Adaptive immunity in cancer immunology and therapeutics.

Copyright: © the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The vast genetic alterations characteristic of tumours produce a number of tumour antigens that enable the immune system to differentiate tumour cells from normal cells. Counter to this, tumour cells have developed mechanisms by which to evade host immunity in their constant quest for growth and survival. Tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) are one of the fundamental triggers of the immune response. They are important because they activate, via major histocompatibility complex (MHC), the T cell response, an important line of defense against tumourigenesis. However, the persistence of tumours despite host immunity implies that tumour cells develop immune avoidance. An example of this is the up-regulation of inhibitory immune checkpoint proteins, by tumours, which induces a form of self-tolerance. The majority of monoclonal antibodies in clinical practice have been developed to target tumour-specific antigens. More recently there has been research in the down-regulation of immune checkpoint proteins as a way of increasing anti-tumour immunity

An exonic splicing enhancer in human IGF-I pre-mRNA mediates recognition of alternative exon 5 by the serine-arginine protein splicing factor-2/alternative splicing factor

The human IGF-I gene has six exons, four of which are alternatively spliced. Variations in splicing involving exon 5 may occur, depending on the tissue type and hormonal environment. To study the regulation of splicing to IGF-I exon 5, we established an in vitro splicing assay, using a model pre-mRNA containing IGF-I exons 4 and 5 and part of the intervening intron. Using a series of deletion mutants, we identified an 18-nucleotide purine-rich splicing enhancer in exon 5 that increases the splicing efficiency of the upstream intron from 6 to 35%. We show that the serine-arginine protein splicing factor-2/alternative splicing factor specifically promotes splicing in cultured cells and in vitro and is recruited to the spliceosome in an enhancer-specific manner. Our findings are consistent with a role for splicing factor-2/alternative splicing factor in the regulation of splicing of IGF-I alternative exon 5 via a purine-rich exonic splicing enhancer

Vitamin A In Veterinary Medicine

Veterinarians now have available vitamin preparations which are intended for use as specific drugs in the prophylaxis and therapy of disease processes. Use of these products requires knowledge of indications for their use in rational therapy. This article is intended to aid in presenting this information for vitamin A

Soft Tissue Studies In Small Animal Radiography

Radiologic investigation of normal and abnormal structures and conditions found in the skeletal system have yielded valuable information to the veterinary profession. The relatively great densities demonstrated by skeletal tissues and the alterations in those densities brought about by disease processes have aided in interpretation of abnormalities. They were readily observable on the film, and the techniques for producing diagnostic films, although rigid, were relatively easy of achievement. Recently, in both human and veterinary radiology, efforts at achieving the same wide use of the science of radiology have been pointed toward demonstration and interpretation of lesions which occur in the non-osseous portions of the body

An Annotated List of the Mammals of Sac County, Iowa

My purpose in writing this list is to place on record data gathered principally from the pioneers of Sac County about the conditions in pioneer days and since. While these data are not as accurate as though they were confirmed by specimens, they are better than no information at all. I have used extreme care in differentiating species and have included some observations of my own made in the more recent years. I have also included some data on adjoining counties

An Exploration of Valuation Practices in Complex Case Reviews in Healthcare

The purpose of this paper is to explore valuation practices in a complex case setting in healthcare. Value based healthcare is an important theme in contemporary health management, particularly in relation to management of cases with multiple stakeholders. The concept of value co-creation concentrates on value as uniquely (and privately) determined by the beneficiaries. In this context researchers have begun to explore value co-creation styles in relation to health service outcomes. The challenge for value based healthcare however is to also capture an accepted valuation of service benefit that has currency for all stakeholders. In the valuation literature this can be viewed as a collaborative performance. Valuation practice styles have not previously received attention in healthcare research. As a result there is a gap in understanding as to how private co-creation of value by individual participants might relate to their collective valuation of service benefit. Beginning to characterise valuation practices in a series of healthcare case reviews is therefore a fruitful investigatory step

Auditor Judgment Confidence: Direct Evidence for the Process View

Although there has been considerable research on audit judgment processes and structures, one area that has received little attention is auditor judgment confidence. Determining the nature of confidence attainment has direct implications for audit practice, particularly regarding the timing of evidence evaluation leading to final judgments. The present study extends the early work of Pincus (1991) and is the first to provide direct evidence in support of the process view of audit judgment confidence

On the Role of Formers in Violent Extremism Tertiary Prevention Programs

The question of what roles, if any, former extremists can or should play in PVE efforts is one that has received increased attention in recent years. This article contributes to that conversation by collecting input from preventing violent extremism (PVE) experts we brought together in June 2023 for a full-day workshop. More specifically, our research team recruited a group of 12 US-based PVE experts—all of whom had some experience working with Formers extremists—to participate in a structured discussion about the protection, supervision, and use of formers in PVE work. The issues raised by the experts fell into four broad categories: the roles that formers have played in US PVE, the qualifications and training formers should have, the effectiveness of formers in facilitating PVE, and the ethics of their involvement. Broadly speaking, we find that PVE practitioners’ support for the involvement of formers in PVE activities is heavily caveated by a range of concerns related to qualifications, training, and scope of work. Additionally, a review of the literature finds minimal support for the involvement of formers in PVE, and raises a range of ethical issues that the field has not yet fully addressed.    Acknowledgements This project was made possible by funding and support from the National Institute of Justice (Evaluability assessment and development of psychological and behavioral health approaches to prevent terrorism and facilitate reintegration of violent extremists; Award Number 15PNIJ-21-GG-02727-DOMR). The content of this manuscript as well as the views expressed therein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIJ, nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government

Evaluating learning disability case management from a service delivery network perspective

Service Delivery Networks (SDN) have not been widely considered in complex service environments such as healthcare. There is reported concern for service network functioning of Care Programme Approach (CPA) Case Management in UK Mental Health and Learning Disability services. In this study we adapted the concept of the SDN for an exploratory investigation of a series of CPA case reviews in a Learning Disability Service. Based on a template analysis, we described a SDN at the intersection of patient, commissioner and clinician network participation. From this vantage point we elicited a marked variation in SDN participation quality, giving rise to suggestions for service improvement and further research

Differential Effects of Exposure to Social Violence and Natural Disaster on Children's Mental Health

Disaster mental health, particularly postdisaster child mental health, is neglected in India. This study compares the impact of a natural disaster versus a spate of communal riots that occurred in Gujarat, India on January 26, 2001, and February 2002 to June 2002, respectively. Children aged 8-15 years from highly exposed earthquake sites (n = 128) and riot sites (n = 171) were approached for participation. A matching control sample of 351 nontrauma-exposed children was sought to compare with the trauma groups. Trauma and postdisaster adversities were studied using the UCLA disaster trauma tool; Goodman's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess adjustment difficulties. Spearman's correlations were calculated to find associations between trauma items on UCLA's brief trauma scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire items. Results suggest that 7.6% of the earthquake sample and 38.7% from the riots sample manifested clinically significant mental health problems. The earthquake sample had 24.8% of those above clinical cutoff for probable posttraumatic stress disorder and the riots sample had 27.3% children who displayed posttraumatic stress symptoms. Children exposed to violence were psychologically more affected and in the presence of postdisaster adversities, posttraumatic stress symptoms persisted long term. This finding should enable development of differential psychotherapeutic interventions for children exposed to extreme events