BACKGROUND Acute brainstem syndrome (ABS) may herald multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO), or occur as an isolated syndrome. The aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-specific serum autoantibody, NMO-IgG, is a biomarker for NMO. However, the role of anti-AQP4 antibody in the conversion of ABS to NMO is unclear. METHODS Thirty-one patients with first-event ABS were divided into two groups accordin...

The immunogenicity of therapeutic Abs is a concern as anti-drug Abs may impact negatively on the pharmacodynamics and safety profile of Ab drugs. The factors governing induction of anti-drug Abs are not fully understood. In this study, we describe a model based on mouse-human chimeric Abs for the study of Ab immunogenicity in vivo. Six chimeric Abs containing human V regions and mouse C regions...

Background: Anti-phospholipid (aPL) antibodies (Abs) frequently found in the plasma of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been associated with thrombotic complications. Our aim was to clarify the roles in thrombosis of aPL Abs that react with complexes of phospholipids and plasma proteins such as b2-glycoprotein I (b2-GPI), prothrombin, protein C, protein S, and annexin V. Me...

In 1999, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) researchers theorized that substantial improvements could be made in the braking performance of medium and heavy trucks. Therefore, NHTSA initiated a multi-year research program to learn what improvements in stopping performance could be achieved using advanced, but currently available, brake technology for medium and heavy trucks....

The purpose of this study is to understand the nonlinear dynamics of longitudinal ground vehicle traction. Specifically, single-wheel models of rubber-tired automobiles under straight-ahead braking and acceleration conditions are investigated in detail. Customarily, the forward vehicle speed and the rotational rate of the tire/wheel are taken as dynamic states. This paper motivates an alternati...

Intrathecal synthesis of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibodies (Abs) represents conclusive evidence of a specific immune response in the central nervous system of HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patients. Western blotting (WB) for HTLV Abs in serum is a confirmatory test for HTLV-1 infection. The aim of this study was to standardise the Wester...

Anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) antibodies (Abs) are known to be arthritogenic in mice. These Abs are elevated in several forms of arthritic condition in humans, although their prevalence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is still in debate. Some RA patients have increased levels of anti-GPI Abs, but their clinical manifestation and relevance to other Abs are not clearly elucidated...

Modern motor vehicles are increasingly using active chassis control systems to replace traditional mechanical systems in order to improve vehicle handling, stability, and comfort. These chassis control systems can be classified into the three categories, according to their motion control of vehicle dynamics in the three directions, i.e. vertical, lateral, and longitudinal directions: 1) suspens...