It has been reported that the plasma levels of VEGF in tumor patients decreased during dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our current report demonstrates that VEGF levels were significantly decreased in the supernatants of DCs incubated with rhVEGF or tumor conditioned medium (TCM) while the intracellular VEGF in DCs was increased. The increased intracellular VEGF was not due to the <i>de novo</i> VEGF synthesis by DCs because exogenous VEGF inhibited the mRNA expression of VEGF in DCs. More direct evidence was provided to demonstrate that Cy3-labeled VEGF could be internalized by DCs specifically and efficiently. In addition, the activity of DCs to internalize VEGF was abolished by neutralizing antibody against VEGF receptor-1 (Flt-1) and inhibitors of endocytosis such as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) and genistein. This

Estimation of genewise variance arises from two important applications in microarray data analysis: selecting significantly differentially expressed genes and validation tests for normalization of microarray data. We approach the problem by introducing a two-way nonparametric model, which is an extension of the famous Neyman-Scott model and is applicable beyond microarray data. The problem itself poses interesting challenges because the number of nuisance parameters is proportional to the sample size and it is not obvious how the variance function can be estimated when measurements are correlated. In such a high-dimensional nonparametric problem, we proposed two novel nonparametric estimators for genewise variance function and semiparametric estimators for measurement correlation, via solving a system of nonlinear equations. Their asymptotic normality is established. The finite sample property is

The quantitative comparison of two or more microarrays can reveal, for example, the distinct patterns of gene expression that define different cellular phenotypes or the genes that are induced in the cellular response to certain stimulations. Normalization of the measured intensities is a prerequisite of such comparisons. However, a fundamental problem in cDNA microarray analysis is the lack of a common standard to compare the expression levels of different samples. Several normalization protocols have been proposed to overcome the variabilities inherent in this technology. We have developed a normalization procedure based on within-array replications via a semilinear in-slide model, which adjusts objectively experimental variations without making critical biological assumptions. The significant analysis of gene expressions is based on a weighted <i>t</i> statistic, which accounts for the heteroscedasticity of the

Functional linear models are useful in longitudinal data analysis. They include many classical and recently proposed statistical models for longitudinal data and other functional data. Recently, smoothing spline and kernel methods have been proposed for estimating their coefficient functions nonparametrically but these methods are either intensive in computation or inefficient in performance. To overcome these drawbacks, in this paper, a simple and powerful twostep alternative is proposed. In particular, the implementation of the proposed approach via local polynomial smoothing is discussed. Methods for estimating standard deviations of estimated coefficient functions are also proposed. Some asymptotic results for the local polynomial estimators are established. Two longitudinal data sets, one of which involves timedependent covariates, are used to demonstrate the approach proposed. Simulation studies

LPS is a main causative agent of septic shock. There is a lack of effective therapies. In vitro studies have shown that uptake of apoptotic cells actively inhibits the secretion by activated macrophages (M) of proinflammatory mediators such as TNF- and that such uptake increases the antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokine TGF-. We therefore investigated the protective effect of apoptotic cells against LPS-induced endotoxic shock in mice. The current report is the first study to demonstrate that administration of apoptotic cells can protect mice from LPS-induced death, even when apoptotic cells were administered 24 h after LPS challenge. The beneficial effects of administration of apoptotic cells included 1) reduced circulating proinflammatory cytokines, 2) suppression of polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration in target organs, and 3) decreased serum LPS levels. LPS can quickly bind to apoptotic cells

Microarray techniques have been widely used to monitor gene expression in many areas of biomedical research. They have been widely used for tumor diagnosis and classification, prediction of prognoses and treatment, and understanding of molecular mechanisms, biochemical pathways, and gene networks. Statistical methods are vital for these scientific endeavors. This article reviews recent developments of statistical methods for analyzing data from microarray experiments. Emphasis has been given to normalization of expression from multiple arrays, selecting significantly differentially expressed genes, tumor classifications, and gene expression pathways and networks.

Feedback modules, which appear ubiquitously in biological regulations, are often subject to disturbances from the input, leading to fluctuations in the output. Thus, the question becomes how a feedback system can produce a faithful response with a noisy input. We employed multiple time scale analysis, Fluctuation Dissipation Theorem, linear stability, and numerical simulations to investigate a module with one positive feedback loop driven by an external stimulus, and we obtained a critical quantity in noise attenuation, termed as signed activation time. We then studied the signed activation time for a system of two positive feedback loops, a system of one positive feedback loop and one negative feedback loop, and six other existing biological models consisting of multiple components along with positive and negative feedback loops. An inverse relationship is found between the noise amplification rate and the signed activation time, defined as the difference between the deactivation and activation time scales of the noise-free system, normalized by the frequency of noises presented in the input. Thus, the combination of fast activation and slow deactivation provides the best noise attenuation, and it can be attained in a single positive feedback loop system. An additional positive feedback loop often leads to a marked decrease in activation time, decrease or slight increase of deactivation time and allows larger kinetic rate variations for slow deactivation and fast activation. On the other hand, a negative feedback loop may increase the activation and deactivation times. The negative relationship between the noise amplification rate and the signed

Although stem cell therapy holds promise as a potential treatment in a number of diseases, the tumorigenicity of embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells remains a major obstacle. <i>In vitro</i> predifferentiation of ESCs can help prevent the risk of teratoma formation, yet proliferating neural progenitors can generate tumors, especially in the presence of immunosuppressive therapy. In this study, we investigated the effects of the microenvironment on stem cell growth and teratoma development using undifferentiated ESCs. Syngeneic ESC transplantation triggered an inflammatory response that involved the recruitment of bone marrow (BM)derived macrophages. These macrophages differentiated into an M2 or angiogenic phenotype that expressed multiple angiogenic growth factors and proteinases, such as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), VEGF, and matrix metalloproteinase 9

The single-stranded RNA Flavivirus, Zika virus (ZIKV), has recently re-emerged and spread rapidly across the western hemispheres equatorial countries, primarily through Aedes mosquito transmission. While symptoms in adult infections appear to be self-limiting and mild, severe birth defects, such as microcephaly, have been linked to infection during early pregnancy. Recently, Tang et al. (Cell Stem Cell 2016, doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.02.016 ) demonstrated that ZIKV efficiently infects induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs), resulting in cell cycle abnormalities and apoptosis. Consequently, hNPCs are a suggested ZIKV target. We analyzed the transcriptomic sequencing (RNA-seq) data (GEO: GSE78711) of ZIKV (Strain: MR766) infected hNPCs. For comparison to the ZIKV-infected hNPCs, the expression data from hNPCs infected with human cytomegalovirus (CMV) (Strain: AD169) was used (GEO: GSE35295). Utilizing a combination of Gene Ontology, database of human diseases, and pathway analysis, we generated a putative systemic model of infection supported by known molecular pathways of other highly related viruses. We analyzed RNA-sequencing data for transcript expression alterations in ZIKV-infected hNPCs, and then compared them to expression patterns of iPSC-derived hNPCs infected with CMV, a virus that can also induce severe congenital neurological defects in developing fetuses. We demonstrate for the first time that many of cellular pathways correlate with clinical pathologies following ZIKV infection such as microcephaly, congenital nervous

Dispersive instability appears in time-domain solutions of classical cochlear models. In this letter, a derivation of optimal initial data is presented to minimize the effect of instability. A second-order accurate implicit boundary integral method is introduced. Numerical solutions of two-dimensional models show that the optimal initial conditions work successfully in time-domain steady-state computations for both the zero Neumann and zero Dirichlet fluid pressure boundary conditions at the helicotrema.