Science topics: BiologyImmunology
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Immunology - Science topic

Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders (autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivities, immune deficiency, transplant rejection); the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo.
Questions related to Immunology
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Hello! I am not an expert in immunology, I would like to ask for your help with the following questions:
Is there a macrophage cell line with a high percentage of CD8 expression? Or is there a treatment to induce CD8 expression in macrophages?
Thank you in advance for your help
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CD8 is not expressed by macrophages. The only way to express this protein would be through gene transfer and with a suitable promoter (CD11b promoter for example).
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📢📢📢 Call for Papers: Memorial Issue to Prof. Kazuo Umezawa: A Noteworthy Biochemistry Educator
📅📅 Submission Deadline: 31 December 2024
 💫💫 Research Field: NF-κB, Immunology, Biochemistry, Cancer Research, Apoptosis
💡💡 Contact: christyhe99@gmail.com
Welcome your comments~
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Please send me a private message. I need to publish
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In general the separation works without problem, but sometimes the reaction is not convenient.
I think the red blood cell get stuck in the gradient. If I tried to discharge the cell layer, I discharged a few red blood cell.
In general I wash the cells, and I repeat the Ficoll gradient separation, thus I can separate clear lymphocyte.
But this is overtime...
What can cause this problem?
I attached the photo about my problem, and there is my protocol the below.
Thank you very much the answers :)
Ficoll gradient separation
1.       1 ml blood + 5 ml 1xPBS mix
2.       Fill one tube with Ficoll (7,5 ml), and pipette the blood/PBS solution on Ficoll
3.       Centrifuge 30 minutes with 400xg without break
4.       transfer the lymphocyte layer into a new tube. Fill up with PBS
5.       Centrifuge 10 minutes with 350xg with break
6.       Discard the PBS and gently resuspend the pellet of cells. Fill once more with PBS and centrifuge 10 minutes 350xg with break
7.       Repeat 6. point
8.       Fill with RPMI medium
9.       Count the cells
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The
Determining of the issue with your lympcyte separation protocol requires a very very careful analysis of several factors. First, ensure that the reagents used are of high quality and stored properly. Second, verify the accuracy of the centrifugation parameters, as incorrect settings can lead to inefficient separation. Third, consider the possibility of variations in patient blood samples, such as elevated red blood cell counts or abnormal cell morphology. By systematically investigating these factors, you can identify the root cause of the problem and implement appropriate solutions.
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I like to know whether, we can generalize the association of CCR4 with immunologically active hot tumor. Alternatively, CCR8 with cold tumor.
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The relationships between CCR4 and CCR8 with "immunologically hot" and "cold" tumors, respectively, are tied to their roles in regulating immune cell trafficking and the tumor microenvironment (TME).
CCR4 is primarily expressed on Tregs and Th2 helper T cells, which suppress immune responses and promote immune tolerance. Tregs express CCR4 and are recruited to the tumor via chemokines like CCL22 and CCL17. Once in the TME, these Tregs inhibit the activity of cytotoxic T cells, reducing their ability to attack tumor cells. Thus, despite a high immune cell presence, CCR4-mediated Treg recruitment can dampen the immune response, helping the tumor evade complete immune destruction.
CCR8 is highly expressed on tumor-infiltrating Tregs and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), both of which contribute to an immunosuppressive environment. The chemokine CCL1, produced in cold tumors, recruits CCR8-expressing Tregs and TAMs. This results in an immune-excluded TME, where immune cells are physically and functionally unable to penetrate or attack the tumor. This makes cold tumors highly resistant to immune-mediated destruction.
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I am a young and motivated researcher with a strong passion for science. I have hands-on experience in genomic bioinformatics and am eager to contribute to cutting-edge research in genomics, developmental biology, immunology, cancer biology, or a combination of these fields. I am actively seeking a PhD position where I can continue to grow and make meaningful contributions to the scientific community.
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First choice would be to get into a PhD program in your home country Morocco. Find a program that's more relevant to your interest.
Second choice: Find a PhD program in a country of your choice that's known for its research, for example Germany or USA. Go to their research university website and find a program that matches your interest and apply.
If you plan to do more research, you can apply for postdoctoral roles anywhere after your PhD. These are easy to get if you did good during your PhD as a researcher.
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In the identified case of familial desminopathy (T341P DES mutation in heterozygous state), the son has bradycardia, but the father did not have bradycardia. How can this fact be explained?
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Because of some autosomal dominant & others can be autosomal recessive
"Desminopathy is one of the most common intermediate filament human disorders associated with mutations in closely interacting proteins, desmin and alphaB-crystallin. The inheritance pattern in familial desminopathy is characterized as autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive, but many cases have no family history."
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For mouse immunization experiments, we are currently looking for a commercial source of NP-OVA (4-Hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetyl hapten conjugated to ovalbumin). Based on literature, many recent studies used the NP-OVA from Biosearch Technologies, but unfortunately, they discontinued it. Are there any other commercial sources that I have missed in my search?
Many thanks!
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Hi Johanna,
You can also get them from Creative Diagnostics (https://www.creative-diagnostics.com/NP-OVAL-256350-219.htm) although they are much more expensive (you get price by online inquiry) than it used to be with Biosearch Technologies. To save money, you could also buy NP-Osu from them and OVA protein from other places separately and conjugate yourself because OVA is much cheaper to get.
Hope this is helpful,
Zhixin
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I would like to understand potential safety concerns while handling SEB in the lab. Especially while working in animal house facility. Would like to know precautions for handling.
Sigma MSDS showed it as highly toxic.
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Handling Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin Type B (SEB) requires strict precautions due to its toxicity. Work should be conducted at BSL-2 or higher with appropriate PPE (gloves, lab coat, eye, and respiratory protection). Use a biological safety cabinet (BSC) for manipulations and ensure proper ventilation. Store SEB securely, decontaminate surfaces with bleach, and follow strict emergency and spill response protocols.
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I have tried several times to isolate lymphocytes from mouse spleen, but all attempts have been unsuccessful. I tried most available protocols.
I used different dissociation media (HBSS with Ca and Mg, RPMI, DPBS), but none worked. For lysing RBCs, regular lysing buffer were used. The medium for culturing was RPMI enriched with 10% FBS, 1mM HEPES, and Pen/Strep.
Surprisingly after every try most of the cells underwent apoptosis after just one day. I noticed when I treat them with cytokines the apoptosis intensifies.
This problem is really weird for me. I contemplate alot, but I couldn't find any solution.
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Isolating lymphocytes from a mouse spleen involves several steps:
1. Spleen collection: Harvest the spleen from a mouse and place it in a sterile container with cold PBS (phosphate-buffered saline).
2. Spleen dissociation: Mechanically dissociate the spleen into a single-cell suspension using a tissue grinder or a syringe.
3. Red blood cell lysis: Remove red blood cells by adding a lysis buffer (e.g., ACK lysis buffer) and incubating for 5-10 minutes.
4. Centrifugation: Centrifuge the cell suspension at 300-400 x g for 5-10 minutes to pellet the cells.
5. Cell washing: Wash the cells with cold PBS to remove any remaining debris.
6. Density gradient centrifugation: Layer the cell suspension over a density gradient medium (e.g., Ficoll-Paque) and centrifuge at 400-600 x g for 20-30 minutes.
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I have immunized BalB/C mice with a protein using the intradermal (ID) method with Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) and Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA), following a 14-day interval and three booster doses for monoclonal antibody development using single B cell cloning. After isolating the plasma cells using MACS, I found that 90% of the plasma cells are producing IgM. However, I need IgG-producing plasma cells.
How can I increase the proportion of IgG-producing plasma cells? Could you provide some suggestions on immunization strategies to achieve a higher yield of IgG-secreting plasma cells?
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Your antigen may be antigen independent:
If you already tried to optimize the doses, number of boosts and schedule.
You can try to prime with a different adjuvant.
But if your protein is t independent you'll probably need to couple it to a carrier protein to elicit the T response.
