Search results for " ALPHA"

Myeloid cell populations and fibrogenic parameters in bleomycin- and HOCl-induced fibrosis

2016

Mouse models resembling systemic sclerosis can be chemically induced by application of bleomycin or hypochloric acid (HOCl). To date, little is known about inflammatory cells and their potential role in scleroderma (Scl)-related fibrosis. Therefore, we compared both Scl models to define the early immune cell subsets in relation to fibrosis-related parameters. Both agents induced a significant increase in dermal thickness and collagen deposition after 4 weeks, as hallmarks of Scl. However, clinical skin thickness, densely packed, sirius red-stained collagen bundles and collagen cross-links were more pronounced in HOCl-induced Scl. In parallel, there was a significant upregulation of procolla…

Fetal neurogenesis: breathe HIF you can.

2016

Blood vessels are part of the stem cell niche in the developing cerebral cortex, but their in vivo role in controlling the expansion and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in development has not been studied. Here, we report that relief of hypoxia in the developing cerebral cortex by ingrowth of blood vessels temporo‐spatially coincided with NSC differentiation. Selective perturbation of brain angiogenesis in vessel‐specific Gpr124 null embryos, which prevented the relief from hypoxia, increased NSC expansion at the expense of differentiation. Conversely, exposure to increased oxygen levels rescued NSC differentiation in Gpr124 null embryos and increased it further in WT embryos, s…

Neutrophil extracellular traps impair fungal clearance in a mouse model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

2019

Abstract Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are formed by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and contribute to the innate host defense by binding and killing bacterial and fungal pathogens. Because NET formation depends on histone hypercitrullination by peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), we used PAD4 gene deficient (Pad4-/-) mice in a mouse model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) to address the contribution of NETs to the innate host defense in vivo. After the induction (24 h) of IPA by i.t. infection with Aspergillus fumigatus conidia, Pad4-/- mice revealed lower fungal burden in the lungs, accompanied by less acute lung injury, TNFα and citH3 compared to wildtype controls. T…

Non-canonical NF-κB pathway activation predicts outcome in borderline oestrogen receptor positive breast carcinoma

2016

Background: NF-κB signalling appears deregulated in breast tumours. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the non-canonical NF-κB pathway, is activated in oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, to identify any correlation between its activity and the clinico-pathological phenotype and to explore whether NF-κB2 and RelB subunits and/or any of their target genes might be used as a predictive marker. Methods: Two independent cohorts of ER+ early breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy were included in the study. Activation of RelB and NF-κB2 subunits was determined in a training set of 121 patients by measuring DNA-binding activities in nuclear ext…

Protein misfolding, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and guanabenz: Protocol for a phase II RCT with futility design (ProMISe trial)

2017

IntroductionRecent studies suggest that endoplasmic reticulum stress may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through an altered regulation of the proteostasis, the cellular pathway-balancing protein synthesis and degradation. A key mechanism is thought to be the dephosphorylation of eIF2α, a factor involved in the initiation of protein translation. Guanabenz is an alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist safely used in past to treat mild hypertension and is now an orphan drug. A pharmacological action recently discovered is its ability to modulate the synthesis of proteins by the activation of translational factors preventing misfolded protein accumula…

5-Fluorouracil and recombinant alpha interferon-2a in the treatment of advanced colorectal carcinoma: a dose optimization study

1990

A dose optimization study was carried out with the aim of identifying the maximally tolerated dose of recombinant alpha interferon-2a (raIFN-2a) in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5FU). 5FU was given at the dose of 750 mg/m2 over a 4-hour infusion on day 1- - greater than 5 followed by 750 mg/m2 weekly i.v. bolus. Recombinant aIFN-2a was started at 3 x 10(6) IU subcutaneously three times/week. 12 patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma were included in the study. 10 patients had previously received chemotherapy for advanced disease. Severe fatigue, most likely attributable to rIFN, was the dose-limiting toxicity. The dosage of raIFN-2a could not be further escalated above 12 x 10(6) IU…

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a Multisystem Pathology: Insights into the Role of TNFα

2017

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is considered a multifactorial, multisystem disease in which inflammation and the immune system play important roles in development and progression. The pleiotropic cytokine TNFαis one of the major players governing the inflammation in the central nervous system and peripheral districts such as the neuromuscular and immune system. Changes in TNFαlevels are reported in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and nerve tissues of ALS patients and animal models. However, whether they play a detrimental or protective role on the disease progression is still not clear. Our group and others have recently reported opposite involvements of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in motor neuron dea…

2017

Danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are released by damaged cells and trigger neuroinflammation through activation of non-specific pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), e.g. Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Since the role of TLR 2 and 4 after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still unclear, we examined the outcome and the expression of proinflammatory mediators after experimental TBI in Tlr2/4 / and wild-type (WT) mice. Tlr2/4 / and wild-type mice were subjected to controlled cortical injury and contusion volume and brain edema formation were assessed 24 h thereafter. Expression of inflammatory markers in brain tissue was measured by quantitative PCR 15 min, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after contr…

MiR-675-5p supports hypoxia induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition in colon cancer cells

2017

// Viviana Costa 1, * , Alessia Lo Dico 2, * , Aroldo Rizzo 3 , Francesca Rajata 3 , Marco Tripodi 4, 5 , Riccardo Alessandro 6, 7, * , Alice Conigliaro 4, * 1 Innovative Technological Platforms for Tissue Engineering, Theranostic and Oncology, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Palermo, Italy 2 Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy 3 Unita Operativa di Anatomia Patologica, Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti “Villa Sofia-Cervello”, Palermo, Italy 4 Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy 5 National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, Rome, Italy 6 Dipartimen…

Stimulation of autophagy prevents intestinal mucosal inflammation and ameliorates murine colitis

2017

Background and pourpose A defective autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders such as IBD. Cross talk interactions between autophagy and inflammation have been reported and we analyse the effects of autophagy stimulators on murine colitis. Experimental approach Mice were treated with intrarectal administration of TNBS (3.5 mg/20 g BW) and body weight was measured every day and histological damage score analysed two or four days after treatment. Some mice received trehalose (3% in drinking water three weeks before TNBS administration) or a daily administration of rapamycin (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.), betanin (1g/kg, i.p.) or betanin + 3MA (10mg/kg, i.p.). Mucosal protein le…