ALBERT

Description: Dendritic cells (DCs) are the main mediators of Th2 immune responses in allergic asthma, and Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) is an important growth factor for the development and homeostasis of DCs. This study identified the DC populations that primarily cause the initiation and development of allergic lung inflammation using Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) knockout (KO) mice with allergen-induced allergic asthma. We observed type 2 allergic lung inflammation with goblet cell hyperplasia in Flt3 KO mice, despite a significant reduction in total DCs, particularly CD103+ DCs, which was barely detected. In addition, bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) from Flt3 KO mice directed Th2 immune responses in vitro, and the adoptive transfer of these BMDCs exacerbated allergic asthma with more marked Th2 responses than that of BMDCs from wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, we found that Flt3L regulated the in vitro expression of OX40 ligand (OX40L) in DCs, which is correlated with DC phenotype in in vivo models. In conclusion, we revealed that Flt3-independent CD11b+ DCs direct Th2 responses with the elevated OX40L and are the primary cause of allergic asthma. Our findings suggest that Flt3 is required to control type 2 allergic inflammation.

Description: Road icing can cause large traffic accidents on highways because, unlike snowy roads, its location is difficult to identify and it can occur rapidly, even during rainy weather. In this study, the amount and location of road icing were modeled and simulated over time based on the system dynamics theory. The simulation is expressed on the geographic information system (GIS) and facilitates advance detection of the location and amount of road icing that occurs unexpectedly unlike previous studies. Modeling was designed to process spatial and meteorological data after combining them. The spatial data used for modeling were Hillshade, Water System, Bridge, and Road (Highway). Air temperature, cloudiness, vapor pressure, wind speed, and precipitation were used as meteorological data. The amount of road icing was estimated by scientifically designing the parameters related to its occurrence between spatial and meteorological data. Based on this, the amount of road icing by location was simulated per 1m2 using the GIS. The simulation results showed that the amount of road icing that began to increase from AM 08:00 reached its peak (an average of 213.62 g/m2) at noon and then slowly decreased. Additionally, when simulated with GIS, the sum amount of road icing between AM 12:00 and PM 13:00 was a maximum of 1707.292 (g/14 h) and a minimum of 360.082 (g/14 h) for each location. Hypothesis testing was conducted on whether road icing significantly occurs at actual points vulnerable to traffic accidents. Based on the results, the average significance level was calculated to be less than 0.05. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis that the model can estimate road icing in vulnerable areas was adopted. The verified simulation can be useful data to government agencies (e.g., road traffic authority) in their programs to prevent traffic accidents caused by road icing.