BACKGROUND The B7-H1/PD-1 pathway has been demonstrated to be involved in tumor evasion. In a previous study, we constructed a eukaryotic expression plasmid (pPD-1A), which expresses soluble PD-1 (sPD-1). In this study, the question of whether or not the blockade of B7-H1 with sPD-1 in vivo and vitro can improve antitumor immunity was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS The proliferation of l...

The manifold of Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) matrices has been successfully used for data representation in image set classification. By endowing the SPD manifold with LogEuclidean Metric, existing methods typically work on vector-forms of SPD matrix logarithms. This however not only inevitably distorts the geometrical structure of the space of SPD matrix logarithms but also brings low eff...

In this study, HA is superplastically embedded into Titanium substrate and the sample is subsequently deformed superplastically until 70% deformation degree. The former process is termed as superplastic embedment (SPE) while the later as superplastic deformation (SPD). After the SPE, HA is successfully embedded into the substrate, forming a layer with a thickness of about 249 nm. After the SPD ...

Previous studies have shown an abnormality of the spermidine-to-spermine (Spd/Spm) ratio in whole blood of cystic fibrosis homo-and heterozygotes. To investigate Spd and Spm distribution amoung blood components as a possible cause of the abnormality, blood was fractionated using Rabinowitz's glass bead technique and Boyum's Ficoll-Hypaque method. Free (unconjugated) polyamines were extracted w...

PURPOSE Mental health conditions can increase the risk of disability among adults with arthritis. The objective of this analysis was to compare the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD), depression, and anxiety among US adults with arthritis vs. those without; characterize adults with arthritis with and without SPD; and determine correlates of seeing a mental health professional du...

High frequency of sensory processing dysfunctions (SPD) is prevalent among children with intellectual developmental disabilities and contributes to their maladaptive behaviors. However, the knowledge about the expressions of SPD in different levels of IDD severity is limited. As SPD may reduce adaptive responses and limit participation, this knowledge should be elaborated. The purpose of the pr...

Prior diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies examining schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) and schizophrenia, separately have shown that compared with healthy controls (HCs), patients show frontotemporal white matter (WM) abnormalities. This is the first DTI study to directly compare WM tract coherence with tractography and fractional anisotropy (FA) across the schizophrenia spectrum in a la...

BACKGROUND While increasing evidence suggests that cannabis use may play a role in the development of schizophrenia in some young people, less is known about the strength and specificity of its relationship to latent schizophrenia liability, i.e., schizotypal personality disorder traits. AIMS Determine the predictive value of cannabis use during childhood and early adolescence on schizotypal ...

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dysregulation of T cells. Programmed death (PD) 1 and programmed death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) are cosignaling molecules, and the major role of the PD-1 pathway is the inhibition of self-reactive T cells and to protect against autoimmune diseases. We measured levels of serum soluble PD 1 (sPD-1) and serum soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) ...

The murine Pax-3 protein contains two DNA-binding domains, a paired domain and a homeodomain, and alterations in the Pax-3 gene are responsible for the neural tube defects observed in the Splotch (Sp) mouse mutant. Of five Sp alleles, Splotch-delayed (Spd) is the only one that encodes a full-length Pax-3 protein, containing a single glycine-to-arginine substitution within the paired domain. To ...