Some post immunization intervention can be performed like administration of IL4 or IL12 to influence class switching to IgG, but i can't really say about this one.
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define cd
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Yes, in immunology, CD12 (Cluster of Differentiation 12) is a designation for a protein that is expressed on the surface of certain cells in the immune system. However, as of my latest knowledge update in 2023, CD12 is not a well-characterized or widely recognized marker compared to other CD markers such as CD4, CD8, CD19, etc. The CD (Cluster of Differentiation) system is used to identify and classify surface molecules present on leukocytes (white blood cells) and other cells pertinent to the immune system.
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Hi.
My name is Hector.
I'm a biologist with over 5 years of experience working with lateral flow devices (immunochromatography), conjugation of proteins to latex and gold nanoparticles and other techniques related to immunology.
I am currently working in a private lab but I still would like to continue working on some research outside the commertial area.
So I would love to collaborate with an academic lab in the Paris area.
We can just start with as simple conversation and see if you could use my expertise
Salut.
Je m'appelle Hector.
Je suis un biologiste avec plus de 5 ans d'expérience dans le domaine des appareils à flux latéral (immunochromatographie), de la conjugaison de protéines avec des nanoparticules de latex et d'or et d'autres techniques liées à l'immunologie.
Je travaille actuellement dans un laboratoire privé mais j'aimerais quand même continuer à travailler sur certaines recherches en dehors du domaine commercial.
J'aimerais donc collaborer avec un laboratoire académique de la région parisienne.
Nous pouvons simplement commencer par une simple conversation et voir si vous pouvez utiliser mon expertise
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Hello sir... We want to collaborate with you... Pls contact to this email lalaarunima@gmail.com
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Almost all the microbiology textbooks and relevant research articles mention that Hepatitis B core antigen is not released into the blood of the host. It rather interacts with other core antigen particles to assemble the capsid of the Dane particle. My question is then how the body produces antibodies against HbCAg?
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Anti-HBcAb (antibodies against hepatitis B core antigen) is produced by the immune system in response to exposure to the hepatitis B virus (HBV). When HBV infects hepatocytes (liver cells), the cells produce hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) as part of the viral replication process. HBcAg is not released into the blood in significant quantities; instead, it remains within the infected hepatocytes or is present in viral particles.The presence of HBcAg within infected hepatocytes triggers an immune response in the body. B cells, a type of white blood cell, recognize HBcAg as foreign and start to produce antibodies against it. These antibodies, referred to as anti-HBc antibodies, are then released into the bloodstream. The presence of anti-HBc antibodies can be detected through blood tests and indicates exposure to the hepatitis B virus, either currently or in the past.
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how can immunological interventions potentially address these issues?
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Autoimmune disorders can have a significant impact on fertility by causing dysfunction in the reproductive system. Immunological interventions may address these issues such as
Autoimmune Attack on Reproductive Tissues: In autoimmune disorders, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's tissues. In the context of fertility, this can lead to inflammation and damage to reproductive organs such as the ovaries, uterus, or testes. For example, autoimmune conditions like autoimmune oophoritis (inflammation of the ovaries) or autoimmune orchitis (inflammation of the testes) can impair the production and quality of eggs and sperm. and autoimmune disorders can significantly affect fertility through various mechanisms, including inflammation, and hormonal imbalances. Immunological interventions aim to modulate the immune response and alleviate the impact of autoimmune disorders on reproductive health, ultimately improving fertility outcomes for affected individuals.
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Dear All,
I've been working on differentiating monocytes to dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro using a 24-well TC-treated plate from Corning. Here's my current protocol: I place 2 Million PBMCs in each well, and after one day, when monocytes should be adherent, I carefully remove the supernatant and add RPMI with IL-4 and GM-CSF. After seven days, when I inspect the cells under a microscope, I observe that the Dendritics are not fully formed, and the cells appear smaller than expected. Additionally, they are not fully adherent; if I attempt to wash them, most of them detach. I also notice the presence of other immune cells, possibly alpha-beta T cells, which are similar in size.
I've attempted monocyte purification, but previous method seems to result in more dendritic cells.
Any suggestions, experiences, or recommendations on how I can optimize the purification and differentiation of my DCs would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
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Optimizing the purification and differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro is crucial for obtaining a homogeneous and functional population for research or therapeutic purposes. Here's a step-by-step guide to optimizing this process:
1. Source Material Selection: Choose PBMCs, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood based on availability and experimental needs.
2. Isolation of Precursor Cells: Use techniques like density gradient centrifugation or magnetic bead separation with sterile protocols.
3. Differentiation Protocol Optimization: Cultivate precursor cells with specific cytokines and growth factors, adjusting concentrations and timing for optimal differentiation. Monitor differentiation using flow cytometry.
4. Maturation Induction: Stimulate immature DCs with appropriate stimuli like Toll-like receptor agonists or cytokines, optimizing concentrations and duration.
5. Culture Conditions Optimization: Maintain DC cultures in optimized media with proper supplements, adjusting temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and cell density as needed. Consider using feeder cells or specialized systems.
6. Quality Control and Characterization: Perform thorough phenotypic and functional characterization using flow cytometry and functional assays to ensure purity, phenotype, and functionality of generated DCs.
7. Cryopreservation Optimization: Develop optimized cryopreservation protocols for long-term storage, ensuring viability and functionality post-thawing.
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I don't want to give the mouse peritonitis, but I don't want to lose the antibody with it sticking to the filter either. Thanks!
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The Sterile filtration of antibodies is to be injected intraperitoneally (IP) into mice for neutralization studies to ensure the absence of microbial contaminants and to reduce the risk of introducing infection or other complications into mice. However, whether this is necessary depends on various factors including the source and handling of the antibody, the experimental setup, and the specific requirements of the study.
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I am working on peripheral T-cell Lymphoma and looking for methods, assay how to see that isolated granulocytes are activated. I would be very grateful for suggestions.
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Granulocytes, such as neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils, are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in the immune response, particularly in combating infections. Activated granulocytes undergo various changes in morphology, surface marker expression, and functional activities. Here are several methods to assess the activation of granulocytes from peripheral blood:
1. Morphological Assessment
2. Flow Cytometry
3. Measurement of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production
4. Assessment of Degranulation
5. Functional Assays
6. Quantification of Cytokine Secretion
7. Gene Expression Analysis
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Activation of naive T cells generally requires antigen to be presented by dendritic cells in lymph nodes. Activation of naive B cells generally requires opsonized antigen to be displayed by follicular dendritic cells in lymph nodes.
Thus, it seems that dendritic cells and complement (innate immune system) need to recognize a pathogen before an adaptive immune response can be initiated. Is this always the case?
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Yes, B and T cells can be raised against pathogens that may not have been initially detected by the innate immune system. The adaptive immune system, comprising B and T cells, is adept at recognizing specific antigens presented by pathogens, even if they initially evade detection by the innate immune system. Once activated, B cells differentiate into plasma cells, producing antibodies targeting the pathogen, while T cells undergo clonal expansion and differentiate into various effector cell types. This adaptive immune response, along with the generation of memory B and T cells, contributes to long-lasting immunity against pathogens, irrespective of their initial evasion of the innate immune system.
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A patient with desminopathy (mutation Thr341Pro DES in a heterozygous state) with the progression of the disease has a decrease in taste and smell, immunosuppression, and an increase in IgA in the blood.
Oddly enough, but all this is characteristic of infections, including viral ones. For example, it is known that if the hepatitis C virus is not treated, then death will occur in 20 years.
In the identified case of late onset desminopathy, muscle weakness manifests itself at the age of 30, and death occurs 20 years after the onset of the disease.
Could the desmin mutation in myofibrillar myopathy be caused by an infection?
Perhaps the infection contributes to the progression of desminopathy?
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Dear Esteemed Colleague,
Greetings. I trust this message finds you deeply engaged in your research and seeking answers to complex questions within the realm of genetics and molecular pathology. Your inquiry regarding the potential role of infection in causing desmin mutations in myofibrillar myopathy is both intriguing and indicative of a keen scientific mind exploring the multifaceted nature of genetic disorders.
