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Spatial memory is significant in modeling animal movement. For a diffusive consumer-resource model, a memory-based diffusion of consumer can result in richer and more realistic dynamics. In fact, memory-based diffusion is related to the resource distributions in past times because the memory decays over time. We originally propose a consumer-resource model with distributed memory, and then investigate the influence of the weak memory kernel on the stability of the positive constant steady state. When the memory-based diffusion coefficient is negative, the mean delay does not affect the stability of the positive constant steady state; however, when the memory-based diffusion coefficient is positive, the mean delay can lead to the spatially inhomogeneous periodic oscillation patterns. The direction and stability of Turing bifurcation induced by the memory-based diffusion coefficient are calculated by using the methods of Crandall and Rabinowitz, and the direction and stability of Hopf bifurcation induced by the mean delay are determined by the normal form theory. • Propose a consumer-resource model with distributed memory. • Investigate the influence of the mean delay on the stability of positive constant steady state. • Find the stability induced by the average delay. • Investigate the properties of Turing bifurcation and derive the normal form associated with the Hopf bifurcation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Reduction Principle for rates of mutation, migration, and recombination has been proved for large populations under constant selection, the fate of modifiers of these evolutionary forces under frequency-dependent or fluctuating selection is, in general, less well understood. Here we study modifiers of transmission, which include modifiers of mutation and oblique cultural transmission, under frequency-dependent and cyclically fluctuating selection, and develop models for which the Reduction Principle fails. We show that whether increased rates of transmission can evolve from an equilibrium at which there is zero transmission (for example, no mutation) depends on the number of alleles among which transmission is occurring. In addition, properties of the null-transmission state are clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Glauber dynamics of a two dimensional Blume–Capel model (or dilute Ising model) with Kac potential parametrized by ( β , θ ) – the “inverse temperature” and the “chemical potential”. We prove that the locally averaged spin field rescales to the solution of the dynamical Φ 4 equation near a curve in the ( β , θ ) plane and to the solution of the dynamical Φ 6 equation near one point on this curve. Our proof relies on a discrete implementation of Da Prato–Debussche method [13] as in [33] but an additional coupling argument is needed to show convergence of the linearized dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable and recyclable organic degradation catalyst based on MoS 2 functionalized ZnO nanorods was introduced. ZnO nanorods were synthesized on the glass substrates (2 cm*2 cm) by sol-gel method and hydrothermal method and functionalized with MoS 2 via an argon flow annealing method. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. Results showed that a small amount of MoS 2 was successfully wrapped on the surfaces of ZnO nanorods. XPS analyses showed the existence of Zn-S between ZnO and MoS 2 , indicating that the MoS 2 was combined with ZnO through chemical bonds and formed the ZnO/MoS 2 heterostructure. PL results revealed that ZnO/MoS 2 had lower fluorescence spectra indicating an electron transport channel between ZnO and MoS 2 which separated electrons and holes. Photocatalytic experiment showed that ZnO/MoS 2 composites showed a better photodegradation performance of Rhodamine B (RhB) after functionalized with MoS 2 under the UV light irradiation which could be attributed to the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes between ZnO and MoS 2 . Meanwhile, the high active adsorption sites on the edges of MoS 2 also accelerated the degradation process. Furthermore, the scavengers were used to investigate the major active species and results indicated that h + was the major reactive species for the degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing amounts of nanoplastics (NPs) in the environment are a great threat to human health, causing intestinal inflammation when consumed through seafood and water. There is, however, still a lack of understanding of the immunomodulatory role of NPs in immune cells, especially the early signal events behind inflammation resulting from NPs ingestion. In this study, we explored the dynamic internalization of polystyrene NPs and their carboxy and amino-functionalized products (PS, PS-COOH and PS-NH 2) followed by activation of ROS-MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways in macrophage RAW 264.7. The inflammatory and cytotoxic potentials of NPs were evaluated by ELISA and apoptosis assays. Results showed that PS-COOH accumulated most in cells and induced more pronounced ROS and apoptosis than PS, PS-NH 2 and PS-μm. PS-COOH and PS-NH 2 showed stronger MAPK/NF-κB activation potential to at a low concentration of 10 μg/mL than unmodified PS, followed by production of IL-6 and TNF-α cytokines. Furthermore, PS-COOH induced MAPK/NF-κB activation and cytokine secretion could be