Regulatory T cells (T(reg)) are currently being tested in clinical trials as a potential therapy in cell and solid organ transplantation. The immunosuppressive drug rapamycin has been shown to preferentially promote T(reg) expansion. Here, we hypothesized that adjunctive rapamycin therapy might potentiate the ability of ex vivo expanded human T(reg) to inhibit vascular allograft rejection in a hum

Regulatory T cells (T(regs)) manipulated ex vivo have potential as cellular therapeutics in autoimmunity and transplantation. Although it is possible to expand naturally occurring T(regs), an attractive alternative possibility, particularly suited to solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, is the stimulation of total T cell populations with defined allogeneic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) u

Transplant arteriosclerosis is the hallmark of chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD) affecting transplanted organs in the long term. These fibroproliferative lesions lead to neointimal thickening of arteries in all transplanted allografts. Luminal narrowing then leads to graft ischemia and organ demise. To date, there are no known tolerance induction strategies that prevent transplant arterioscleros

Transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage organ failure, but organ survival is limited by immune rejection and the side effects of immunosuppressive regimens. T cells are central to the process of transplant rejection through allorecognition of foreign antigens leading to their activation, and the orchestration of an effector response that results in organ damage. Long-term tra

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In recent years there has been increased interest in understanding the physiology and function of regulatory T cells. In this review we focus on the characterization of regulatory T-cell subsets and their potential therapeutic use in organ transplantation.RECENT FINDINGS: Regulatory T cells can play an instrumental role in the establishment of operational tolerance to allografts

Background: Increasing carbon stock in standing forests is one of the proposed ways to mitigate climate change. However, in production forests, this typically would lead to reduced harvesting possibilities and thus reduced financial gain for the forest owners. The size of this reduction should depend on the chosen target level of the carbon stock as well as the required speed of accumulation. Furt

OBJECTIVE: Orthostatic hypotension and resting heart rate (RHR) are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is unknown how these factors relate to subclinical CVD. We examined the relationship between orthostatic blood pressure (BP) response, RHR and cardiovascular risk factors, including coronary artery calcification score (CACS) and arterial stiffness, in the general population

The overall aim of the current project is to investigate the possibility of using people's mobile phones to locate people in a tunnel environment, both during normal operation and during an emergency. As part of the project, a technology for locating people based on Wi-Fi communication between access points in a tunnel and the user's mobile phone is investigated. To examine the precision of the lo

In this work, we evaluate the importance of the postmetallization annealing (PMA) temperature on the performance of HfxZr1−xO2-based ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). Our results indicate a significant difference in tunneling electroresistance (TER) ratio and endurance, depending on the PMA temperature despite negligible variations in remanent polarization. We conclude that the minimization o

Cationic surfactants have gained significant interest since their introduction. Their properties and adsorption behavior onto different surfaces have driven the development of a plethora of surfactants with distinctive functionalities. This paper reviews self-assembly, intermolecular interactions, and the properties of cationic surfactants also when interacting with co-solutes, which may be small

Industry is increasingly committed to reduce its ecological footprint. One specific area of increased industrial interest is the use of plastic-free packaging. Plastic packaging is efficient from a supply chain perspective, but as waste risks causing disastrous environmental effects. This case study assesses the environmental impacts (from cradle to grave) of plastic cushioning inserts vs. corruga

The long-term provision of ocean ecosystem services depends on healthy ecosystems and effective sustainable management. Understanding public opinion about marine and coastal ecosystems is important to guide decision-making and inform specific actions. However, available data on public perceptions on the interlinked effects of climate change, human impacts and the value and management of marine and

The development of cutting tools requires the knowledge of tribological phenomena at the tool – workpiece contact area. This knowledge is in dearth particularly for difficult-to-cut alloys like gamma titanium aluminide (gamma – TiAl alloys). Therefore, this article is an attempt to plug the gap and aid the development of cutting tools for gamma – TiAl alloys. To this end, friction, adhesion, and c