To address your question with the precision and clarity it deserves, it is crucial to first understand the nature of myofibrillar myopathies and the role of desmin within this context. Myofibrillar myopathies are a group of neuromuscular disorders characterized by the progressive weakening of muscles and the disintegration of muscle fibers at a cellular level. Desmin, a type of intermediate filament protein, plays a pivotal role in maintaining the structural integrity and function of muscle cells. Mutations in the DES gene, which encodes the desmin protein, are directly linked to certain forms of myofibrillar myopathy.
The genesis of these mutations, particularly those affecting the desmin protein, is primarily genetic, resulting from inherited or de novo mutations in the DES gene. These mutations lead to the production of an abnormal desmin protein, which disrupts the normal architecture of muscle cells, leading to the symptoms associated with myofibrillar myopathy.
Addressing the specific question of whether an infection could cause desmin mutations, it is essential to differentiate between the origins of genetic mutations and factors that may exacerbate the phenotype of a genetic disorder. Genetic mutations, including those affecting the desmin gene, arise from alterations in the DNA sequence. These alterations can be inherited from parents, occur spontaneously during DNA replication, or be induced by certain environmental factors, such as exposure to specific chemicals or radiation. Infections, while capable of causing a wide array of health issues, do not directly induce genetic mutations in the DNA sequence of the genes like DES. However, it is conceivable that certain infections could exacerbate the clinical manifestations of myofibrillar myopathy in individuals already predisposed or carrying a desmin mutation, by stressing the muscular system or triggering inflammatory responses that may further compromise muscle function.
In conclusion, while infections can have significant impacts on overall health and may interact in complex ways with genetic disorders, the mutations in the DES gene that cause myofibrillar myopathy are not directly caused by infections. The mutations are genetic in origin, and the relationship between infections and the severity or progression of myofibrillar myopathy would be more accurately viewed through the lens of infection exacerbating pre-existing conditions rather than causing the genetic mutation itself.
I hope this elucidation addresses your inquiry comprehensively. Should you have further questions or require additional clarification, please feel free to reach out.
Warm regards.
This protocol list might provide further insights to address this issue.
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I have several pairs of parameters (obtained from females and males) and want to find the difference in correlation between the two sexes for each parameter, but also want to give a weight so that the parameter showing the highest correlation with survival in either females or males have a greater weight. This way, I hope to find factors that shows a combination of strong correlation differences between females and males (with regard to survival) - and most positively correlated with survival for either sex (which I will resolve further).
To do this, if I have a correlation of parameter 1 for males as A and for females as B: I plan to do (A-B) multiplied by A or B (the highest correlation) - to acknowledge the weight of highest positive correlation with survival. For the next parameter, the correlation is C for males and D for females, I will do (C-D) X C or D (whichever is highest) - with the final aim to rank the parameters most differing between females and males, as well as, most correlating with survival of either sex. Do you think it is a reasonable idea?
I would be very very grateful for your advice, suggestions and tips.
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Thank you very much :)
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While studying immunology i came across the following question.
The following figure shows the result of flow cytometry of human blood cells. The cells were stained with FITC-conjugated rabbit anti-human IL-2 receptor a subunit (y axis) and conjugated mouse anti-human IL-2 receptor y subunit (x-axis). Which quadrant shows cells expressing the medium affinity receptor?
MY ANSWER : upper right: HIGH affinity, UL - LOW affinity, LR - INTERMIDIATE/ MEDIUM affinity, LL -cells that do not express IL-2.
Book answer: upper right: medium affinity, UL - intermediate affinity, LR - low affinity, LL -cells that do not express IL-2.
if the book answer is correct, please explain it.
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can you kindly show the graph? That will aid understanding of the question.
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Hello everyone,
I'm planning to conduct an experiment to identify the presence or absence of Y chromosomes in various subsets of immune cells from clinical PBMC samples. However, as a novice in flow cytometry, I'm uncertain about the availability of antibodies targeting any marker for the Y chromosome. Does anyone know if there's an antibody specifically designed for the Y chromosome?
Thanks in advance.
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You might try an anti-SRY antibody as for sperm cell sorting; but honestly, I would rather flow sort the various cell populations and do FISH with a Y-chromosome-specific probe.
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Hi, we were told that we could use this panel to measure cytokines in CSF, but the protocol was to use only serum and plasma. We contacted Merk technical service who told us to test some dilutions to find the optimal sample dilution factor. Has anyone used this panel with CSF before? What dilutions were adopted?
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just on a side note. You can run the Olink assays locally either at the
Immunology and Vaccinology laboratory at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, University of Rome Tor Vergata or IRCCS Centro Cardiologico Monzino.
All the best & kind regards,
Michael
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I understand that free haptens, by definition, are not immunogenic. However, once produced against a protein-bound hapten, can the antibody always bind the hapten in its free form as well? Is there a general rule, or does it depend on each antibody?
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Normally, to get a good immune response, you need both T-cell and B-cell epitopes in your Immunogen. You may get a T-cell independent immune response if your immunogen is highly polymeric, but in this case the response will not progress beyond IgM. By coupling a hapten to a suitable carrier protein you both provide T-cell epitopes and multimerization of the hapten. The response will usually consist of a mixture of B-cells/antibodies with different specificity: some only recognizing the hapten in the context of the peptide sequence it is coupled to, others may also recognize the free hapten. Since you randomly couple the hapten to different sites of the carrier, those that recognize the hapten independent of the sequence context have an advantage, since they "see" a larger antigen concentration. On the other hand, since the binding affinity of an antibody is limited by the contact area, antibodies recognizing more than just the hapten may achieve higher affinities. In consequence, the antiserum generated will most likely contain both antibodies against the hapten alone and antibodies only recognizing the hapten in the context of the carrier protein sequence it was coupled to. The proportion of the two types of antibodies in the serum may vary between different animals injected with the same immunogen as well as in the course of the immune response. If you generate monoclonal antibodies, you can screen for clones that fit your requirement.
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It is known that in the early stages of desminopathy the muscles most often affected are: Semitendinosus, Gracilis and Sartorius. What is the reason for the damage to these particular muscles?
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Desminopathy, also known as desmin-related myopathy (DRM), is a rare genetic muscle disorder that affects the protein desmin. Desmin is an essential component of the intermediate filaments that provide structural support within muscle cells. Mutations in the DES gene, which codes for desmin, lead to disruptions in the normal structure and function of muscle fibers.
The muscles you mentioned - Semitendinosus, Gracilis, and Sartorius - are often affected at the onset of desminopathy due to their specific characteristics and biomechanical roles.
1. Semitendinosus: The semitendinosus is one of the three hamstring muscles located in the back of the thigh. It plays a key role in knee flexion and hip extension. The semitendinosus muscle is frequently involved in desminopathy due to its high proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are more vulnerable to desmin-related abnormalities.
2. Gracilis: The gracilis muscle is a long, thin muscle located in the inner thigh region. It is involved in hip adduction and knee flexion. Similar to the semitendinosus, the gracilis muscle also consists of a high proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers, making it susceptible to desmin-related abnormalities.
3. Sartorius: The sartorius muscle is a long, strap-like muscle that runs diagonally across the front of the thigh. It plays a role in hip and knee flexion and also assists in thigh rotation. The sartorius muscle is affected in desminopathy due to its similar composition of slow-twitch muscle fibers.
The predilection for these specific muscles in desminopathy may be attributed to their fiber type composition and the mechanical stress they experience during certain movements. However, it is important to note that desminopathy can affect other muscles as well, and the degree and pattern of muscle involvement may vary among individuals with the same genetic mutation.
It is advised to consult with a medical professional or genetics specialist for a more accurate assessment of muscle involvement and management of desminopathy.
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I am currently a first-year master's student preparing for my research. I need someone to help me find an interesting topic.
