In response to appropriate stimulation, T lymphocytes from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients exhibit increased and faster intracellular tyrosine phosphorylation and free calcium responses. We have explored whether the composition and dynamics of lipid rafts are responsible for the abnormal T cell responses in SLE. SLE T cells generate and possess higher amounts of ganglioside-containing lipid rafts and, unlike normal T cells, SLE T cell lipid rafts include FcRγ and activated Syk kinase. IgM anti-CD3 Ab-mediated capping of TCR complexes occurs more rapidly in SLE T cells and concomitant with dramatic acceleration of actin polymerization kinetics. The significance of these findings is evident from the observation that cross-linking of lipid rafts evokes earlier and higher calcium responses in SLE T cells. Thus, we propose that alterations in the lipid raft signaling machinery represent an important mechanism that is responsible for the heightened and accelerated T cell responses in SLE.

Blood pressure (BP) is one of the most important monitoring parameters in clinical medicine. For years, the cuff-based sphygmomanometer and the arterial invasive line have been the gold standards for care professionals to assess BP. During the past few decades, the wide spread of the oscillometry-based BP arm or wrist cuffs have made home-based BP assessment more convenient and accessible. However, the discontinuous nature, the inability to interface with mobile applications, the relative inaccuracy with movement, and the need for calibration have rendered those BP oscillometry devices inadequate for next-generation healthcare infrastructure where integration and continuous data acquisition and communication are required. Recently, the indirect approach to obtain BP values has been intensively investigated, where BP is mathematically derived through the "Time Delay" in propagation of pressure waves in the vascular system. This holds promise for the realization of cuffless and continuous BP monitoring systems, for both patients and healthy populations in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This review highlights recent efforts in developing these next-generation blood pressure monitoring devices and compares various mathematical models. The unmet challenges and further developments that are crucial to develop "Time Delay"-based BP devices are also discussed.

The TCR-mediated signals required to activate resting T cells have been well characterized; however, it is not known how TCR-coupled signals are transduced in differentiated effector T cells that coordinate ongoing immune responses. Here we demonstrate that human effector CD4 T cells up-regulate the expression of the CD3ζ-related FcRγ signaling subunit that becomes part of an altered TCR/CD3 signaling complex containing CD3ε, but not CD3ζ. The TCR/CD3/FcRγ complex in effector cells recruits and activates the Syk, but not the ZAP-70, tyrosine kinase. This physiologic switch in TCR signaling occurs exclusively in effector, and not naive or memory T cells, suggesting a potential target for manipulation of effector responses in autoimmune, malignant, and infectious diseases.

The number of iterations and extent of post-filtering has marked effects on coronary F-NaF PET quantification. Cardiac motion-correction improves discrimination between culprit and reference lesions.

Objective. T cells from a majority of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display antigen receptor-mediated signaling aberrations associated with defective T cell receptor (TCR) chain, a subunit of the TCR/CD3 complex. This study was undertaken to explore the possibility that forced expression of TCR chain may reverse the known signaling abnormalities and defective interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in SLE T cells.Methods. Freshly isolated SLE T cells were transfected with TCR chain construct in a eukaryotic expression vector at high efficiency, by a recently developed nucleoporation technique. Restoration of TCR/ CD3-mediated signaling was studied in the chaintransfected cells.Results. In SLE T cells transfected with TCR chain, surface expression of TCR chain was increased and the TCR/CD3-induced increased free intracytoplasmic calcium concentration response was normalized, as was hyperphosphorylation of cellular substrates. Simultaneously, the previously noted increased expression of the Fc receptor ␥ chain was diminished in SLE T cells transfected with the chain expression vector, and the surface membrane clusters of cell signaling molecules were redistributed to a more continuous pattern. TCR chain replacement also augmented the expression of diminished TCR/CD3-mediated IL-2 production in SLE T cells, associated with increased expression of the p65 subunit of nuclear factor B in the nuclear fractions of these T cells. Conclusion. These results suggest that reconstitution of deficient TCR chain can reverse the TCR/ CD3-mediated signaling abnormalities as well as the defective IL-2 production in T cells of patients with SLE.It is well recognized that T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display a number of signaling abnormalities (1). Many of the identified molecular aberrations explain certain established cell and cytokine defects, whereas the mechanisms of other defects have not yet been elucidated. Our group and others have demonstrated that the expression of the subunit of the T cell receptor (TCR) is decreased in a majority of SLE patients (2-4) and that this defect persists over time and is independent of disease activity (5).Despite the decreased expression of the TCR chain in SLE T cells, crosslinking of the TCR/CD3 complex leads to increased free intracytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca 2ϩ ] i ) response (6) and protein tyrosine phosphorylation (2,4). These events appear to occur because the Fc receptor (FcR) ␥ chain becomes a functional part of the TCR/CD3 complex (7). In support