Natural Immune System Research Articles

Mechanisms and roles of the first stage of nodule formation in lepidopteran insects.

Nodule formation is a process of cellular immunity in insects and other arthropods with open circulatory systems. Based on histological observations, nodule formation occurs in 2 stages. The first stage occurs immediately after microbial inoculation and includes aggregate formation by granulocytes. The second stage occurs approximately 2-6 h later and involves the attachment of plasmatocytes to melanized aggregates produced during the first stage. The first stage response is thought to play a major role in the rapid capture of invading microorganisms. However, little is known regarding how granulocytes in the hemolymph form aggregates, or how the first stage of the immunological response protects against invading microorganisms. Since the late 1990s, our understanding of the molecules and immune pathways that contribute to nodule formation has improved. The first stage of nodule formation involves a hemocyte-induced response that is triggered by pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) recognition proteins in the hemolymph regulated by a serine proteinase cascade and cytokine (Spätzle) and Toll signaling pathways. Hemocyte agglutination proceeds through stepwise release of biogenic amine, 5-HT, and eicosanoids that act downstream of the Toll pathway. The first stage of nodule formation is closely linked to melanization and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production, which is critical for insect humoral immunity. Nodule formation in response to artificial inoculation with millions of microorganisms has long been studied. It has recently been suggested that this system is the original natural immune system, and enables insects to respond to a single invading microorganism in the hemocoel.

Natural amphibian-derived host defense peptides: Peptide immunomodulators with potential therapeutic value.

Due to the rapid evolution of bacterial drug resistance, anti-infective treatment has become a global problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop alternative treatment strategies. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are important components of the natural immune system and are widely distributed in the animal and plant kingdoms. Amphibians, especially their skin, provide a rich source of natural HDPs encoded by genes. These HDPs exhibit not only broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity but also a wide range of immunoregulatory characteristics, including modulation of anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory reactions, regulation of specific cellular functions, enhancement of immune chemotaxis, regulation of adaptive immunity, and promotion of wound healing. They also show potent therapeutic effects on infectious and inflammatory diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, in the current review, we summarize the extensive immunomodulatory functions of natural amphibian HDPs, as well as the challenges of clinical development and potential solutions, which have important implications for the development of new anti-infective drugs.

Safety and Ethical Considerations of CRISPR/Cas9-based Human Germline Genome Editing

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 adapted from natural immune defense systems of bacteria and archaea can edit genes in numerous organisms including humans. This has revolutionized genetic engineering and can help better understand genetic diseases as well as potentially correct causative mutations. Current CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing is focused on either somatic cells or germline cells. In contrast to somatic cell genome editing, germline genome editing raises significant ethical issues as the genomic modifications in those reproductive cells by CRISPR/Cas9 can potentially be passed on to future generations. In this article, we focus on discussion of safety and ethical issues of CRISPR/Cas9-based germline genome editing in humans from several aspects including off-targets, Immunogenicity, autonomy, religion and eugenics.

Progress of researches on antimalarial peptides

Malaria remains a major global public health concern, and nearly half of the global populations are still at risk of malaria infection. However, continuous emergence and spread of drug-resistant malaria parasite strains lead to ineffectiveness of conventional antimalarials. Therefore, development of novel antimalarial agents is of urgent need for malaria elimination. As an important component of the host natural immune defense system, antibacterial peptides provide the first line of defense against pathogenic invasion, and the mechanism of preferentially attacking the cell membrane makes them difficult to develop drug resistance. Antimicrobial peptides are therefore considered as a promising candidate for novel antimalarial agents. This review summarizes the advances in researches on antimicrobial peptides with antimalarial actions and discusses the potential of antimalarial peptides as novel antimalarials.