Waiting for your suggestions
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Segun Adegoke Thank you for your help
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patients taking biology therapy to treat many autoimmune diseases, so many immunological disturbances occurred in their circulation.
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Yes, elevated TNF-alpha levels in the serum are commonly associated with conditions such as autoimmune diseases. Biologic therapies, which often target TNF-alpha, can lead to a decrease in its levels. Monitoring TNF-alpha levels in patients undergoing biologic therapy is important for assessing treatment effectiveness.
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patients who taking biology therapy to treat many autoimmune diseases ,have many immunological disturbances in their sera.
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The reason for this increase in TNF-alpha levels is not fully understood, and the answer may vary between individuals. It has been suggested that inhibition of TNF-alpha by biological therapies may disrupt normal regulatory feedback loops, leading to an unintended increase in TNF-alpha production. It is important to note that the clinical significance of increased TNF-alpha concentrations during anti-TNF therapy is not completely clear and does not necessarily imply treatment failure. Monitoring patients for both clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters is important, and adjustments to the treatment plan can be made based on individual patient response.
AB Bayazid
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I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on this matter.
When reporting cytometry data on longitudinal human specimens, is it more biologically insightful to report cell frequency of a particular cell population out of total CD45, or out of the major subpopulation to which those immune cells belong? (For example, CD14+ CD16+ monocytes out of total monocytes, or out of total CD45?)
Would your answer differ depending on the tissue type?
I acknowledge there is no right or wrong answer to this question; just starting a discussion.
Thanks!
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Thanks!
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Hello!
I have isolated Lin- CD117+CD150+Sca1+. But there are two types of cells here: CD48+ and CD48 -. What is the difference between them? Can I call CD48+ cells more differentiated HSC and the another one something like long-term HSC?
Thank you!
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I briefly wanted to to reach out concerning your inquiry. I agree that your Lin‐cKit+Sca1+CD150+CD48- cells are the LT-HSCs whereas the Lin‐cKit+Sca1+CD150+CD48+ constitute a hematopoietic progenitor population which will differ in their self renewal capacity when transplanted in competitive bone marrow transplantation experiments. For details please see Figure 2 and supplementary data in:
In addition, please bear in mind that these populations will differ between immunocompetent and deficient mouse strains, underlying their hematopoietic defects. For details please consider recent work from the Levesque lab.
I hope that helps.
All the best & good luck with your experiments,
Michael
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HBV vaccine
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The fist thing to know the vaccine strain used dose ,titer ,effect of booster dose,then study immunological status of vaccinated person before vaccind and after vaccination,need for booster dose or not the select your aim
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Complications of dengue are due to immunological reactions like COVID 19 virus. Although clinical manifestations vary in different viruses, almost all complications can be prevented by early use of glucocorticoids preferably prednisolone. During last three weeks we have used prednisolone 40 mg daily within 2 to 4 days of onset of fever in NS1 four positive adult cases of dengue with high fever and three child cases NS1 negative ( 102 to 106 degree Fahrenheit ) in Dhaka and Rangpur, Bangladesh. Surprisingly, in all cases, fever subsided to base line within 6 to 7hours with a single dose of prednisolone. Platelets counts found normal till three weeks of followup. There was no loss of appetite but blood pressure found reduced for several days. It is easy to prove by prescribing it(40mg prednisolone) along with famotidine 40mg and wait for 6 hours.
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At this time ( Sept,2023) Dengue crisis is appearing worsen in Dhaka , Capital of Bangladesh. Patients are being treated by paracetamol only but high fever not responding, rather complications are encouragingly increasing. I believe, complications are due to cytokines or other chemical mediators released immunologicaly, attached to the target cells or tissue. I think, the half life of these chemical mediators is short and as soon as steroid starts acting against inflammation, the temperature rapidly subsided. As viremia in dengue may persist for several days steroid should be continued till the chance of inflammation. Rapid remission of temperature with a single dose of prednisolone within 6 to 8 hours is a miracle, though cause of this action is a matter of much investigation. However the information should be rapidly disseminated among the medical professionals for the benefit of the vulnerable patients.
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Hello Everyone,
I've established the WhatsApp group for Immunology and Cancer Specialists in the field of Invivo Oncology. If you're interested and actively contributing to this field, kindly provide your contact number, and I'll ensure you're added to the group. This collaborative effort will allow us to share and benefit from each other's knowledge and expertise.
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01022684015
This is my WhatsApp number
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We know that memory cell is a very important part of our body's immunology. Once it forms, it survives in our body for a long time such as years to decades. But normal cells go for apoptosis after a certain time. Why memory cell don't go for apoptosis or what is the reason behind this long lifespan?
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Some immunologists believe that, after each round of antigenic stimulation, the progeny of memory B cells are more likely to become plasma cells (which die) than new memory cells (which survive). In vivo, this could translate into an increased number of effector cells in the secondary and subsequent responses, and a control on the possible overexpansion of one particular memory B cell clone. However, it also means that the host might one day no longer have memory cells of this clone to call upon when the relevant pathogen strikes. In this “decreasing potential hypothesis,” immunological memory is ultimately limited. In addition, for reasons that are not yet understood, memory cells specific for different antigens have different life spans. These variations have implications for how frequently a booster shot must be given to ensure complete vaccination against a particular pathogen.
Memory cells are incredibly powerful tools for our immune system and can be very long-lived, with studies showing memory B cells for smallpox persisting at least 60 years after vaccination and for Spanish flu at least 90 years after the 1918 pandemic.
Memory B cells have several unique features including long lifespan, high sensitivity to low doses of antigen, quick and robust proliferation, and rapid differentiation into plasma cells that produce high-affinity antibodies during the secondary response.
In this sense, Md Mominul Islam , memory cells can be understood as ‚intelligent‘ or ‚learning‘ cells, imo.
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Dear ResearchGate community,
I'm currently engaged in research involving the prediction of immune responses using transcriptome data. As part of this, I'm exploring the utility of random forests and decision trees as predictive models.
In case of transcriptomics, what performance metrics have you found most informative when comparing the predictive accuracy of random forests and decision trees? Given the complexity of gene expression data, are there metrics that particularly resonate with understanding immune response prediction? Do you have any tips for optimizing model parameters to prevent overfitting and enhance generalization?
I'm excited to hear about your experiences working at the intersection of transcriptomics, immune responses, and machine learning.
Thank you in advance for your contributions, and I'm looking forward to engaging in enlightening discussions.
Best regards,
Emil
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Greetings! I'm delighted to share my insights and experiences with you in the realm of transcriptomics, immune responses, and machine learning. When comparing the performance of random forests and decision trees in predicting immune responses using transcriptome data, I've found the following performance metrics to be most informative:
  1. Accuracy: This metric measures the overall proportion of correctly classified samples. While it's useful for getting a broad sense of model performance, it's important to supplement it with other metrics to gain a deeper understanding of the models' behavior.
  2. Precision: This metric calculates the ratio of true positives (correctly predicted instances) to the sum of true positives and false positives (incorrectly predicted instances). Precision is particularly relevant when dealing with imbalanced datasets, where one class dominates the other. In the context of immune responses, precision can help identify models that excel at detecting rare but critical immune cells or genes.
  3. Recall: This metric assesses the proportion of true positives among all actual positive instances. In the context of immune responses, recall can help identify models that successfully capture the full range of immune cell types or genes involved in a particular response.
  4. F1 Score: This metric balances precision and recall, providing a harmonic mean of both. It's helpful when evaluating models that prioritize either precision or recall, depending on the specific application. An optimal F1 score represents a good tradeoff between precision and recall.
  5. Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC): This metric plots True Positive Rate against False Positive Rate at various thresholds, allowing for the evaluation of model discrimination ability. A higher AUC-ROC signifies better separation between classes, with a value of 1 representing a perfect classifier. In the context of immune responses, AUC-ROC can help assess models' abilities to distinguish between healthy and diseased states or differentiate between distinct immune cell populations.
