Extrafollicular IgD-CD27-CXCR5-CD11c- DN3 B cells infiltrate inflamed tissues in autoimmune fibrosis and in severe COVID-19

Although therapeutic B cell depletion dramatically resolves inflammation in many diseases in which antibodies appear not to play a central role, distinct extrafollicular pathogenic B cell subsets that accumulate in disease lesions have hitherto not been identified. The circulating immunoglobulin D (IgD)-CD27-CXCR5-CD11c+ DN2 B cell subset has been previously studied in some autoimmune diseases. A distinct IgD-CD27-CXCR5-CD11c- DN3 B cell subset accumulates in the blood both in IgG4-related disease, an autoimmune disease in which inflammation and fibrosis can be reversed by B cell depletion, and in severe COVID-19. These DN3 B cells prominently accumulate in the end organs of IgG4-related disease and in lung lesions in COVID-19, and double-negative B cells prominently cluster with CD4+ T cells in these lesions. Extrafollicular DN3 B cells may participate in tissue inflammation and fibrosis in autoimmune fibrotic diseases, as well as in COVID-19.

Why Michels’ ‘iron law of oligarchy’ is not an iron law – and how democratic organisations can stay ‘oligarchy-free’

More than 100 years ago, Robert Michels laid out his theory of the ‘iron law of oligarchy’. The main, and crucial, point Michels made is that oligarchy will always emerge; even in the case of genuine attempts to organise and run organisations in non-oligarchic or non-hierarchical ways, the iron law allegedly holds sway. This paper critically examines, and refutes, Michels’ theory on theoretical and methodological grounds. It argues that his theory is in many ways insufficient and that his dictum of the unavoidability of oligarchisation is not as compelling and cogent as stereotypical references to it might imply. Moreover, the paper shows that alternative/democratic organisations actually have a whole range of means to avoid oligarchisation.

Relationally Reflexive Practice

In this article we explain how the development of new organization theory faces several mutually reinforcing problems, which collectively suppress generative debate and the creation of new and alternative theories. We argue that to overcome these problems, researchers should adopt relationally reflexive practices. This does not lead to an alternative method but instead informs how methods are applied. Specifically, we advocate a stance toward the application of qualitative methods that legitimizes insights from the situated life-with-others of the researcher. We argue that this stance can improve our abilities for generative theorizing in the field of management and organization studies.

Sex differences in IRF5 levels and implications for pDC IFNα response (P1365)

Background: Differential sex-dependent immune activation is a common feature in both HIV-1 and autoimmune diseases. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) derived from females have been shown to produce significantly more IFNα in response to HIV-1-encoded TLR7/8 ligands than pDCs derived from males, resulting in stronger secondary T cell activation. Given their crucial role in the regulation of IFNα production by pDCs, we investigated the impact of the interferon regulatory factors (IRF) on the observed differences. Methods: Fresh PBMCs were isolated from healthy donors, and the quantity of IRF7 and IRF5 were measured by flow cytometry directly ex vivo and after TLR7 stimulation. IRF5 nuclear translocation following TLR7 stimulation was confirmed by confocal microscopy and quantified using TissueFAXS. Results: Baseline levels of IRF5 in pDCs were found to be significantly higher in females than in males (p<0.05). No differences between males and females in baseline levels of IRF7 in pDCs were observed. Importantly, levels of IRF5 were significantly higher in pDCs secreting IFNα compared to the non-secreting pDCs after TLR7 stimulation (p<0.05). Conclusion: These data indicate that sex differences in IRF5 levels might account for the described higher IFNα production upon TLR7 stimulation in females, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying higher inflammation observed in females for both HIV-1 infection as well as autoimmune diseases.

Formal and Informal Hierarchy in Different Types of Organization

This paper addresses the paradox that despite all organizational change towards flatter and postmodern organizations, hierarchical order is quite persistent. We develop a differentiated understanding of hierarchy as either formal or informal and apply this analytical framework to several types of organization. The analysis reveals that hierarchy is much more widespread than thought; in particular, postmodern, representative democratic and network organizations are much less ‘alternative’ and ‘hierarchy-free’ than their labels and common understanding may suggest. The main argument is that the persistence of hierarchy in different types of organization can be explained by different dynamic relationships between formal and informal hierarchy.