The Relationship Between Knowledge About The Immunity System And Behaviours Of Maintaining Immunity In Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The main disease Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19). Covid-19 is classified as a new virus for the human body's immune system so it does not have a natural immune system can fight the virus. Seeing the ease with which Covid-19 is transmitted and the high and increasing cases is of particular concern to health workers who are at the forefront of treating patients, especially nurses. Nurses as one of the health workers who provide services to patients in the hospital for 24 hours are at high risk of infection. Based on data from the Health Influence Index for Health Workers as of 21 July 2020,ratio of deaths medical personnel and health workers compared to total confirmed Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia has reached 2.4% and one of highest compared to other countries. Emergency and Special Isolation Rooms, like it or not, have an obligation to be ready to be at the forefront of struggling with a virus that is very deadly and can infect them, not to mention the condition of fatigue and nutrition that they even have enough of while busy caring for patients. their immunity decreases so that it is easier for the virus to enter to attack the immune system in these nurses. Efforts to prevent and transmit Covid-19 to nurses, one of the health workers, must be carried out and tightened to minimize the continued rise of Covid-19 cases in health workers. The Indonesian Ministry of Health has issued a Guide to Balanced Nutrition During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nanoencapsulated Aquafeeds and Current Uses in Fisheries/Shrimps: A Review.

Feeds for aquaculture animals are designed to provide them with the greatest amount of nourishment they need to carry out their regular physiological activities, such as maintaining a potent natural immune system and boosting growth and reproduction. However, the problems that severely hamper this sector's ability to contribute to achieving global food security include disease prevalence, chemical pollution, environmental deterioration, and inadequate feed usage. The regulated release of active aquafeed components; limited water solubility, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability, as well as their potent odour and flavour, limit their utilisation. They are unstable under high temperatures, acidic pH, oxygen, or light. Recent advancements in nano-feed for aquaculture (fish/shrimp) have attract enormous attention due to its excellent nutritional value, defeating susceptibility and perishability. Encapsulation is a multifunctional smart system that could bring benefits of personalized medicine; minimize costs and resources in the preclinical and clinical study in pharmacology. It guarantees the coating of the active ingredient as well as its controlled release and targeted distribution to a particular area of the digestive tract. For instance, using nanotechnology to provide more effective fish/shrimps feed for aquaculture species. The review enables a perspective points on safety and awareness in aquafeeds that have been made by the advancements of nanosystem. Therefore, potential of nano-delivery system in aquafeed industry for aquaculture act as concluding remark on future directions.

Leukocytes Classification Using Convolutional Neural Network

Maintaining a healthy life is very important in today’s world. Our body has ability to fight against contagious diseases with the aid of white blood corpuscles (WBC) which generates natural immune system. Preserving a good WBC count is crucial as it leads to various hematological problems, one among them is Leukemia, a condition which results in blood cancer, huge accumulation of WBC cells in bone marrow, an abnormal growth of WBC cells, hinders natural immune system fighting against infectious diseases. White blood cells can be categorised into Eosinophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Neutrophils and Basophils. In this study, a pre-trained Convolutional neural network architecture called Le Net is used to automatically classify WBC cells. It efficiently classifies WBC cells from the given input sample blood cell images compared to other pre trained models such as Alex-Net and custom-built CNN called white capsule net. The hyper parameters Le Net are fine tuned to yield higher accuracy of 96%.

Dendritic Cell Algorithm with Grouping Genetic Algorithm for Input Signal Generation

The artificial immune system, an excellent prototype for developing Machine Learning, is inspired by the function of the powerful natural immune system. As one of the prevalent classifiers, the Dendritic Cell Algorithm (DCA) has been widely used to solve binary problems in the real world. The classification of DCA depends on a data pre-processing procedure to generate input signals, where feature selection and signal categorization are the main work. However, the results of these studies also show that the signal generation of DCA is relatively weak, and all of them utilized a filter strategy to remove unimportant attributes. Ignoring filtered features and applying expertise may not produce an optimal classification result. To overcome these limitations, this study models feature selection and signal categorization into feature grouping problems. This study hybridizes Grouping Genetic Algorithm (GGA) with DCA to propose a novel DCA version, GGA-DCA, for accomplishing feature selection and signal categorization in a search process. The GGA-DCA aims to search for the optimal feature grouping scheme without expertise automatically. In this study, the data coding and operators of GGA are redefined for grouping tasks. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has significant advantages over the compared DCA expansion algorithms in terms of signal generation.