  6. Cross-Validation: To ensure that performance metrics aren't biased towards a particular subset of the data, employ cross-validation techniques like k-fold or leave-one-out validation. These methods allow for estimating model performance on unseen data, which is crucial for making predictions on new, independent samples.
When working with complex gene expression data, it's essential to consider the biological relevance of the performance metrics. For instance, in some cases, a high accuracy might not necessarily translate into biologically meaningful results. Instead, focus on identifying models that capture the underlying biology effectively, such as those that distinguish between different immune cell subtypes or predict functional pathways.
To optimize model parameters and prevent overfitting, follow these best practices:
  1. Use robust feature selection methods: Techniques like recursive feature elimination (RFE) or mutual information can help filter out irrelevant features and reduce dimensionality, thereby improving model interpretability and reducing overfitting risks.
  2. Regularization: Apply regularization techniques, such as Lasso or Ridge regression, to shrink model coefficients towards zero. This reduces the risk of overfitting by penalizing large coefficients.
  3. Set aside a validation set: Reserve a portion of your dataset for hyperparameter tuning and model selection. This allows for evaluating model performance on data that hasn't been used during training, ensuring that your chosen model generalizes well to new data.
  4. Perform hyperparameter grid searches: Explore a range of hyperparameters systematically, using techniques like grid search or random search. This enables you to identify the combination of hyperparameters that yields the best model performance.
  5. Monitor performance metrics during training: Track performance metrics like accuracy, precision, and recall throughout the training process. This helps avoid overfitting by identifying the point where model performance starts to degrade.
  6. Consider ensemble methods: Combine multiple models using techniques like bagging or boosting to improve generalization and reduce overfitting. Ensemble methods can often produce more accurate predictions than individual models.
By considering these performance metrics, biological relevance, and optimization strategies, you'll be well on your way to developing robust and reliable machine learning models for predicting immune responses using transcriptome data.
Good luck with your research endeavors!
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What are the available guidlines for finished product visual inspection for sterile immunological veterinary products?
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There are some differences between visual inspection guidelines for sterile immunological veterinary products compared to human products:
  • Veterinary products generally follow the principles outlined in guidance documents like the WHO Recommendations for the preparation, characterization and establishment of international and other biological reference standards.
  • However, there is no universal standardized guidance specifically for veterinary immunologicals like there is for human products (e.g. Ph. Eur, USP).
  • Individual countries/regulators may provide country-specific guidance documents or regulations for veterinary products, but there is variation globally.
  • Some key elements typically included are:
    • Inspection of container integrity, closure seals, absence of defects
    • Assessment of appearance of solution, color, clarity, visible particles
    • Evaluation under normal and UV light conditions
    • Inspection by multiple trained operators as needed
  • Acceptance criteria may be more variable for veterinary vs human products. Parameters like number of permitted particles per container are often not as strictly defined.
  • Risk-based approaches taking into account route of administration and intended species may be taken more often.
So in summary, while the general principles of visual inspection for defects and particulate matter apply to both human and veterinary sterile immunologicals, veterinary products lack standardized global guidance. Acceptance criteria may be more flexible based on a case-by-case risk assessment.
I hope this helps
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I have recently coupled some magplex beads to protein, using the biorad kit and beads following a standard protocol from my supervisor that has worked well previously.
When I went to count these (used 1ul beads in 9ul diluent) there was barely anything in the square but I saw way more beads at the edge of the haemocytometer outside of the square? Per calculations from the square there were only about a million beads per ml instead of around 8-10 million/ml (the amount it should be) going by the counts. I doubted this so I ran a test on the luminex. I did a column with beads diluted as though there was 8 million/ml, one where I assumed they were all about 3mil/ml to avoid wasting too many beads. Both columns came up just fine when I read the plate so now I'm even more confused. Does anyone have any idea how to resolve this or a standard counting protocol as I don't have access to a cell counter.
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Hi Sam Marcs, the issue you encountered with counting the magplex beads using a hemocytometer can be challenging without a dedicated cell counter. However, there are a few potential reasons for the discrepancy you observed:
  • Bead distribution: Sometimes, when using a hemocytometer, the beads may not distribute evenly within the counting square. This can lead to an underestimation of the bead count. It's important to ensure thorough mixing and consistent pipetting during the dilution process to achieve a more representative distribution.
  • Bead aggregation: Beads can sometimes aggregate or clump together, making them difficult to disperse uniformly. This can result in uneven distribution within the counting square, leading to inaccurate counts. Proper vortexing or sonication can help in dispersing the beads more effectively.
  • Light scattering: The small size of the beads may cause them to scatter light, making it challenging to distinguish individual beads accurately using a hemocytometer. In such cases, using a dedicated cell counter or an alternative counting method, such as flow cytometry, can provide more reliable results.
Also, considering that your luminex test results were consistent with the expected concentrations, it suggests that the bead preparation and dilution were likely accurate. However, it's always a good practice to optimize your counting method and validate it against alternative techniques if possible.
If access to a cell counter is not available, you can explore other methods to estimate bead concentration, such as using a spectrophotometer to measure the absorbance at specific wavelengths or employing imaging software for automated counting based on images of diluted bead samples.
Cheers!
-H-
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The topic can be related to immunological disorders or transplantation immunology as well.
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Here are some research topics in the field of immunology that do not involve wet lab work:
  1. Computational modeling of immune responses: Explore the development of mathematical or computational models to simulate and analyze immune system dynamics, such as immune cell interactions, signaling pathways, or immune response to pathogens.
  2. Bioinformatics analysis of immunological data: Use bioinformatics tools and techniques to analyze large-scale immunological datasets, such as gene expression data, protein-protein interaction networks, or genomic variations associated with immunological disorders.
  3. Immunogenomics: Investigate the role of genetic variation in immune-related genes and its impact on immune responses, disease susceptibility, or treatment outcomes. This can involve analyzing genomic data from public databases or conducting population-based studies.
  4. Immunoinformatics: Apply computational methods to predict and analyze immunological properties of molecules, such as antigenic epitopes, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding, or T-cell receptor repertoire analysis.
  5. Literature review and systematic analysis: Conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on a specific immunological topic, synthesize existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and propose future directions for investigation.
  6. Clinical data analysis: Analyze clinical data from immunological studies or patient cohorts to explore disease patterns, treatment outcomes, or factors influencing immune response. This can involve retrospective analysis of medical records, patient surveys, or clinical trial data.
  7. Immunological network analysis: Investigate the complex interactions between immune cells, cytokines, and other molecules using network analysis approaches. This can provide insights into immune system regulation and identify key players in immunological processes.
  8. Immunotherapy optimization: Use computational methods to design and optimize immunotherapeutic strategies, such as cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or adoptive cell therapies. This can involve in silico screening of potential targets, predicting treatment response, or optimizing treatment combinations.
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Dear colleagues kindly help me out
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Dear Abdulla,
I have found several articles that are related to the topic you are interested in. Here they are for your reference. Enjoy your reading!
1. Emerging Immune Biomarkers for Prognosing the Outcome of COVID-19 Patients
2. Comparative Immunological Analysis of Vaccinated Versus Recovered COVID-19 Patients
3. Molecular Comparison of Recovered and Vaccinated COVID-19 Patients
4. Transcriptomic Profiling of Recovered and Vaccinated COVID-19 Patients: Insights from a Comparative Analysis
5. Comparison of Immune-Related Genes of Recovered and Vaccinated COVID-19 Patients
6. Altered Innate Immune and Inflammatory Responses in Response to Vaccine Versus Natural Infection of COVID-19
7. Serological and Molecular Evaluation of Vaccinated and Recovered SARS-CoV-2 Patients
8. A Comprehensive Comparison of Vaccinated versus Recovered COVID-19 Patients
9. Comparative Immunological Evaluation of Vaccinated and Naturally Recovered COVID-19 Patients
10. Differential Analysis of Immuno-molecular Parameters Between Vaccinated and Naturally Recovered SARS-CoV-2 Patients
Best regards, Saif
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Hey everybody,
I am looking for an easy method and also software for analyzing TCR repertoires.
is Spectratyping the easiest method? do you suggest any method which is easy to set it up in the laboratory? does that method t have an analyzing tool?