inhibited by NAC, indicating that ROS was responsible for signal dysregulation and immunogenicity of PS-COOH, but not for PS-NH 2. The results suggested that the MAPK and NF-κB pathways were involved in NPs-induced macrophage inflammation, which was influenced by surface functionalization of NPs, with carboxylated PS NPs exhibiting a greater pro-inflammatory and cytotoxic potential. [Display omitted] • Cellular uptake of NPs didn't increase linearly, and PS-COOH accumulated the most. • NPs activated MAPK/NF-κB pathways and induced IL-6/TNF-α expression in macrophages. • PS-COOH exhibited a greater inflammatory potential associated with ROS production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KIF3b is a protein of the kinesin-2 family which plays an important role in intraflagellar transport. Testis cancer is a common cancer among young men. Its diagnostic rate is increasing and over half of the cases are seminomas. Many aspects of the mechanism and gene expression background of this cancer remain unclear. Using western-blotting and semi-quantitative PCR we found high protein levels of KIF3b enrichment in seminoma tissue despite the mRNA levels remaining equivalent to that of normal testicular tissues. The distribution of KIF3b was mainly in cells with division potential. Wound-healing assays and cell counting kit assays showed that the knockdown of KIF3b significantly suppressed cell migration ability, viability and number in HeLa cells. Immunofluorescence images during the cell cycle revealed that KIF3b tended to gather at the spindles and was enriched at the central spindle. This indicated that KIF3b may also have direct impacts upon spindle formation and cytokinesis. By counting the numbers of nuclei, spindles and cells, we found that the rates of multipolar division and multi-nucleation were raised in KIF3b-knockdown cells. In this way we demonstrate that KIF3b functions importantly in mitosis and may be essential to seminoma cell division and proliferation as well as being necessary for normal cell division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited cardiomyocyte proliferation is insufficient for repair of the myocardium. Therefore, activating cardiomyocyte proliferation might be a reasonable option for myocardial regeneration. Here, we investigated effect of retinoic acid (RA) on inducing adult cardiomyocyte proliferation and assessed efficacy of self-assembling peptide (SAP)-released RA in activating regeneration of the infarcted myocardium. Effect of RA on inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation was examined with the isolated cardiomyocytes. Expression of the cell cycle-associated genes and paracrine factors in the infarcted myocardium was examined at one week after treatment with SAP-carried RA. Cardiomyocyte proliferation, myocardial regeneration and improvement of cardiac function were assessed at four weeks after treatment. In the adult rat myocardium, expression of RA synthetase gene Raldh2 and RA concentration were decreased significantly. After treatment with RA, the proliferated cardiomyocytes were increased. The formulated SAP could sustainedly release RA. After treatment with SAP-carried RA, expression of the pro-proliferative genes in cell cycle and paracrine factors in the infarcted myocardium were up-regulated. Myocardial regeneration was enhanced, and cardiac function was improved significantly. These results demonstrate that RA can induce adult cardiomyocytes to proliferate effectively. The sustained release of RA with SAP is a promise strategy to enhance repair of the infarcted myocardium. [Display omitted] • Synthesis of retinoic acid in adult myocardium is decreased. • Retinoic acid can induce proliferation of adult cardiomyocytes. • Sustained release of retinoic acid is effective for repair of the infarcted myocardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Individuals’ goal-directed activity in one situation can affect their behavior in a later, ostensibly unrelated situation. This effect can depend on whether the latter behavior is also goal-directed or is performed automatically. Three studies showed that participants’ rate of speaking in the course of performing a speech shadowing task has a positive influence on the speed with which they later complete an ostensibly unrelated marketing survey. Furthermore, when participants’ attention is called to the goal of working rapidly on the survey, the effect of their past behavior depends on their perception of the goal''s desirability. When the time to complete the survey is not mentioned, however, participants’ speed of working on the survey is influenced by their speed of speaking in the earlier situation without their awareness and it does not depend on the desirability of the goal with which their behavior is associated. An additional experiment showed that the relative impact of goal-directed and automatic processes also depends on the cognitive resources that people have available to construe the evaluative implications of their decisions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This research examines whether and how holding one object influences evaluations of another. Across four studies, we find that occupying the dominant (vs. non-dominant) hand leads to lower evaluations of the target object; further, process data suggests that this effect occurs because dominant hand restriction impairs the ease with which the perceiver simulates