Comparison of Human Papilloma Virus Results in Women with and without Atopic Disease

Objective: Virus infected cells are destroyed by the natural immune system. However, HPV genotype and concomitant diseases are effective in HPV persistence. The aim of the study is to compare HPV screening results between patients with and without atopic disease. Methods: This cross-sectional controlled study was conducted between August 2019 February 2020 in a tertiary research hospital. Patients between the ages of 30-65 with allergic complaints were diagnosed “atopic disease” by same clinician. HPV test results were compared to healthy controls. Subgroup atopic disease diagnoses, duration of illness, treatments regimes and treatment time of the patients in the study group were also questioned and recorded. Results: A total of 239 women were recruited (121 study and 118 controls). Of recruited 121 atopia diagnosed women, 65 had rhinitis,9 had urticaria, 20 had asthma and remaning 27 had both rhinitis and asthma. 9 patients in control group and 7 patients in study group were HPV positive. No cervical carcinoma was reported. The mean duration of atopia was 50 months (12-360). 78 patients were treated medicaly while 43 were vaccinated during medical therapy Conclusion: HPV test results of groups were similar. No extra screening schedules are needed for patients with atopic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis or urticaria.

The role of TLR-4 gene in the functioning of the natural human immune system and the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C (literature review)

To date, despite significant advances in the study of the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), many open questions remain in the diagnosis, prediction and course of treatment. In the context of the study of this infection, the Toll-like gene family of innate immune system receptors (TLRs) is of considerable interest. The article analyzes and summarizes the data of professional scientific sources on the role of the TLR-4 gene in the functioning of the natural human immune system, as well as Asp299Gly polymorphism of this gene in the immunopathogenesis of CHC. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the innate immune system is crucial in the primary protection of the macroorganism from pathogens, the recognition of which largely depends on the TLRs receptor gene family, and genetic analysis is a modern and promising direction in personalized medicine. The importance of determining genetic markers lies in the fact that regardless of age and other factors of the external and internal environment, they carry information about the predisposition to various diseases, which can be used in the formation of a genetic passport. The data concerning the influence of the Asp299Gly polymorphism of the TLR4 gene on the immunopathogenesis of CHC are contradictory and require further investigation. An in-depth study of this issue will improve the therapeutic and diagnostic tactics of this disease based on a comprehensive assessment of the features of the immune response, which are caused by the carriage of the indicated polymorphism in the human genome.

CRISPR-Cas13a system: A novel tool for molecular diagnostics.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system is a natural adaptive immune system of prokaryotes. The CRISPR-Cas system is currently divided into two classes and six types: types I, III, and IV in class 1 systems and types II, V, and VI in class 2 systems. Among the CRISPR-Cas type VI systems, the CRISPR/Cas13a system has been the most widely characterized for its application in molecular diagnostics, gene therapy, gene editing, and RNA imaging. Moreover, because of the trans-cleavage activity of Cas13a and the high specificity of its CRISPR RNA, the CRISPR/Cas13a system has enormous potential in the field of molecular diagnostics. Herein, we summarize the applications of the CRISPR/Cas13a system in the detection of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, chlamydia, and fungus; biomarkers, such as microRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs; and some non-nucleic acid targets, including proteins, ions, and methyl groups. Meanwhile, we highlight the working principles of some novel Cas13a-based detection methods, including the Specific High-Sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter UnLOCKing (SHERLOCK) and its improved versions, Cas13a-based nucleic acid amplification-free biosensors, and Cas13a-based biosensors for non-nucleic acid target detection. Finally, we focus on some issues that need to be solved and the development prospects of the CRISPR/Cas13a system.