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Spectratyping is indeed a commonly used method for TCR repertoire analysis, particularly for assessing the clonality and diversity of T-cell populations. However, it is important to note that spectratyping primarily provides qualitative information about the distribution of TCR lengths and does not offer detailed sequence-level information.
Several software tools are available for TCR repertoire analysis, which can be used in conjunction with these sequencing methods. Here are a few popular ones:
  1. MiXCR: MiXCR is a widely used software tool specifically designed for TCR-seq and BCR-seq data analysis. It provides functionalities for read preprocessing, alignment, clonotype identification, and repertoire characterization. MiXCR offers a user-friendly interface and supports various input file formats.
  2. ImmunoSEQ Analyzer: ImmunoSEQ Analyzer is a web-based platform developed by Adaptive Biotechnologies. It allows for the analysis of TCR-seq and BCR-seq data, including clonotype identification, diversity assessment, and visualization of repertoire characteristics. ImmunoSEQ Analyzer offers both free and paid versions.
  3. VDJtools: VDJtools is an open-source software package for the analysis of TCR-seq and BCR-seq data. It provides a range of functionalities, including clonotype tracking, diversity estimation, repertoire comparison, and visualization. VDJtools is command-line based and offers flexibility for customized analysis pipelines.
Top of Form
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On 21-22-23 June 2023, the Milan Medical School of Ambrosiana University promoted an International Conference in streaming, on the subject:
The paradigm change of medicine: the epistemological and scientific basis
of Person-Centered Medicine
This conference is aimed to underscore the urgent need for overcoming Medicine's current wrong and obsolete deterministic-mechanistic-biological paradigm based on the linear causality toward the assumption in Medical Education, Clinics, and Public Health of the right indeterministic person-centered paradigm of human nature, Medicine, medical science, and health.
Call for papers on the following topics:
EPISTEMOLOGY AND MEDICINE, ALLOSTASIS PHYSIOLOGY, EPIGENETICS PSYCHO-NEURO-ENDOCRINE-IMMUNOLOGY, PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, NEUROBIOLOGY, MEDICAL ETHICS, PERSON-CENTERED MEDICINE, PERSON-CENTERED HEALTH, PERSON-CENTERED PSYCHIATRY, MEDICAL EDUCATION, WHO and HEALTH DEFINITION, SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY
If you have an interactionist approach to behavior and affectivity quality, PNEI, neuromodulation, and epigenetics you are welcome.
Deadline: June 10, 2023
Registration and abstract forms on
Giuseppe R.Brera
Rector of Ambrosiana University
Director of the Milan School of Medicine
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Dear professor,
sorry but I have many problems to partecipate at the Conference because of my cronic heath problems.
All my best, Catina Feresin
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I am interested to measure mitoROS using mitoSOX. Lots of paper measured mitoROS using microscopy. Is it possible to measure mitoROS using plate read?
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Yes, it is possible.
1. Cells may be cultured in standard culture media in multi-well plates (approximately 25,000–30,000 cells per well).
2. The medium should be changed the day before the experiment.
3. Cells should reach 80–90% of confluence on the day of the experiment.
Please note: You need to adjust the number of seeded cells and the culture duration to suit the specific cell type you use. Avoid using phenol red (background fluorescence).
4. Treat the cells with the drug at the indicated concentration for an appropriate time.
5. Then wash the cells twice with PBS to remove the medium and subsequently incubate for 10 min (needed to allow the probe to enter the cell and start the reaction within the mitochondria) at 37 degree C in 0.5 ml of measurement buffer containing 5uM MitoSOX Red.
Preparation of MitoSOX Red:
MitoSOX Red (on the day of the experiment, a working solution is prepared from 5 mM DMSO stock (50 mg in 13 ml of DMSO), diluted in measurement buffer). Protect from light.
6. After the incubation, the cells should be washed twice with PBS. The fluorescence can be monitored in the measurement buffer with a microplate reader set to 510 nm excitation (Ex bandwidth: 10 nm) and 595 nm emission (Em bandwidth: 35 nm) wavelengths.
7. Alternatively, if the signal is high enough, the fluorescence can also be measured using 400 nm excitation to measure only the superoxide-specific product of MitoSOX Red oxidation. This is a single-read measurement that does not define the kinetics of the reaction.
You may want to refer to the article attached below. (See Procedure, section 2.3.1.2).
Best.
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It is important to measure immunological variables in athletes from time to time because of their direct impact on performance.
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cortisol, testosterona , Iga salivar, glutationa reduzida (GSH), glutationa peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), proteína carbonilada (PC), substâncias reagentes ao ácido tiobarbitúrico (TBARS), atividade da enzima mieloperoxidase (MPO), metabólitos do óxido nítrico (NOx), proteína C reativa (PCR), spo², il-1b, nfkb, tnf-a
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Planning to run my assays this week, but not sure if I will be able to tomorrow. I want to prep as much as possible ahead of time, and was wondering if I could coat my plates with 10ug/mL antigen in bicarbonate buffer tonight, then use at a later time this week.
If so, should I keep the wells full of buffer until time of use, or dry them the next day then store at 4C until use?
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There are a number of factors to consider and certainly there are ways to preserve and store plates for longer periods of time. However, in your case the key question is the stability of the antigen. If you know the antigen is stable, then you should be fine to store for several days in the coating buffer before proceeding with your ELISA. I have done this with several antigens and have never observed an issue with using the plate within a week. Hope this helps.
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Hello, I just graduated from college and am conducting immunology research.
I am following a protocol that isolates extracellular vesicles which asks for an ultra-centrifugation step at 100,000g for 2hours. Unfortunately, my building only has an ultra-centrifuge that goes up to 48,000g.
I was wondering if anyone knows how I can relate the 48,000g with 100,000g through time. For example, would 4 hours at 48,000g be equivalent to 100,000g for 2 hours?
I would really appreciate any advice or resources!
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This might not be exactly what you need, but should give you a reasonably good idea what approach to take based on the equipment used in the protocol you are trying to replicate and the equipment available to you:
Some of the theory to help you understand what calculations are being done in the background can be found here:
Hope this helps!
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I have two DEG sets for 2 disease conditions (from mild to severe condition) of the same viral infection. When I look at the common gene from these two sets of DEGs, I found that some genes show opposite expression among these two conditions ( Like a gene downregulated in mild but up-regulated in severe or vice versa). So what I want to know is that,
1) If this phenomenon is normal in viral infection??
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The shift between two opposite direction of change is the rule for regulatory genes that work as 'toggle.switches' in which the biphasic alternation of two conditions is the basis for a sort of digital control of biological regulation. It is not by chance that a great part of toggle-switches are retroviral origin sequences that mirror the lytic-lysogenic phases of viruses and phagi, see:
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Aside from inhibiting protease activity (not effectively working), I read some papers about doing modifications to the antibodies:
using unnatural amino Acids
using mPEG
But, are there better options, more commercially applicable?
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If you are talking about using the antibodies as the affinity matrix (such as in immunoaffinity chromatography), I would suggest that the way to avoid damage to the antibodies from proteases in a crude extract is to save the immunoaffinity chromatography for the last step in the purification, at which point the protease activity from the crude extract should be greatly reduced. Begin the purification with ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and/or gel filtration chromatographies. Use a protease inhibitor cocktail when making the crude extract.
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Hello I wish good health to all my friends. I had two questions. 1: Is free vitamin D in serum the same as vitamin D in VDBP in terms of immunological properties and can it be identified with a similar monoclonal antibody? 2: In making the extraction buffer for vitamin D ELISA kit, is the best way to separate vitamin D from VDBP pH shock or can other cases be used? If my friends have any other suggestions, I would be grateful if you could guide me. Thanks
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The term "genetically restricted" is not obvious for me as in "CTL target cell killing was genetically restricted". Could anyone explain this, please?
