Body

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Antibodies derived from a type of immune cell found in unusually high numbers in HIV-infected individuals with chronically uncontrolled virus levels are less effective at neutralizing HIV than antibodies derived from a different type of immune cell more common in people without HIV, scientists report. The findings help explain why people infected with HIV cannot sufficiently clear the virus with effective antibodies. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Preeclampsia is characterized by elevated blood pressure in the second half of pregnancy and impaired blood flow to the placenta, which increases the risk of premature birth and pregnancy complications. In this issue of JCI Insight, Robin Davisson and colleagues use a mouse model that spontaneously develops cardinal features of preeclampsia to explore its underlying causes. They show that even before preeclampsic symptoms develop, embryos have implantation defects that are associated with increased levels of the pro-inflammatory molecule cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2).

β cells in pancreatic islets are responsible for producing insulin, which is essential to regulate blood glucose homeostasis. In type 1 diabetes, pancreatic β cells are destroyed due to an autoimmune attack, whereas in type 2 diabetes, pancreatic β cells may have deficiencies in secreting insulin or insulin-responding tissues can become insulin resistant. In this month's issue of JCI Insight, Morris White and colleagues at Harvard Medical School developed a screen for pharmaceutical compounds that induce pancreatic β cell growth and improve function.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of myeloid stem cells that develops in both adult and pediatric populations. Mutations that cause hyperactivation of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) are commonly found in AML, and several clinical trials are testing FLT3 inhibitors. However, resistance to FLT3 inhibitors can develop, highlighting the need for additional approaches to treating AML.

Individuals with 2p15p16.1 microdeletion syndrome present with intellectual disability, microcephaly, delayed growth, dysmorphic craniofacial features, and digital abnormalities. The precise genetic region responsible for this syndrome has been challenging to identify. However, recent reports indicate that 4 genes (XPO1, USP34, BCL11A, and REL) are commonly deleted in this syndrome.

Individuals infected with HIV exhibit both severe immune deficiency and aberrant inflammation, resulting in susceptibility to secondary infection as the disease progresses. HIV-associated deficiencies in adaptive immune responses have been well described; however, the effects of HIV on innate immune responses are not fully understood. A new study in JCI Insight demonstrates that a high viral load associates with a dampened inflammatory response in innate immune cells from HIV-infected individuals.

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer among men in the United States. While low-grade tumors have a very favorable prognosis, muscle-invasive and metastatic tumors have poorer survival rates. In this month's issue of JCI Insight, William Kim, Benjamin Vincent, and a research team from the University of North Carolina characterized a new subtype of muscle-invasive bladder cancer that shares molecular signatures with some forms of breast cancer. A subset of triple-negative breast cancers express low levels of the tight junction protein claudin.

HIV infection results in a variety of immune abnormalities, which are especially pronounced in individuals with high viral titers. B cells are the antibody producing cells of the immune system and are not directly infected by HIV. However, HIV-infected individuals exhibit abnormalities in memory B cell populations and only rarely generate antibodies that effectively target the virus. A new study in JCI Insight identifies deficiencies in the affinity maturation process of memory B cells in HIV-infected individuals that result in an inadequate antibody response.

Antibody-secreting plasma cells arise from B cell precursors and are essential for adaptive immune responses against invading pathogens. Plasma cell dysfunction is associated with autoimmune and neoplastic disorders, including multiple myeloma. Surface markers that are specific to plasma cells have not been identified and antibodies that only recognize these cells have been challenging to generate using conventional systems.

Proteins are molecular machines that carry out most of the work performed by the cells in the body, but when proteins fail at doing their job disease usually follows. To perform their functions, proteins need to maintain a particular structure and specific motions, and how proteins achieve that is still not completely understood.

New Haven, Conn.-- Middle school students who eat breakfast at school -- even if they have already had breakfast at home -- are less likely to be overweight or obese than students who skip breakfast, says a new study by the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) at the Yale School of Public Health and the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

Toronto - Minority applicants may fare even worse in the resume pile at companies purporting to support diversity than they would at companies that don't make the claim, shows a new study from the University of Toronto.

(Boston)-- From the tension of contracting muscle fibers to hydrodynamic stresses within flowing blood, molecules within our bodies are subject to a wide variety of mechanical forces that directly influence their form and function. By analyzing the responses of single molecules under conditions where they experience such forces we can develop a better understanding of many biological processes, and potentially, develop more accurately acting drugs.

Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Fei Liu, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Temple, USA, will present a study titled "Partial Restoration of Irradiation-Damaged Salivary Function Following Shh Gene Delivery." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research.

(Salt Lake City) -- At age 56, R.J. was continually afflicted with sinus infections and pneumonia, and despite treatments, only seemed to be getting worse. For decades, immunologist Harry R. Hill, M.D., had seen patients like her. At the time he couldn't have known that her family's genetic information, combined with that of five other families from across the world, would classify a new disorder.