The development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis, has been studied in mice that were (i) vitamin D-deficient, (ii) minus the vitamin D receptor, (iii) minus a vitamin D 25-hydroxylase, and (iv) minus the vitamin D 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase. EAE development was markedly suppressed in mice lacking the vitamin D receptor and partially suppr...

BACKGROUND Experimental designs for evaluating knowledge translation (KT) interventions for professional behavior change can provide strong estimates of intervention effectiveness but offer limited insight how the intervention worked or not. Furthermore, trials provide little insight into the ways through which interventions lead to behavior change and how they are moderated by different facili...

Experimentation is a powerful methodology that enables scientists to empirically establish causal claims. However, one important criticism is that experiments merely provide a black-box view of causality and fail to identify causal mechanisms. Specifically, critics argue that although experiments can identify average causal effects, they cannot explain the process through which such effects com...

SJL mice are highly susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced with myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) peptide 139-151, whereas H-2 congenic B10.S mice are resistant. Immunodominance and susceptibility to EAE are associated with a high precursor frequency of PLP 139-151-specific T cells in the naive repertoire of SJL mice. To understand the mechanism of EAE resistance ...

Immune regulation of autoimmune disease can function at two sites: at the secondary lymphoid organs or in the target organ itself. In this study, we investigated the natural resolution of autoimmune pathology within the CNS using murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Recovery correlates with the accumulation of IL-10-producing CD4+CD25+ T cells within the CNS. These CD4+CD25+ ...

This paper compares the statistical power of BOLD and arterial spin labeling perfusion fMRI for a variety of experimental designs within and across subjects. Based on theory and simulations, we predict that perfusion data are composed of independent observations in time under the null hypothesis, in contrast to BOLD data, which possess marked autocorrelation. We also present a method (sinc subt...

A strong association exists between mutations at the IL2 receptor alpha chain (CD25) gene locus and susceptibility to a number of T cell driven autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, the presence of certain CD25 susceptibility alleles has been correlated with significantly increased levels of the soluble form of CD25 (sCD25) in the serum of patients. However, the functional consequences, if any, o...

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a useful model for aiding the development of new treatments for MS. All therapies approved for MS ameliorate EAE. Two approved medications, glatiramer acetate and Natalizumab, were developed directly from studies in EAE. Several trials are ongoing in MS after success in EAE, including altered peptide ligands of myelin, DNA vaccines and statins....

Economic Experimental Games have shown that individuals make decisions that deviate down from the suboptimal Nash equilibrium. However, few studies have analyzed the case when deviation is above the Nash equilibrium. Extracting from above the Nash equilibrium is inefficient not only socially but also privately and it would exacerbate the tragedy of the commons. That would be the case of a race ...