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"Genetically restricted" in the context of immunology refers to the idea that an individual's immune system is only able to recognize and respond to certain types of pathogens, or disease-causing agents. This ability is determined by the genes that an individual inherits from their parents, which encode for the proteins that make up the immune system. These proteins, called antigens, are used by the immune system to identify and target pathogens. An individual's immune system is only able to recognize and respond to a limited range of antigens, meaning that it is genetically restricted in its ability to defend against certain types of pathogens. This is why some people may be more susceptible to certain types of infections or diseases than others.
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A few years ago I moved from my job as a biologist in a research institute to a private research manager.
Right now I'm looking for ideas on how to collaborate with other researchers in academic institutions.
I have experience in lateral flow, immunology and cancer research.
Currently my main asset is my experience and I eager to do research again.
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1. Develop an Area of Expertise: Develop a specific area of expertise related to your research interests. This can be done by reading relevant books, journal articles, and other resources in your chosen field.
2. Network: Networking is important for any researcher. Reach out to colleagues, professors, and other experts in the field for advice and to stay abreast of the latest developments.
3. Attend Conferences: Attend conferences related to your research interests to stay current on the latest developments and to meet other researchers in the field.
4. Join Professional Organizations: Joining professional organizations related to your research interests can help you stay current on the latest developments, as well as provide you with access to valuable resources.
5. Develop Collaborative Relationships: Connect with other researchers for collaboration opportunities. This can help you develop new ideas, gain new perspectives, and learn from one another.
6. Utilize Online Resources: Take advantage of the wealth of information available on the Internet. Use search engines, databases, and other resources to stay up to date on the latest developments and research findings.
7. Publish Your Work: Publishing your work is a great way to make a name for yourself in the
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Hi,
I want to start a very interesting discussion, please take part if you think same.
Can we use artificial intelligence in Immunology? Like creating diagnostic kits, experiments & many more.
Anybody would like to contribute whatever he knows?
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Yes, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be used in immunology to analyze and interpret large amounts of data, such as genetic sequences and protein structures. AI can be used to identify patterns and correlations in this data that may not be easily visible to the human eye, and to make predictions about how the immune system will respond to different stimuli. For example, AI can be used to predict the likelihood of an individual developing a specific autoimmune disorder or to identify potential targets for immune-based therapies. AI can also be used to analyze the results of immunological experiments and to develop new computational models for studying the immune system.
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If possible provide me with pics of the dissection that show the location of both
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As far as I know all lymph nodes are almost same other than sizes !
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I have trouble shooting with flow cytometry. People told me that immune human cells needs higher concentrations of antibody than mouse cells. Does anybody have any insights on that?
Thanks a lot!
Arthur
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From our experience, the concentration data of the manufacturers are oversized. We use only 1 μl on about 1x10^6 cells in 100 μl. So far, we have always been able to achieve good FACS results, whether with antibodies for mice or humans. Decisive is of course the amount of your marker to be detected and the correct selection of fluorochrome which have a different intensity. Therefore, a prior establishment of the fluorochrome composition is always advisable. Regards
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Is there a demand for retired professors for above on remote basis? I retire next year but would like to still be involved with academic mentoring. I specifically want to assist PhD students with research proposal, literature background, methods, data analysis and discussion /conclusion formulation and editing. Mentoring will only be done in specialist expertise field namely Immunology, Ecotoxicology/physiology and Biomarker. Would like to know if this is being done remotely.
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Dear Dr. Edmund Pool
That's great and much appreciatable.
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β-Lactam antibiotics: the most common allergens among drugs.
Why are beta-lactam antibiotics the most common drug allergens?
I was thinking that it could be due to the fact that beta-lactam antibiotics as Penicillins & Cephalosporins, are used in relatively higher amounts (e.g. 500 - 1000mg)
Also, maybe the mode of administration should play a role: other drugs used in the same weight range are given only orally (Vs. antibiotics which are often given parenterally)??
And then this could be all on the chemical identity of these drugs...
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It will depend on the concentration-exposure relationships that can differ between individuals, due to acquired or genetic host factors. The type and intensity of interaction between the drug and target may relate to both the dose and duration of treatment.
Some off-target effects are both directly immune-mediated and associated with immunological memory of varied duration (drug hypersensitivity), whereas others without immunological memory might have an immunological phenotype, such as non-IgE-mediated mast-cell activation seen with the use of certain antibiotics like fluoroquinolones.
Best.
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I had made hybridoma by fusing sp2/o cells with spleenocytes. however, while doing single cell dilution, I had left the cells in the same media for a period of 7 days (at this time, the cells were in a 96 well plate). now the cells are not attaching when i am transfering to the new culture flask (they do not attach i know, but they are all in the suspension), and i think they are not dividing too. what should i do! please help.
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Dear Jean-Jacques Pin Jacques, I have a question related to the supplement. Is it okay for using BM-Condimed H1 for human hybridoma production?
Sorry for asking through this discussion
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What do you think are the remaining/unanswered questions in (tumor) immunology?
I'm looking for interesting questions that remains unanswered in the field of immunology, mostly tumor immunology. Do you have any interesting ideas?
Thank you in advance.
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Yes, I do have some ideas that may be of interest to you.
As you may be knowing that T-cell therapy trials have been successful in certain blood cancers. But what about cancers that are solid tumors?
Solid tumors pose challenges for immunotherapies that aren’t factors in liquid tumors, where the cancer cells are in the bloodstream and are more accessible to immune cells.
There are a lot many factors within the tumor microenvironment that can shut down T cells, and these factors may/may not be the same for every solid tumor. There might be certain types of immune cells which might hinder this process, or cancer cells themselves might put up a fight by sending immunosuppressive signals that is likely to further dampen the anti-cancer immune responses.
What are your thoughts on this?
Another interesting idea! Still unanswered.
Can cancer be prevented by training our own immune system?
For this purpose, we would have to characterize the genome and the immune environment which is associated with precancerous growth. Find potential targets and bombard them with immune boosters or develop vaccines to prevent cancerous growth.
Best.
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I am planning on using 384 well format to acquire transfected HEK293 cells with FACS Caliber. Would like some suggestions on appropriate cell density/well as well any other parameters that should be kept in mind while using a 384 well plate. Also can Cell Quest Pro support 384 format. I am currently using 96 well plate but would like to switch to 384 in order to improve high throughput performance and decrease required cell number for an experiment.
Thanks in advance !
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Hi Tulika, I am also switching my studies to 384 well plates. I will be using suspension cells not adherent. I am wondering what was your experience with 384-W plate.
Thanks a lot in advance,
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Hello,
I am considering measuring total IgE, as well as anti-dsDNA IgE in mouse serum (most likely via ELISA) and I was wondering whether anyone has any experience in this. The animals in question are lupus-prone and non-immunized. Does anyone have recommendations regarding serum dilutions for such ELISAs? Regarding total IgE I have found recommendations in the range of 1:10 - 1:50 (for non-immunized animals). However, I couldn't find any information on anti-dsDNA IgE ELISAs. Maybe serum anti-dsDNA IgE concentrations are too low for ELISAs.
I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
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detection the low concentration (as you said) of anti-dsDNA IgE depends on the sensitivity of your ELISA kit. but you also can make a pilot test by using different dilutions to find out the best dilution concentration that you should use it.
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Hello,
We are planning to carry out flow cytometry of stimulated cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We noticed that these cells form large clumps as they proliferate and these are somewhat hard to break apart by pipetting. What method should we use to break up these aggregates? I assume that filtering would influence the final data since the clumps would be left on the filter.
Thank you!
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I would suggest you pass your cells through a 40 um cell strainer prior to your FACS analysis. That should help with your clumping issues, but you might loose some cells.
Please note that human T cells express human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-alpha (DRA) upon mitogenic or antigenic stimulation, which makes them incredibly sticky, especially when you culture bulk PBMCs without separating the different cell types prior to setting up your cultures. I hope that helps.
All the best & good luck with your experiment.
