Deep TCR Sequencing Reveals Extensive Renewal of the T Cell Repertoire Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in …

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Newswise WA, Seattle (February 17, 2014) A new study describes the complexity of the new T cell repertoire following immune-depleting therapy to treat multiple sclerosis, improving our understanding of immune tolerance and clinical outcomes.

In the Immune Tolerance Networks (ITN) HALT-MS study, 24 patients with relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis received high-dose immunosuppression followed by a transplant of their own stem cells, called an autologous stem cell transplant, to potentially reprogram the immune system so that it stops attacking the brain and spinal cord. Data published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (http://www.jci.org/articles/view/71691?key=b64763243f594bab6646) quantified and characterized T cell populations following this aggressive regimen to understand how the reconstituting immune system is related to patient outcomes.

ITN investigators used a high-throughput, deep-sequencing technology (Adaptive Biotechnologies, ImmunoSEQTM Platform) to analyze the T cell receptor (TCR) sequences in CD4+ and CD8+ cells to compare the repertoire at baseline pre-transplant, two months post-transplant and 12 months post-transplant.

Using this approach, alongside conventional flow cytometry, the investigators found that CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes exhibit different reconstitution patterns following transplantation. The scientists observed that the dominant CD8+ T cell clones present at baseline were expanded at 12 months post-transplant, suggesting these clones were not effectively eradicated during treatment. In contrast, the dominant CD4+ T cell clones present at baseline were undetectable at 12 months, and the reconstituted CD4+ T cell repertoire was predominantly comprised of new clones.

The results also suggest the possibility that differences in repertoire diversity early in the reconstitution process might be associated with clinical outcomes. Nineteen patients who responded to treatment had a more diverse repertoire two months following transplant compared to four patients who did not respond. Despite the low number of non-responders, these comparisons approached statistical significance and point to the possibility that complexity in the T cell compartment may be important for establishing immune tolerance.

This is one of the first studies to quantitatively compare the baseline T cell repertoire with the reconstituted repertoire following autologous stem cell transplant, and provides a previously unseen in-depth analysis of how the immune system reconstitutes itself following immune-depleting therapy.

About The Immune Tolerance Network The Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) is a research consortium sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The ITN develops and conducts clinical and mechanistic studies of immune tolerance therapies designed to prevent disease-causing immune responses, without compromising the natural protective properties of the immune system. Visit http://www.immunetolerance.org for more information.

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Deep TCR Sequencing Reveals Extensive Renewal of the T Cell Repertoire Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in ...

Linda Kobler Shares Grief, Spiritual Journey in New Book

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Rockford, Ill. (PRWEB) February 18, 2014

Author Linda Kobler was left searching for answers after the untimely death of her son. Sacred Messages (published by AuthorHouse) is the remarkable true story of how Koblers loss and grief led to epiphany through a religious, spiritual and strengthening family history.

My book marries religion with spirituality, Kobler explains. I want all readers to believe in hope and the things one cannot see.

This loving and mystical memoir starts with Koblers childhood and shows a journey of spiritual, religious and unexplained events as she grew into an adult.

Kobler assures readers that all the amazing spiritual experiences she describes in her book actually happened and gave her hope and strength throughout her life, especially in her darkest hours.

I want readers to believe in hope and the things one cannot see, Kobler says. I want them to believe that sacred messages come to all of us.

Sacred Messages By Linda Kobler Softcover | 5 x 8 in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781491847855 E-Book | 108 pages | ISBN 9781491847848 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author Linda Kobler is a registered nurse who has practiced psychiatric nursing for 43 years. She dedicated much of her professional life to advocating for the disabled and individuals with severe mental illness. She fought relentlessly to stop the closures of mental health centers in Illinois and was recognized by the Illinois Nurses Association for her efforts.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011. For more information or to publish a book, visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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SimCity – Let’s Get The Basics To Get A Greatworks Going… S2 Ep 22 – Video

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SimCity - Let #39;s Get The Basics To Get A Greatworks Going... S2 Ep 22
Hey there guys! After the last episode, i figured out inorder to get the greatworks for a space station thing, then we need to lay the foundations for it! Su...

By: Lah Drinking Gamer

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SimCity - Let's Get The Basics To Get A Greatworks Going... S2 Ep 22 - Video

International Space Station SPHERES Flying Circles Around Ordinary Satellites

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Image Caption: DOD SPHERES-Rings fly freely on the International Space Station during demonstration testing of electromagnetic formation flight and wireless power transfer in microgravity. Credit: NASA

[ Watch The Video: The ISS SPHERES Facility ]

Laura Niles NASA

These are, in fact, the droids that NASA and its research partners are looking for. Inspired by a floating droid battling Luke Skywalker in the film Star Wars, the free-flying satellites known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) have been flying aboard the International Space Station since Expedition 8 in 2003. Although there have been numerous SPHERES investigations held on the orbiting laboratory, four current and upcoming SPHERES projects are of particular significance to robotics engineers, rocket launch companies, NASA exploration and anyone who uses communications systems on Earth.

