Systems immunology insights into brain metastasis.

Brain metastasis poses formidable clinical challenges due to its intricate interactions with the brain's unique immune environment, often resulting in poor prognoses. This review delves into systems immunology's role in uncovering the dynamic interplay between metastatic cancer cells and brain immunity. Leveraging spatial and single-cell technologies, along with advanced computational modeling, systems immunology offers unprecedented insights into mechanisms of immune evasion and tumor proliferation. Recent studies highlight potential immunotherapeutic targets, suggesting strategies to boost antitumor immunity and counteract cancer cell evasion in the brain. Despite substantial progress, challenges persist, particularly in accurately simulating human conditions. This review underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to harness systems immunology's full potential, aiming to dramatically improve outcomes for patients with brain metastasis.

Spatial technologies to evaluate the HIV-1 reservoir and its microenvironment in the lymph node.

The presence of the HIV-1 reservoir, a group of immune cells that contain intact, integrated, and replication-competent proviruses, is a major challenge to cure HIV-1. HIV-1 reservoir cells are largely unaffected by the cytopathic effects of viruses, antiviral immune responses, or antiretroviral therapy (ART). The HIV-1 reservoir is seeded early during HIV-1 infection and augmented during active viral replication. CD4+ T cells are the primary target for HIV-1 infection, and recent studies suggest that memory T follicular helper cells within the lymph node, more precisely in the B cell follicle, harbor integrated provirus, which contribute to viral rebound upon ART discontinuation. The B cell follicle, more specifically the germinal center, possesses a unique environment because of its distinct property of being partly immune privileged, potentially allowing HIV-1-infected cells within the lymph nodes to be protected from CD8+ T cells. This modified immune response in the germinal center of the follicle is potentially explained by the exclusion of CD8+ T cells and the presence of T regulatory cells at the junction of the follicle and extrafollicular region. The proviral makeup of HIV-1-infected cells is similar in lymph nodes and blood, suggesting trafficking between these compartments. Little is known about the cell-to-cell interactions, microenvironment of HIV-1-infected cells in the follicle, and trafficking between the lymph node follicle and other body compartments. Applying a spatiotemporal approach that integrates genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to investigate the HIV-1 reservoir and its neighboring cells in the lymph node has promising potential for informing HIV-1 cure efforts.

Assessment of air pollution at Greater Cairo in relation to the spatial variability of surface urban heat island.

Greater Cairo, Egypt, which lies in the apex of the Nile Delta, is one of the most populated regions in the world. Air pollution is a profound environmental issue prevailing in the urban/rural landscapes of this crowded megacity. The objectives of the present study were to utilize remotely sensed data in order to address the seasonal variations of the nocturnal surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) as extracted from the American Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite and the related seasonal distribution of selected air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) as extracted from the European TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) for the period from 2018 to 2021. It is observed that there is clear nocturnal urban heat island over Greater Cairo, particularly at the administrative districts dominated by urban land use with high density of population and at the industrial and power generation locations. The highest SUHII is observed during winter. On the other hand, the selected pollutants also represent an urban pollution island (UPI) capping the regions of high SUHII. At the seasonal level, the highest NO2 correlation with the SUHII occurs during spring (R2 = 0.59), while the CO correlates maximum during winter (R2 = 0.51). Nonetheless, the seasonal SO2 distribution is poorly related to the SUHII as this specific pollutant is significantly associated with the industrial land use. Climatic and topographic factors could intensify the distribution of air pollution in the study area. Results of this study demonstrate the significance of geospatial technology tools in the subtle analysis and addressing regional air pollution. The outputs are also of a paramount implication on the management of urban environment and the adaptation of urban air quality.