Meta-analysis data concerning popularity, theory of mind and interaction in experiments.

This article describes data of effect sizes in studies on an association between theory of mind (ToM) and popularity. The data included 1946 children from 17 studies (22 effect sizes). The data are suitable for and were subjected to meta-regression to compare effect sizes of an interaction group (ToM was assessed in person) with that of non-interaction (ToM was assessed by computer).

Immunotherapy with dendritic cells pulsed with tumor-derived gp96 against murine lung cancer is effective through immune response of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Immunization with heat shock proteins, gp96, elicits specific protective immunity against parent tumors. However, it is marginally effective as a therapeutic tool against established tumors. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy and mechanism of immunotherapy with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with tumor-derived gp96 against murine lung cancer. METHODS: Mice were transplanted subcutaneously with ovalbumin (OVA)-transfected Lewis Lung Cancer (LLC-OVA) cells and immunized with gp96 derived from LLC-OVA, DCs, or DCs pulsed with gp96 derived from LLC-OVA. RESULTS: The antitumor effect was significantly enhanced in the mice immunized with DCs pulsed with gp96 derived from LLC-OVA, compared to mice immunized with gp96 or DCs (P<0.05). The antitumor effect was significantly dependent on natural killer (NK) cells and CD8(+) cells and partially dependent on CD4(+) cells. Analysis by laser confocal microscopy demonstrated that gp96 was shown on the cell surface at 15 min, and after 30 min internalized in the endosomes and not in the endoplasmic reticulum or lysosomes. OVA-specific(+) CD8(+) cells were more readily recruited into the draining lymph nodes and higher CD8(+) cytotoxic T cell activity against LLC-OVA was observed in splenocytes from mice immunized with DCs pulsed with gp96 derived from LLC-OVA. Re-challenge of the surviving mice with LLC-OVA tumors after the initial tumor inoculation showed dramatic retardation in tumor growth. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, immunotherapy of DCs pulsed with tumor-derived gp96 against murine lung cancer is effective through immune response of CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells.

Effects of a new immunosuppressive agent, beta-SQAG9, in swine kidney transplantation.

We previously reported that 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-(-D-sulfoquinovosyl)-glyceride with two stearic acids (beta-SQAG9) bound to L-selectin on the cell surface of the CD62L(+) T-cell subset and inhibited T-cell migration into lymph nodes in a rat skin allograft model. The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of beta-SQAG9 for kidney allograft survival in miniature swine. Recipient swine underwent bilateral nephrectomy and then received renal allograft transplantation from a swine leukocyte antigen-mismatched donor. Swine were divided into 4 experimental groups. The control (n=2), 25-SQ (n=3), FK (n=3) and 10-SQ/FK (n=2) groups were treated with no immunosuppressant, 25 mg/kg beta-SQAG9, 0.1 mg/kg FK506, and a combination of 10 mg/kg beta-SQAG9 and 0.1 mg/kg FK506, respectively, for 14 days. All recipients were autopsied on the day of death to evaluate the cause of death histopathologically. In the control group, the grafts survived for 12 and 15 days. By comparison with the control, beta-SQAG9 alone did not contribute to prolongation of graft survival (9, 10 and 24 days), whereas the FK group had significantly longer graft survival (19, 20 and 68 days, p=0.0289). The 10-SQ/FK pigs died of lethal visceral hemorrhage, although the grafts were still functioning. In conclusion, our results suggest that beta-SQAG9 possesses an insufficient immunosuppressive effect for kidney allografts in miniature swine, and may affect blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. In addition, the combination of beta-SQAG9 and FK506 can potentially cause severe hemorrhagic complications.

Inhibition of endogenous MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation by tacrolimus (FK506) via FKBP51.

The effect of tacrolimus (FK506) on down-regulation of IL-2 production by T cells is considered to be mainly responsible for its strong suppression of immunological events. In this study, we show that FK506 also has an affect on antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells in vitro. FK506 was able to inhibit the presentation of endogenous MHC class II-restricted minor histocompatibility antigens in primary dendritic cells (DC) in vitro, but cyclosporine A (CsA) and rapamycin (RAP) were not. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated reduction of endogenous FK506-binding protein (FKBP)51 expression resulted in a marked decrease in antigen presentation, suggesting that FKBP51 plays a role in endogenous MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation. Since our model used naturally expressed cytosolic antigens in primary DC, these effects might have been due to novel properties of the immunosuppressive drugs and may allow us to elucidate a new paradigm for the immunosuppressive mechanism of FK506.

Inhibition of CD62L+ T-cell response in vitro via a novel sulfo-glycolipid, beta-SQAG9 liposome that binds to CD62L molecule on the cell surface.

We previously reported that synthetic sulfo-glycolipid, 3-O-(6-deoxy-6-sulfono-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1,2-di-O-acylglycerol (beta-SQDG(18:0)) which was deduced from sulfonoquinovosyl-diacylglycerols of sea urchin possessed immunosuppressive effects, such as human mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and skin allograft in rat, and that these effects were caused by contact inhibition between T-cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs). Here, we investigated the mechanism of these immunosuppressive effects on human MLR by beta-SQAG9 which had been newly synthesized from beta-SQDG(18:0) to improve structural stability in water solution. CD62L+ T-cells in peripheral blood predominantly respond to APCs, and beta-SQAG9 inhibited the response of CD62L+ T-cell subset in human allogeneic MLR. Surprisingly, it was demonstrated that beta-SQAG9 bound to L- and P-selectin (CD62L and P) molecule in vitro. Meanwhile, beta-SQAG9 efficiently formed liposome structure and bound to L-selectin on the cell surface of CD62L+ T-cell subset but might not be incorporated into the cells. Because the immunosuppressive effects of beta-SQAG9 disappeared when beta-SQAG9 liposome was changed to soluble form by detergent, the liposome structure of beta-SQAG9 was presumed to be essential for these effects. These findings suggested beta-SQAG9 to be a novel drug with a unique immunosuppressive action.