holding the target. Boundary conditions that document effect attenuation and reversal are also consistent with this premise. Collectively, the studies offer support for a circular chain of influence between the perception and action systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We consider a directed polymer model in dimension 1 + 1 , where the disorder is given by the occupation field of a Poisson system of independent random walks on Z. In a suitable continuum and weak disorder limit, we show that the family of quenched partition functions of the directed polymer converges to the Stratonovich solution of a multiplicative stochastic heat equation (SHE) with a Gaussian noise, whose space-time covariance is given by the heat kernel. In contrast to the case with space-time white noise where the solution of the SHE admits a Wiener-Itô chaos expansion, we establish an L 1 -convergent chaos expansions of iterated integrals generated by Picard iterations. Using this expansion and its discrete counterpart for the polymer partition functions, the convergence of the terms in the expansion is proved via functional analytic arguments and heat kernel estimates. The Poisson random walk system is amenable to careful moment analysis, which is an important input to our arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensitivity to contaminants of natural populations varies greatly depending on their historical exposure and on the sex of the individual. These factors result in great uncertainty in ecotoxicological risk assessments and challenge the protection of marine biodiversity. This study investigated the role of background pollution in the environment in shaping the sensitivity of males and females of the common marine amphipod Allorchestes compressa to the common trace marine pollutant, copper (Cu). Female and male amphipods were collected from two sites: Geelong (the polluted site) and Clifton Springs (the clean site). Amphipods were exposed to Cu treatments of 0, 50, 100, and 250 μg/L for 10 days, followed by a 10-day recovery period. Cu-exposed males from Geelong showed a reduction in feeding rate at a higher Cu concentration than males from Clifton Springs, suggesting that they have a higher tolerance to Cu than males from Clifton Springs. This can be explained by their higher base level of metallothioneins (MTs) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), the key physiological responses for detoxification and defence against damages from Cu toxicity. Males showed a higher tolerance to Cu than females. This pattern was similar in both populations, which may be associated with a higher level of GST. During the recovery period, only males from Geelong fully recovered to the control level. Our results emphasize the importance of considering population- and sex-specific sensitivity of invertebrates to contaminants in ecotoxicological risk assessments. Image 1 • Prior exposure to pollutants can affect the sensitivity of the organism and the population. • Amphipods from a very polluted site had a higher tolerance to Cu than those from a less polluted site. • Cu tolerance of amphipods was associated with the base level of MT and GST. • Males were more tolerant to Cu than females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were collected from 10 coastal sites of Port Phillip Bay, Australia, and 16 types of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in their bodies were measured. Also, mussels from 4 of the 10 sites were sampled and the activities of Metallothioneins (MTs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and Ethoxyresorufin -o- deethylase (EROD) in the gills were tested. The results demonstrated spatial variation of different PAHs in mussels, which differed from trace metal accumulations to mussels reported in previous studies. Besides, the results of SOD, GST, and EROD showed highly similar features among mussels from all the sites while the results of MTs appeared to be different. The estimation of possible excessive cancer risks caused by wild mussel consumption using the results in this study demonstrated that the PAHs in wild mussels in Port Phillip Bay is a moderate concern for consumers. • Wild mussels were collected from Port Phillip Bay, Australia in 2018. • PAH body burdens of mussels showed spatial variation. • SOD, GST, and EROD activities in mussel gills shared high spatial similarities. • The accumulation of PAHs in mussel is a moderate concern for food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing an effective catalyst to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2) to value-added C 2+ products is a key challenge for CO 2 utilization. Here we report a core-shell copper with native oxide (Cu@Cu 2 O) catalyst featuring a thin native oxide layer on the surface grown under ambient conditions. The Cu(I) oxide species on Cu@Cu 2 O surface remained relatively stable against reduction under CO 2 electroreduction condition, and the synergism between surface Cu+ and Cu0 in Cu@Cu 2 O contributed to boosting its efficiency and selectivity toward C 2 products. This Cu@Cu 2 O catalyst achieved an excellent selectivity (∼50% at −1.0 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) for C 2 (ethylene and ethanol) production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are aberrantly expressed in a wide variety of human cancers. The present study aims to elucidate the effects and molecular