dependent immunity between mucosal sites has important implications for mucosal immunoprotection and vaccine development. Epithelial cells in diverse gastrointestinal and nonintestinal mucosal tissues express the chemokine MEC/CCL28. Here we demonstrate that CCR10, a receptor for MEC, is selectively expressed by IgA Ab-secreting cells (large s/cIgA(+)CD38(hi)CD19(int/-)...

The obligate intracellular bacteria, Rickettsia rickettsii and Coxiella burnetii, are the potential agents of bio-warfare/bio-terrorism. Here C3H/HeN mice were immunized with a recombinant protein fragment rOmp-4 derived from outer membrane protein B, a major protective antigen of R. rickettsii, combined with chloroform-methanol residue (CMR) extracted from phase I C. burnetii organisms, a safe...

Subunit vaccines are a potential intervention strategy against leptospirosis, which is a major public health problem in developing countries and a veterinary disease in livestock and companion animals worldwide. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins are a family of surface-exposed determinants that have Ig-like repeat domains found in virulence factors such as intimin and invasin. We e...

Ultraviolet-B (UVB) (290-320 nm) radiation-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers within the DNA of epidermal cells are detrimental to human health by causing mutations and immunosuppressive effects that presumably contribute to photocarcinogenesis. Conventional photoprotection by sunscreens is exclusively prophylactic in nature and of no value once DNA damage has occurred. In this paper, we hav...

Poor adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a major global challenge. In this study we examined the efficacy of a smartphone application incorporating personalized health-related visual imagery that provided real-time information about the level of medication and the patient's level of immunoprotection, in order to improve adherence to ART. We randomized 28 people on ART to ei...

Excretory/Secretory antigen was prepared by culturing live adult worms of Haemonchus contortus in RPMI 1640 medium at a concentration of 50 worms per mL in a culture-flask at 37 ˚C for 24 hr and the culture supernatant was used as antigen. The E/S antigen was purified by thiol-sepharose affinity chromatography. On western blot analysis, it was demonstrated that thiol-purified antigen showed a s...

BACKGROUND New organ preservation solutions that contain soluble polyethylene glycol (sPEG) molecules have been associated with reduction of acute rejection episodes. METHODS In the present manuscript we tested in vitro whether sPEG molecules were able to mask donor alloantigens and reduce graft immunogenicity. RESULTS Immunomasking effect was only evidenced when PEG molecules were covalent...