People with diabetes have a substantial lower life expectancty

Abstract Background People with diabetes live shorter lives on average than people without diabetes. This is not only because they have diabetes, but also more often other chronic diseases. This causes a greater risk of death. It makes a difference what kind of diabetes someone has. In type 1 diabetes, the natural immune system does not work properly. In type 2, an unhealthy lifestyle plays a role. An unhealthy lifestyle increases the chance that someone will get type 2 diabetes and the chance that that person will die of another disease, such as cardiovascular disease. Methods RIVM has linked general practitioners’ data from 2012-2019 to the vital statistics of the Dutch National Statistical Office. The population of people registered with and without diabetes were coupled with the mortality data. Making use of life tables, associated life expectancies were calculated. For people under the age of 45, no robust analysis could be made. Results People aged 45 with type 1 diabetes live on average 13 years shorter than people without diabetes. For a 45-year-old with type 2 diabetes, that is on average 4 years shorter. The chance of dying is about 5 times greater for people aged 45 to 60 with type 1 diabetes than for people without diabetes of this age. This difference becomes smaller as they get older, because people without diabetes also get one or more diseases more often. In type 2 diabetes, the mortality rate for people aged 45 to 60 years is about 2 times greater than for people without diabetes. Again, the difference decreases as they age. Conclusions A substantial lower life expectancy of 13 years for type 1 and 4 years for type 2 diabetes has different societal and policy consequences. Since type diabetes 1 is unavoidable, more attention should be given to living with this condition, while for type 2 prevention of for example overweight should get attention. Key messages • People with for type 1 and type 2 diabetes have 13 and 4 years lower life expectancy. • More attention should be given to prevention and to living with diabetes.

Peranan Sel Sistem Imun Alamiah Pada Infeksi Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection which causes tuberculosis is still a major health problem worldwide due to high morbidity and mortality, where in 2018 tuberculosis caused 1.5 million deaths. The degree of pulmonary tuberculosis varies from mild infiltration, chronic infection, cavity formation to severe and destructive tuberculosis. The difference in the degree of pulmonary tuberculosis is influenced by the response of the immune system to M. tuberculosis. When M. tuberculosis infects the lungs, the human immune system will carry out a series of processes to limit the spread and replication of bacteria. The immune system against M. tuberculosis consists of an innate immune system involving cellular components such as macrophages, neutrophils, Natural Killer (NK cells), dendritic cells and upper respiratory epithelium and an acquired immune response which is mainly mediated by T lymphocyte cells of host that is responsible for recognizing and controlling invasion by pathogens. This review will describe the role of natural immune system cells in M. tuberculosis infection. In addition, a complete description of M. tuberculosis infection will also be discussed to increase understanding of the role of natural immune system cells in M. tuberculosis infection.

High Respiratory Tract Infection Rate in Patients With Familial Mediterranean Fever.

Background Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a systemic autoinflammatory disease genetically transmitted with the autosomal recessive trait. Although the pathogenesis is not certain, it is known that there is a deficiency in the regulation of the natural immune system. In this study, we aimed to search whether patients with FMF are predisposed to respiratory tract infections and whether mannose-binding lectin (MBL), as a natural immune system member, contributes to it. Methods Fifty FMF patients and 20 control groups were enrolled in the study. First, the frequencies of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) within the previous year of both patient and control groups were evaluated retrospectively. Then, both groups were followed up for URTI for one year after starting the study. The patient's immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM, IgG, C-reactive protein (CRP), hemogram parameters, and mannose-binding lectin were evaluated. Results The median frequency of annual URTI with a retrospective evaluation of patients was higher than that of the control group. Also, the median frequency of URTI with the prospective evaluation of patients with FMF was higher than the control group.The rate of patients with low serum IgG levels was higher in the patient group than in the control group. However, serum IgG levels of FMF patients with frequent URTI were not different from those without. The median MBL levels of both groups were similar (1312 vs. 1534 ng/mlfor the patient and control group, respectively). The rate of patients having low serum MBL levels was also similar between the groups. Conclusions In the present study, we found that patients with FMF had more URTI than healthy controls. However, the underlying cause is not fully explained. There is a need for further studies with a higher number of patients evaluating URTI in patients with FMF.