Michael
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Hi all,
I am new to immunology field, need some help to distinguish CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD25. What are differences between them for T cells? How to decide which CDs are specific for T cells, B cells, neutrophils and macrophage.
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I commonly use CD3 to gate T cells; then CD4 and CD8 to gate T helper cells and T cytotoxic cells, respectively; Then using a CD3+CD4+ gating (Th cells) you could use CD25 and CD127 in combination to distinguish between effector T cells (CD127+CD25low) and regulatory T cells (CD127low CD25high).
You can check one of my articles for that: doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43622-8
Best
Juanjo
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I have been finding the proof that this epitope called NLVPMVATV does not induce cytokine storm for days, but in vain. Could anyone please help me? I really need a reference paper to support this or else my project will be in a great trouble.
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Hi,
Check the references below:
HCMV UL83/pp65 (NLVPMVATV)
CMV pp65 peptide NLVPMVATV (HLA-A*0201) is a single peptide for stimulation of T cells. The peptide from human cytomegalovirus (CMV) phosphoprotein (pp65) is synthesized as it is presented by the MHC class I HLA-A*0201 allele and can be used for targeted in vitro generation and expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.
Reference:
"Although the anti-pp65 antibodies and the pp65 antigens are detected in immune-depressed patients with active viral infection [16], the antibody response to the pp65 antigen in normal infected individuals is not always detectable by immunoblotting [17]. It has been reported that the pp65 antigen is targeted by a cell-mediated immune response and that its vaccination can induce a pp65-specific CTL response"
Reference:
Hope it helps,
Best regards
Tomasz
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I saw many papers are introducing or immunizing mice with ovalbumin (OVA), will this induce a cytokine storm? Is there any paper suggesting that OVA doesn't induce cytokine storm? I've been searching this for days, please help.
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No, there are essentially 3 major types of immune response to infection: an antiviral response which illicits interferon, a pro inflammatory response that makes il1, il6, tnfalpha etc wich is normally directed against bacterial and fungal infections ( and can lead to cytokine storm) and then the allergic response directed against allergens like ova that generates il4, il10, il13.
In mouse models, balb/c mice are typically used to study allergic responses as thy are inherently more allergic and c57bl/6 are used to study proinflammatory responses and diseases because they are inherently more prone to this type of immune reaction.
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 I am wonder if any one have a good experience in the IHC multiplex satin. i will study the co expression of biomarkers. any suggestion and recommendation please. 
thanks 
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I used too run chromogenic multiplex for her2+ER+PR, in If i did her2+ER+PR+ki67. All on the discovery platform.
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Hi,
Anyone here using FloJo to analyze data for instance lymphocytes population, please show how will be the outcome after analysis using this software?
In terms of statistics ?
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It's better if you provide more details about your questions. based on my experience, the flowjo software can show distinct populations based on their marker expression intensity. in a flowjo plot, one dot represent one cell, so you can also get the percentage of every population you have. these are basic functions that flowjo have, for more detailed, you can search on the official FLOWJO website or there are some useful youtube video that show how to analyse flow data by flowjo.
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I want to download transcriptomes from different types of immune cells T, B, Effector T cells, plasmatic cells, monocytes, macrophages, etc. It can be from microarray, RNAseq or scRNAseq from human tissues
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Hey guys,
I have a list of full mouse TCR sequences that I got from my vdj scRNA seq experiment, I am just wondering if there is a tool that might help me to predict what these TCR might recognize?
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Not really. There's been a ton of effort going into developing tools to do this but most are in early stage development and not ready for routine usage. The main issue is a lack of training data that can be used to refine these algorithms.
There are new in vitro high-throughput functional TCR antigen profiling techniques that have come online in previous years, including the one we developed: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336310777_Rapid_selection_and_identification_of_functional_CD8_T_cell_epitopes_from_large_peptide-coding_libraries
These approaches are powerful because they let you directly test large libraries of candidate sequences in an unbiased way. If you have any interest in trying out our method, send me a DM and we can talk further.
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How can I develop a maternal/infant immunology research group at my college? How to mobilize students? how to encourage them? how to start?
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1. Equip and Encourage
As leaders, we should make time to debrief college students about their experiences. Talk to them through their missions experience, and while doing so, inspire them to follow what they have discovered back on campus. Provide avenues for scholar missionaries to use what they have realized in their mission experience on campus and thru your ministry. Intentionally suppose outside the field about how to connect their special journey to special ministry opportunities.
Lauren and Ryan began dating before Lauren left for a semester of missions journey in South Asia. While she used to be serving in India, Ryan looked around to see the multitudes of Indian students on campus. He started apartment ministries with these students which eventually supplied avenues for Lauren to make investments in ministry to South Asians when she lowers back home.
2. Challenge
Hold college students accountable. Help them be accurate stewards by means of difficult them to use the journey God has given them. When time and college lifestyles seem to take over, mission them to stay the course.
The testimonies stated above haven’t stopped. Haley has lately back to East Asia – this time as an English teacher. She has had the probability to construct some of those relationships that started out on her campus in Alabama, through connecting with these equal college students in East Asia! While Ryan and Lauren are preparing for the subsequent steps overseas, they have maximized their professions to be planted in a predominant US town among South Asians here. They are taking this time to study more about the subculture and put it together for a probability to serve in South Asia.
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if possible please elaborate the phenomena also
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Progenitor cells in the tumor are usually Granzyme K+ and slowly proliferate. As the cells flip towards transitory/effector-like they become Granzyme B+ and stay Granzyme B+ as they further exhaust. So in essence there are Ki-67+ (with the capacity to proliferate) cytolytic cells and non-proliferating/terminally exhausted subsets.
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To provide some context:
Once an antigen is processed endogenously or exogenously by the APC's (ex: dendritic cells), it is then presented on MHCI or MHCII as a peptide.
specific naive Tcells have a matching Tcell receptor that is complimentary to the presented peptide. considering the incredible diversity of peptide antigens that can be presented, what governs the production of Tcells having the exact match to the presented peptide?
What is the mechanism of Tcell receptor diversity considering that somatic hypermutation is designated to Bcells?
(picture adapted from: Molecular biology of the cell - Garland science 2008)
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It is stochastic, or random. The receptor repertoire based on vdj, alpha beta v delta gamma and n and p additions result in a nearly unlimited. Umber of potential receptor rearrangement. The naive t cells enter secondary lymphoid organs at the instruction of chemokines and 4andomly test against antigen presented in the context of correct mhc. In this scenario, it I'd the antigen that selects the correct tcr, resulting in clone proliferation. The t cell is the passive player.
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i am in my 6th semester and i am looking for some good colleges other than IIT's that are offering masters in immunology and molecular biology in india. can i get some recommendations on the same?
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Can I also get recommendations for universities offering masters in the same subject abroad as well. I am also looking for those options as well.
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Please let me have a simple question, "Should 7AAD be washed before Flow?". After I stained 1 million cells with antibodies and washed them, I will add 5uL of 7AAD. After incubation for 5 minutes in RT, should 7AAD be washed before the flow cytometer run? I mean, should the cells stained with 7AAD be washed 1-2 times before the flow cytometer run? Or, can I run the cell suspension that includes 7AAD as it is?
My 7AAD product does not have any protocol, and although I search on the internet, each protocol I found differs widely.
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Are you using this as a stain for dead cells?
7AAD is a fluorochrome used as a marker of apoptosis, and is typically added as a last step.
I don't think you need to remove before your run, however, I would consider doing a longer incubation.
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I want to detect a specific protein in a pool of exosomes from plasma by ELISA, but I don't sure if the exosomes before ELISA test are o not disrupt using RIPA buffer or another methods.  What is the different? The capacity to bind at well is the same in one of this way?
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Hi André Cronemberger Andrade I read your comment and I would like to know if you have any protocol for what you mention about sensitizing the elisa plate to later detect surface proteins in exosomes. Do you use elisa plates of any particular brand?
I would appreciate it if you could help me, thanks in advance.
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