Functional inactivation of suppressor T cells by heat-killed macrophages (original) (raw)

Religiosity Rejected: Exploring the Religio-Spiritual Dimensions of Landmark Education

International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2011

, Landmark Education has continuously denied being a religious organization. Despite ample discourse on the religious nature of the group within popular online and print media, a conspicuous void within academia-particularly within Religious Studies -speaks volumes. Rarely are the boundaries of what constitutes a "religion" expanded in order to explore those groups that, though not understood to be "religious" in a traditional sense, clearly contribute to contemporary "spiritual" life. And yet, that Landmark Education is perceived as being somehow religious demands deeper analysis. This article highlights the problematics of "religion" within late Western modernity as illustrated by the contention surrounding the religious status of both Scientology and Transcendental Meditation. A discussion of Landmark Education is offered in light of these issues, along with a dissection of the religio-spiritual dimensions of the organization and its primary product, the Landmark Forum. Incorporating several Eastern spiritual practices, the highly emotional nature of the Landmark Forum's weekend training is such as to create Durkheimian notions of "religious effervescence," altering pre-existing belief systems and producing a sense of the sacred collective. Group-specific language contributes to this, whilst simultaneously shrouding Landmark Education in mystery and esotericism. The Forum is replete with stories of miracles, healings, and salvation apposite for a modern Western paradigm. Indeed, the sacred pervades the training, manifested in the form of the Self, capable of altering the very nature of the world and representing the "ultimate concern." 226 Renee Lockwood

'God Giving Birth' - Connecting British Wicca with Radical Feminism and Goddess Spirituality during the 1970s-1980s: The Case Study of Monica Sjöö

Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2013

Ideas of radical feminism, Goddess Spirituality and Feminist Witchcraft— which originated in the United States during the late 1960s and the 1970s before taking root in Britain—were introduced to British Wiccans during the latter half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Several United Kingdom-based radical feminists who combined their newfound political awareness with Goddess Spirituality acted as important conduits for the transference of these ideas. In the case of the artist and Goddess-feminist Monica Sjöö (1938-2005), I show some of the ways in which radical and spiritual feminist religious ideas did, contrary to a commonly held view, influence the British Pagan scene in the 1960s and 1970s.

Cited by

From Mysterious Supernatant Entity to miRNA-150 in Antigen-Specific Exosomes: a History of Hapten-Specific T Suppressor Factor

Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis, 2015

Soon after the discovery of T suppressor cells by Gershon in 1970, it was demonstrated that one subpopulation of these lymphocytes induced by i.v. hapten injection suppresses contact sensitivity response mediated by effector CD4? or CD8? T cells in mice through the release of soluble T suppressor factor (TsF) that acts antigen specifically. Our experiments showed that biologically active TsF is a complex entity consisting of two subfactors, one antigen specific and other non-specific, produced by differently induced populations of cells. In following years, we found that the antigen-specific subfactor is a light chain of IgM antibody that is produced by B1a lymphocytes. However, the exact nature of nonspecific part remained a mystery for about 30 years. Our current studies characterized TsF as regulatory miRNA-150 carried by T suppressor cell-derived exosomes that are antigen specific due to a surface coat of IgM antibody light chains produced by B1a cells. The present communication briefly summarizes our studies on TsF that led to discovery of regulating miRNA that acts antigen specifically to suppress immune response.

Positive Regulatory γδ T Cells in Contact Sensitivity: Augmented Responses by in Vivo Treatment with Anti-γδ Monoclonal Antibody, or Anti-Vγ5 or Vδ4

Immunological Investigations, 1998

Contact sensitivity (CS) responses, induced by skin painting with reactive haptens like picryl chloride or oxazolone, are classical exampIes of in uiuo immunity mediated by afi T cells. Our previous studies showed that y6 T cells were required to assist the ap CS-effector T cells in the successful adoptive cell transfer of CS responses. These spleen and lymph nodederived @+ CS-assisting regulatory cells were CD3+, CD4-CD8+, non-antigenspecific, and non-MHC-restricted, and preferentially expressed Vy5 and V64 variable regions. In the current study we show that systemic treatment of mice In uiuo with anti-yS mAb, produced a similar positive influence on CS responses in two different systems: i.e. active sensitization, or adoptive cell transfer. In addition to augmented CS responses produced by treatment with pan anti-y6 TCR mAb, antl-yS-V region mAb were examined, and augmentation of CS also

Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells Adhere to Physiologic STAT3- vs STAT5-dependent Hematopoietic Programming, Establishing Diverse Tumor-Mediated Mechanisms of Immunologic Escape

Immunological Investigations, 2012

The receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, is astonishingly effective in its capacity to reduce MDSCs in peripheral tissues such as blood (human) and spleen (mouse), restoring responsiveness of bystander T lymphocytes to TcR stimulation. Sunitinib blocks proliferation of undifferentiated MDSCs and decreases survival of more differentiated neutrophilic MDSC (n-MDSC) progeny. Ironically, sunitinib's profound effects are observed even in a total absence of detectable antitumor therapeutic response. This is best explained by the presence of disparate MDSCconditioning stimuli within individual body compartments, allowing sensitivity and resistance to sunitinib to coexist within the same mouse or patient. The presence or absence of GM-CSF is likely the major determinant in each compartment, given that GM-CSF's capacity to preempt STAT3-dependent with dominant STAT5-dependent hematopoietic programming confers sunitinib resistance and redirects differentiation from the n-MDSC lineage to the more versatile monocytoid (m-MDSC) lineage. The clinical sunitinib experience underscores that strategies for MDSC and Treg depletions must be mindful of disparities among body compartments to avoid sanctuary effects. Ironically, m-MDSCs manifesting resistance to sunitinib also have the greatest potential to differentiate into tumoricidal accessory cells, by virtue of their capacity to respond to T cell-secreted IFN-γ or to TLR agonists with nitric oxide and peroxynitrate production.