Engineering plant immune circuit: walking to the bright future with a novel toolbox.

Plant pathogens destroy crops and cause severe yield losses, leading to an insufficient food supply to sustain the human population. Apart from relying on natural plant immune systems to combat biological agents or waiting for the appropriate evolutionary steps to occur over time, researchers are currently seeking new breakthrough methods to boost disease resistance in plants through genetic engineering. Here, we summarize the past two decades of research in disease resistance engineering against an assortment of pathogens through modifying the plant immune components (internal and external) with several biotechnological techniques. We also discuss potential strategies and provide perspectives on engineering plant immune systems for enhanced pathogen resistance and plant fitness.

Design of Antimicrobial Polymers

AbstractAntibiotic resistance has become a critical issue, alarming the healthcare and agriculture sectors worldwide. Thanks to rapid advancements in polymer science, antimicrobial polymers (AMPs) have been developed as a mimic version of host‐defense peptides (a part of natural immune systems of multicellular organisms) to mitigate antibiotic resistance. By exploiting advanced polymerization techniques, polymer structures are easily manipulated in a well‐defined controlled manner, enabling precise and accurate evaluation of the structure–activity relationship. Recent years have witnessed the blossoming of antimicrobial polymer development. This review provides comprehensive insight into antimicrobial polymers from concept to structure design, to biofunction control. Along with the optimization of intrinsic factors, including compositional and topological features, external factors like induced conformation upon exposure to specific targeting pathogens should be considered in AMP design and optimization. Furthermore, the new design approaches of smart response platforms (or bacterial‐induced triggering systems) and targeting specific administration dosage forms for specific pathogens are also discussed as prospective strategies to address the remaining challenge of toxicity while maintaining or even enhancing antimicrobial potency.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Angiogenic Aattributes of Moringa olifera Lam. and its Nanoclay-Based Pectin-Sericin films.

Background: Inflammation is a strong reaction of the non-specific natural immune system that helps to start protective responses against encroaching pathogens and develop typical immunity against intruding factors. However, prolonged inflammation may lead to chronic autoimmune diseases. For thousands of years, medicinal plants have served as an excellent source of treatment for chronic pathologies such as metabolic diseases. Purpose: The present study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic potential of Moringa olifera Lam. extract (MO) and Moringa-loaded nanoclay films. Methods: The extract preparation was done through the maceration technique using absolute methanol (99.7%) and labelled as Mo. Me. Mo. Me-loaded nanoclay-based films were prepared by using pectin and sericin (Table 1). The in vitro studies characterized the film thickness, moisture, and phytochemical contents. The in vivo anti-inflammatory tests involved using a cotton pellet-induced granuloma model assay. In addition, the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was employed for angiogenesis activity. Results: The phytochemical analysis of the extract confirmed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and phytosterol. This extract contained quercetin in a large quantity. Cotton-pellet induced granuloma model study revealed a comparable (p > 0.05) effect of a high dose of Mo. Me (500 mg/kg) as compared with standard drug. Noteworthy, data obtained through the RT-PCR technique manifested the dose-dependent anti-oedematous effect of Moringa olifera via downregulation of TNF-α and interleukin-1ß. The findings of the CAM assay exhibited a remarkable anti-angiogenic activity of Mo. Me loaded nanoclay films, showing diffused vasculature network in the macroscopic snapshot. Conclusion: Moringa olifera and its nanocomposite films have therapeutic potential against inflammation.