mechanisms of miR-144-3p that underlie gastric cancer (GC) development. It was observed that miR-144-3p expression was significantly decreased in GC tissues compared to that in paired non-tumor tissues; moreover, its expression was lower in tissues of advanced stage and larger tumor size, as well as in lymph node metastasis tissues compared to that in control groups. miR-144-3p expression was associated with depth of invasion (P = 0.030), tumor size (P = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.047), and TNM stage (P = 0.048). Additionally, miR-144-3p significantly inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC cells. It also reduced F-actin expression and suppressed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GC cells. Furthermore, pre-leukemia transcription factor 3 (PBX3) was a direct target gene of miR-144-3p. PBX3 was overexpressed in GC tissues and promoted EMT in GC cells. The effects of miR-144-3p mimics or inhibitors on cell migration, invasion, and proliferation were reversed by PBX3 overexpression or downregulation respectively. These results suggest that miR-144-3p suppresses GC progression by inhibiting EMT through targeting PBX3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the impact of salinity gradients on the aniline biodegradation system, six reactors at salinity concentrations (0%–5%) were established. The results presented the salinity except for 5% imposed negligible effects on aniline degradation performance. Nitrification had prominent resistance to salinity (0%–1.5%) while were significantly restrained when salinity increased. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of Z4 (1.5%) was 20.5% higher than Z1 (0%) during the stable operation phase. Moreover, high throughput sequencing analysis showed that halophilic bacterium, such as Halomonas , Rhodococcus , remained greater survival advantages in high salinity system. The substantial enrichment of Flavobacterium , Dokdonella , Paracoccus observed in Z4 ensured its excellent nitrogen removal performance. The close cooperation among dominant functional bacteria was strengthened when salt content was below 1.5% while exceeding 1.5% led to the collapse of metabolic capacity through integrating the toxicity of aniline and high osmotic pressure. • Salinity stress have minor effect on aniline degradation performance except for Z6. • The nitrogen removal performance were collapsed when salinity exceeded 1.5%. • The wild proliferation of HN-AD bacteria promoted nitrogen removal capacity in Z4. • Low salinity (0%–1.5%) enhanced the close collaboration among dominant genus obviously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Drug memory plays a critical role in the addiction and relapse. [•] Phases of drug memory assessed by CPP and SA animal model were recapitulated. [•] Role of amygdala in both drug memory and relapse was reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regions affected by heavy metal contamination frequently encounter phosphorus (P) deficiency. Numerous studies highlight crucial role of P in facilitating cadmium (Cd) accumulation in woody plants. However, the regulatory mechanism by which P affects Cd accumulation in roots remains ambiguous. This study aims to investigate the effects of phosphorus (P) deficiency on Cd accumulation, Cd subcellular distribution, and cell wall components in the roots of Salix caprea under Cd stress. The results revealed that under P deficiency conditions, there was a 35.4% elevation in Cd content in roots, coupled with a 60.1% reduction in Cd content in shoots, compared to the P sufficiency conditions. Under deficient P conditions, the predominant response of roots to Cd exposure was the increased sequestration of Cd in root cell walls. The sequestration of Cd in root cell walls increased from 37.1% under sufficient P conditions to 66.7% under P deficiency, with pectin identified as the primary Cd binding site under both P conditions. Among cell wall components, P deficiency led to a significant 31.7% increase in Cd content within pectin compared to P sufficiency conditions, but did not change the pectin content. Notably, P deficiency significantly increased pectin methylesterase (PME) activity by regulating the expression of PME and PMEI genes, leading to a 10.4% reduction in the degree of pectin methylesterification. This may elucidate the absence of significant changes in pectin content under P deficiency conditions and the concurrent increase in Cd accumulation in pectin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicated an increase in carboxyl groups in the root cell walls under P deficiency compared to sufficient P treatment. The results provide deep insights into the mechanisms of higher Cd accumulation in root mediated by P deficiency. [Display omitted] • Phosphorus (P) deficiency increases cadmium (Cd) accumulation in roots but inhibits translocation to shoots. • P deficiency increases Cd deposition in root cell walls. • Cd primarily binds to pectin in root cell walls. • P deficiency promotes pectin demethylesterification in root cell walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes invades a variety of cells in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that L. monocytogenes is able to enter muscle cells if provided with the appropriate host receptor. Using a cardiac-specific promoter, human E-cadherin was misexpressed in the heart of transgenic mice. First, we demonstrate that L. monocytogenes is capable of infecting the E-cadherin-expressing, but not the N-cadherin-expressing cardiomyocytes in vitro. Second, we show that L. monocytogenes infects the heart of transgenic animals after administering the bacteria intravenously. This unique system may prove useful for understanding basic aspects of L. monocytogenes cell biology by comparing infection of muscle versus epithelial cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• OlHavcr2 of medaka is a member of Tim family with 2 Ig-like domains and without transmembrane domain. • OlHavcr2 is ubiquitously expressed in the adult tissues of medaka. • OlHavcr2 is a zygotic gene expressed from gastrula stage in medaka embryos. • OlHavcr2 in medaka immune organs can respond to immune stimulants such as LPS and polyI:C. Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor2 (Havcr2) also named T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3 (Tim-3) was initially described as a T helper 1-specific cell surface protein, a member of Tim family implicated in the regulating process of adaptive and innate immune responses. Here, medaka (Oryzias latipes) Havcr2 (OlHavcr2) was isolated and characterized. Unlike other Havcr2 proteins, OlHavcr2 possesses two Ig-like domains but lacks cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains. RT-PCR results revealed that OlHavcr2 mRNA was expressed strongly in the liver, moderately in the intestine, heart and ovary, and weakly in the muscle, gill, brain, eye, spleen, and testis. OlHavcr2 expression begun from gastrula stage and was maintained until hatching. The signal of OlHavcr2 was mainly identified in the blood system in the yolk sac by in situ hybridization. These results indicated that OlHavcr2 is expressed ubiquitously in adult tissues, and is a zygotic gene expressed from gastrula onwards in embryogenesis. OlHavcr2 may play a significant role in the blood system of medaka. In the immune organs, OlHavcr2 expression was affected by the immune stimulants, lipopolysaccharide and poly I:C, suggesting that OlHavcr2 was involved in innate immunity and adaptive immunity in medaka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serelaxin, a recombinant form of human relaxin-2, is currently regarded as a novel drug for treatment of acute heart failure. However, whether therapeutic effects of serelaxin are achieved by inhibiting cardiac fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, we investigate effects of serelaxin on inhibiting cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were isolated from the hearts of adult rats. Effects of serelaxin on differentiation of CFs towards myofibroblasts (MFs) and their fibrotic behaviors after induction with TGF-β1 were examined. Synthesis and degradation of collagens, secretion of IL-10, and expression of ALK-5 and p-Smad2/3 of TGF-β1-induced cells were assessed after treatment with serelaxin. Serelaxin inhibited differentiation of TGF-β1-induced CFs towards MFs, and reduced proliferation and migration of the induced cells. Moreover, serelaxin down-regulated expression of collagen I/III and TIMP-2, and up-regulated expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cells. After treatment with serelaxin, activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and secretion of IL-10 increased, expression of ALK-5 and the level of Smad2/3 phosphorylation was reduced significantly. These results suggest that serelaxin can inhibit differentiation of TGF-β1-induced CFs towards MFs, reduce production of collagens by suppressing ALK-5/Smad2/3 signaling pathway, and enhance extracellular matrix degradation by increasing MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio and IL-10 secretion. Serelaxin may be a potential therapeutic drug for inhibiting cardiac fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Implantation-associated infections have increased significantly with the recent widespread use of medical implants. Treatments for these infections are not always successful because these infections are sometimes caused by multiantibiotic-resistant organisms. It is therefore particularly urgent to provide doctors with more effective antimicrobial agents against these antibiotic-resistant organisms. Human β-defensin 3 (hBD-3) has been shown to have strong broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. However, its effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in medical implant biofilm formation has not been reported. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the effects of hBD-3 on S epidermidis ATCC 35984 (methicillin-resistant strain), MRSE287, and MRSA (ATCC43300) by evaluating bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and maturation. In addition, we used the spread plate method, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and real-time polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the effect of hBD-3. Results: After evaluating biofilm adhesion and formation, we found that the number of each strain on the titanium surface was decreased in those groups exposed to 1MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of hBD-3 and was significantly lower than the number of colonies of the control. In the initial maturation of the biofilm, the numbers of each strain on the titanium surface from the 2MIC to 6MIC groups were significantly lower than the control. When the concentrations were further increased, hBD-3 was