The SPHERES-Vertigo, Department of Defense (DOD) SPHERES-Rings, SPHERES-Slosh and SPHERES-Inspire II investigations all use the existing SPHERES space station facility of these self-contained satellites. Powered not by an astronauts use of the Force, but by AA batteries, the satellites act as free-flying platforms that can accommodate various mounting features and mechanisms in order to test and examine the physical or mechanical properties of materials in microgravity. Each satellite is an 18-sided polyhedron and is roughly the size of a soccer ball. NASAs Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., operates and maintains the SPHERES research facility aboard the space station, which is funded by the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

SPHERES provide a unique low risk, low-cost, long-term microgravity research facility that supports quick-reaction testing of technologies that can be repeated numerous times. Alvar Saenz Otero, Ph.D., associate director and SPHERES lead scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Space Systems Laboratory describes the reusability of SPHERES for multiple microgravity investigations by saying, if anything goes wrong, reset and try again!

Operating intermittently since February 2013, the SPHERES Visual Estimation and Relative Tracking for Inspection of Generic Objects (SPHERES-Vertigo) investigation uses what looks like eye goggles and other new hardware and software on multiple satellites during testing. The purpose of the study is to build 3-D models of a target using mapping algorithms and computer vision-based navigation. These additions to the satellites help researchers create 3-D maps of a previously unknown object for navigation by flying the SPHERES in a path around that object while taking photos.

Brent Tweddle, a postdoctoral associate with the MIT Space Systems Laboratory, said the SPHERES-Vertigo project differs from previous SPHERES experiments by adding a pair of stereo cameras, which see, perceive and understand their world visually and can communicate with satellites using Vertigo goggles. The goggles act like their own little intelligence block that sticks on the front end of the SPHERES and allows them to see the rest of the world that they want to navigate through, explained Tweddle.

First, the SPHERES use their updated hardware and software to construct a 3-D model of a target object. Then, the satellites test their skills to perform relative navigation using only sensory reference to the 3-D model.

Imaging from projects like Vertigo could help refurbish old satellites by determining and mapping the specifications of the old satellites and repairing them as they orbit Earth. Other applications include NASAs future mission of visiting an asteroid, where thorough understanding of the size, shape and motion of an asteroid is necessary to navigate around it as it travels through space. Further, as robots become more autonomous, they will need a pair of eyes, similar to Vertigo, to provide them with navigational capabilities.

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International Space Station SPHERES Flying Circles Around Ordinary Satellites

USM Mars experiment wins spot on International Space Station

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LONG BEACH, MS (WLOX) -

A research project at USM Gulf Park is about to soar into outer space. The experiment has been chosen by NASA to be tested by scientists aboard the International Space Station. The results could help answer the question: Can a living organism from Earth survive on Mars?

Tiny blue-green algae, known as cyanobacteria,are the newest inhabitants in one lab at USM Gulf Park. Their survival is the key to a unique experiment being conducted by USM Associate Professor Dr. Scott Milroy.

"We're just trying to prove life could live on Mars, that it's a survivable, habitable planet," said Milroy.

Milroy recently learned that his research project has won a coveted spot on the International Space Station. It was one of two projects nationwide that NASA has chosen for research aboard the Space Station.

"It's an amazing opportunity. Even as a kid, I always dreamed about doing some sort of experimentation for NASA and the fact that an oceanographer from South Mississippi would essentially have an experiment on the International Space Station literary is a once-in-a-lifetime chance," said Milroy.

When Milroy started the research project 18 months ago, he wanted to get young scientists involved. So he invited students from four high schools in Hancock County and Mobile to help him come up with some of the experiments. Those students actually helped design the salty solution for the algae to live and grow.

"They helped us design the actual recipe of the water that we used to simulate the extract that would come from Martian soils," said Milroy.

Milroy is not trying to prove whether extra-terrestrial life existed on Mars. But his research project could be a giant leap to discovering whether living organisms could survive on the Red Planet.

"So if we could get them to grow in that kind of environment, it would at least show that the Martian soil could support life from earth and an implication of whether or not we could eventually use Mars as kind of like a second home to earth organisms or colonize Mars. We're just chomping at the bit to really get rolling on it," he said.

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Flight attendants want plane call ban to remain

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by BART JANSEN / USA TODAY

NWCN.com

Posted on February 17, 2014 at 12:14 PM

If cellphone calls are allowed on planes, flight attendants warn that safety lectures will be ignored more often and passengers will get into fights about noisy conversations.

"We cannot and will not be the 'cellphone police' on board as people yack loudly, in a confined space, without any concern for anyone else on board," said Russell Fuller, a flight attendant from Warrenton, Va.

He as among more than 1,000 people who have submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission, which is considering lifting its 1991 ban on in-flight cellular service. Commissioners say the ban is no longer necessary because planes can carry their own cell towers, so they no longer interfere with ground-based communications.

A 30-day comment period ended Friday, and replies to the comments are due by March 17. So far comments are heavily opposed to allowing calls, although hundreds of respondents said they could live with silent text messages and Internet service for phones.