A Review: Health Benefits of Herbal Plants in Nutraceuticals

The term "Nutraceutical" comes from "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical". It is defined as a diet or part of a diet that provides health benefits of nutritious foods and helps prevent many diseases. Lifestyles have changed dramatically in the last 50 years as a result of urbanization, industrialization speed, and rapid change. These things have changed people's habits and forced them to eat fast, junk food. These habits directly affect our aspect of healthy eating and gradually reduce the amount and quality of nutrients. As a result of these changed eating habits, the population has increased the incidence of malnutrition, dementia and degenerative diseases. In recent years, people have become more concerned about health and health care. Nutraceuticals play an important role in boosting the immune system without damaging the body's natural immune system. Nutraceuticals are found in dietary supplements that offer additional health benefits also called medical diets, designer foods, active foods, and dietary supplements. Active foods are used to enhance certain bodily functions to prevent or treat infections. The medicinal plant contains many types of active phytochemicals that have therapeutic properties that address various health problems. This review explores the information available in the literature regarding health benefits of nutraceuticals and many other herbal plants. So here, an attempt is made to highlights the significance or importance of nutraceuticals and herbal plants with respect to health diseases and many other problems related to health. Therefore, the future nutraceutical program focuses on specific diagnostic models, clinical studies in humans, understanding the exact mechanism of action that is useful in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Nutraceuticals has demonstrated health benefits and immunity which should be taken as recommended.

The role of NLRP1 and NLRP3 inflammasomes in the etiopathogeneses of pityriasis lichenoides chronica and mycosis fungoides: an immunohistochemical study.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common subtype of primary cutaneous T cell lymphomas, whereas pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. The inflammasome is a part of the natural immune system which has a multimeric structure consisting of the receptor, adaptor and effector protein that show specificity for various ligands or activators. After the activation of the inflammasome complex, caspase 1 becomes activated which subsequently triggers interleukin-18 (IL-18) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production. In our study we aimed to examine the roles of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 1 (NLRP1) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain (NLRP3) inflammasomes in the etiopathogeneses of PLC and MF. NLRP1, NLRP3, caspase 1, IL-18 and IL-1β levels were examined and compared immunohistochemically in the skin biopsies belonging to 16 control patients; 16 PLC cases, 12 cases with stage 1 MF and 12 cases with other stages of MF (stage 2-4). In the paired comparisons of NLRP1, stage 2-4 MF group and PLC group were shown to have increased levels of NLRP1 expression compared to the control group. IL-1β was also expressed at statistically significantly higher levels in each of the stage 1 MF, stage 2-4 MF and PLC groups compared to the control group. In the paired comparisons of caspase 1 and IL-18, it was found that stage 1 MF, stage 2-4 MF and PLC groups had increased levels of expression compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that the NLRP1 inflammasome pathway might play a role in the etiopathogenesis and progression of PLC and MF.

Yersinia ruckeri strain SC09 restrains innate immunity to promote infection process in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) via the type IV secretion system (T4SS)

In the process of continuous combat between pathogens and fish, bacteria have evolved a series of unique strategies to evade the defenses of the natural immune system. The bacterial type IV secretion system (T4SS), as an important multi-protein complex, plays an important role in the process of bacterial infection of the host. However, the T4SS effector protein and its function during bacterial infection remain to be elucidated. A typical T4SS is present in the integrative and conjugative element ICE (r2) of Yersinia ruckeri SC09. In this study, we found that SC09-T4SS mediated the virulence of bacteria and improved the viability of bacteria in eukaryotic cells. SC09-T4SS also mediated the inhibition of pro-inflammatory signals, thereby assisting in the immune escape of bacteria during infection. These effects of SC09-T4SS were due to the secretion of molecules such as STIR-1, STIR-2, and STIR-3. We believe that SC09-T4SS secretion systems are common in bacteria, and our research may provide a general rule of bacterial pathogenicity.