significantly effective against drug-resistant bacteria from the biofilms. Conclusions: HBD-3 has the potential to eliminate the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus, especially antibiotic-resistant strains, effectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The receptor-binding domain (RBD) on spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the main region interacting with the viral receptor-ACE2 and is a useful target for induction of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV infection. Here we generated two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), targeting RBD, with marked virus neutralizing activity. The mAbs recognize a new conformational epitope which consists of several discontinuous peptides (aa. 343–367, 373–390 and 411–428) and is spatially located neighboring the receptor-binding motif (RPM) region of the RBD. Importantly, W423 and N424 residues are essential for mAb recognition and are highly conserved among 107 different strains of SARS, indicating that the residues are the most critical in the epitope which is a novel potential target for therapeutic mAbs. A human–mouse chimeric antibody, based upon the original murine mAb, was also constructed and shown to possess good neutralizing activity and high affinity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been identified as a new type of coronavirus, SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). CD8 T cells play an important role in controlling diseases caused by other coronaviruses and in mediating vaccine-induced protective immunity in corresponding animal models. The spike protein, a main surface antigen of SARS-CoV, is one of the most important antigen candidates for vaccine design. Overlapping peptides were used to identify major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted epitopes in mice immunized with vectors encoding codon-optimized SARS-CoV spike protein. CD8 T-cell responses were mapped to two H-2b-restricted epitopes (S436–443 and S525–532) and one H-2d-restricted epitope (S366–374). The identification of these epitopes will facilitate the evaluation of vaccine strategies in murine models of SARS-CoV infection. Furthermore, codon and promoter optimizations can greatly enhance the overall immunogenicity of spike protein in the context of replication-defective human and simian adenoviral vaccine carriers. The optimized recombinant adenoviral vaccine vectors encoding spike can generate robust antigen-specific cellular immunity in mice and may potentially be useful for control of SARS-CoV infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CD8 T cells play an important role in controlling Ebola infection and in mediating vaccine-induced protective immunity, yet little is known about antigenic targets in Ebola that are recognized by CD8 T cells. Overlapping peptides were used to identify major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted epitopes in mice immunized with vectors encoding Ebola nucleoprotein (NP). CD8 T-cell responses were mapped to a H-2d-restricted epitope (NP279–288) and two H-2b-restricted epitopes (NP44–52 and NP288–296). The identification of these epitopes will facilitate studies of immune correlates of protection and the evaluation of vaccine strategies in murine models of Ebola infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reports on the relationship between prenatal exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) and the development of childhood allergy have been conflicting. This study aimed to investigate the impact of prenatal BPA exposure on several objective outcomes such as cytokine profile, atopic sensitization, and infant lung function (ILF) tests in addition to clinical allergic symptoms. A subset of 274 children from the PATCH cohort study with available cord BPA data were followed until 3 years of age. Total and specific IgE level and Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulated cytokine production were assessed yearly since birth. ILF such as tidal volume, Vmax FRC , airway resistance and compliance were performed at least once before the age of 2 years. Allergic outcome was determined by questionnaires and physician's assessment. There was significant association between BPA concentration and IgE level in the cord blood (p < 0.01), but the correlation was no longer significant at ages 1 through 3 years. In addition, cord BPA concentration was associated with dysregulated TLR stimulated TNF-α and IL-6 production, but the correlation was significant only at birth. No relationship was found between cord BPA concentration and ILF measurements or allergic symptoms (wheezing, rhino-conjunctivitis, or eczema) throughout early childhood. Results showed that prenatal exposure to BPA was not associated with increased risk of childhood allergy or impaired ILF. However, with its impact on biomarkers for allergy such as alterations in perinatal cytokine profile and elevated cord IgE level, the potential role of prenatal BPA exposure on the development of allergy cannot be disregarded. • Cord bisphenol-A (BPA) concentration was positively associated with cord IgE level. • Cord BPA concentration was related with dysregulated perinatal cytokine expression. • Prenatal exposure to BPA did not increase the odds of childhood allergy. • Prenatal exposure to BPA was not associated with impaired infant lung tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]