Even if the FCC lifts its ban, Congress is debating a legislative prohibition to voice calls. The Transportation Department would have to decide what service to allow on planes, and then airlines could decide whether to offer it.

But flight attendants, who would face the brunt of whatever is approved, are vocally against allowing calls. The Association of Flight Attendants with 60,000 members and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants with 16,000 members each opposed the FCC move.

"A plane full of people talking on cellphones is the stuff of nightmares," said Laura Glading, the APFA president.

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Flight attendants want plane call ban to remain

Space Dust Is Filled with Building Blocks for Life

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A study of teeny-tiny meteorite fragments revealed that two essential components of life on Earth as we know it, could have migrated to our planet on space dust.

Researchers discovered DNA and amino acids components in a smidgen of a space rock that fell over Murchison, Victoria, in Australia in September 1969. Previous studies of the meteorite revealed organic material, but the samples examined then were much larger. This study would lend more credence to the idea that life arose from outside of our planet, researchers said in a statement.

"Despite their small size, these interplanetary dust particles may have provided higher quantities and a steadier supply of extraterrestrial organic material to early Earth," said Michael Callahan, a research physical scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life]

Amino acids are the basis of proteins, which are structures that make up hair, skin and other bits of living creatures. DNA is a molecule that contains information on building and running an organism.

Size matters

Meteorites such as Murchison are rare types of space rocks: the carbonaceous chondrites make up less than 5 percent of meteorites found on Earth, NASA said. Further, the molecules discovered in these space rocks are usually in miniscule concentrations of parts-per-million or parts-per-billion.

These factors have researchers questioning how significant the carbon-rich rocks themselves were in bringing life to Earth. Space dust, however, is more plentiful as it is constantly available from comets and asteroids shedding debris in their travels through the solar system.

The Murchison study (a proof of concept for further work, the researchers say) found life's building blocks in a sample that weighed about the same as a few eyebrow hairs. The 360-microgram sample was about 1,000 times smaller than a typical sample analyzed by researchers.

Do you think life exists on Mars today?

Samples from space

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Ryan Dempsters exit adds flexibility

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FORT MYERS Ryan Dempsters surprising announcement that hell walk away from $13.25 million and sit out the 2014 season robs the Red Sox of starting pitching depth, but in truth, opens more avenues for improvement.

Dempster decided not to pitch this season because he believed injuries to his neck and groin would keep him from meeting the standards of his 16-year career. He faced an uphill roster climb as it was, with a young Felix Doubront and veteran Jake Peavy the favorites to land the last two spots in the rotation.

Dempster represented a long reliever and spot starter, and there are better ways to spend $13 million, particularly if he ended up pitching as ineffectively as he feared.

And so begins the trickle-down effect of his decision. Here are three areas his absence will impact.

1. The future is now

If the Red Sox suffer an injury in the starting rotation and of the five starters, only ace Jon Lester has exhibited a track record of durability theyll likely turn to youngster Brandon Workman, who opened eyes with his attacking approach in relief last season.

Workman has spent the winter preparing to start, and yesterday said he views himself as a starter long-term, though hell obviously pitch wherever the team wants.

Starting is what Ive done for all except half of last season, Workman said. Its definitely a comfort zone for me, its what I grew up doing, what Ive done on my way through the minor leagues. Id say that is what I see myself as because of the amount Ive done it through my career and my life, but I got comfortable in the bullpen as well. Whatever they decide my role ends up being, I feel comfortable I can get it done.

What becomes interesting is the group behind Workman. Even with the rotation remaining relatively healthy outside of Clay Buchholz last year, the Sox still used 11 starters. Included on that list were Alfredo Aceves, Franklin Morales, and Stephen Wright.

Now imagine those starts being made by some combination of prospects Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa and Drake Britton. Or maybe even Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo and Henry Owens, the best of the next generation.

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British Designers Rule The Baftas 2014 Red Carpet

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Amy Adams opted for Victoria Beckham, while Lily Allen stepped out in vibrant Vivienne Westwood

Amy Adams wore a Victoria Beckham dress for the Baftas

Rex

The Baftas is all about celebrating the best of British talent, so it makes sense that fashion should get a nod as well as the film industry especially since the ceremony takes place slap bang in the middle of London Fashion Week.

This year, some of the biggest names chose British designers to dress them for the red carpet. American Hustle star Amy Adams chose a black Victoria Beckham dress for the ceremony. The minimalist LBD with given a contemporary twist with a sheer cropped overlay, making it a perfect choice for the red carpet.

Meanwhile, Lily Allen turned heads in a vibrant Vivienne Westwood gown. The singer showed off her enviable figure in the eye-popping tangerine and fuchsia dress, which she also expertly clashed with the red carpet.

Blue Jasmine star Sally Hawkins, who was up for the best Supporting Actress award, wore a bespoke Mulberry gown for the evening. The cute pale blue jacquard number was created in collaboration with the actress which is probably why she looks so good in it.

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British Designers Rule The Baftas 2014 Red Carpet