Search results for " SEP"

Mast Cells Induce Migration of Dendritic Cells in a Murine Model of Acute Allergic Airway Disease

2009

<i>Background: </i>The migration of dendritic cells (DCs) from the lungs to the regional lymph nodes is necessary for the development of allergic airway disease. Following activation, mast cells release a variety of stored or de novo-produced inflammatory mediators, several of them being capable of activating DCs. In this study, the role of mast cells on DC migration from the lungs to the thoracic lymph nodes was investigated in sensitized mice. <i>Methods:</i> Mast cell-deficient mice (Kit<sup>W-sh/W-sh</sup>) and their wild-type counterparts were sensitized intraperitoneally with ovalbumine (OVA) in saline and challenged by a single intranasal administr…

Cholesterol facilitates interactions between α‐synuclein oligomers and charge‐neutral membranes

2015

AbstractOligomeric species formed during α-synuclein fibrillation are suggested to be membrane-disrupting agents, and have been associated with cytotoxicity in Parkinson’s disease. The majority of studies, however, have revealed that the effect of α-synuclein oligomers is only noticeable on systems composed of anionic lipids, while the more physiologically relevant zwitterionic lipids remain intact. We present experimental evidence for significant morphological changes in zwitterionic membranes containing cholesterol, induced by α-synuclein oligomers. Depending on the lipid composition, model membranes are either unperturbed, disrupt, or undergo dramatic morphological changes and segregate …

Column-switching techniques for high-performance liquid chromatography of drugs in biological samples.

1993

In recent years, an increasing number of publications have demonstrated the potential of column-switching techniques for the chromatographic separation, determination and preparative isolation of analytes from biological matrices. Column-switching systems greatly facilitate drug analysis, by on-line sample clean-up and trace enrichment, or by improving the analytical separative process. In this paper, the main applications of column-switching techniques to drug analysis in biological samples, are reviewed.

Environmentally friendly LC for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and its derivatives in skin-whitening cosmetics

2008

Ascorbic acid (AA), also known as vitamin C, is a very popular skin-whitening agent used in cosmetics. However, the use of AA (and also its sodium or magnesium salts) in cosmetic products is limited owing to its labile oxidative properties. In order to avoid its early degradation, different derivatives have been designed, such as ascorbyl phosphate (APH; as magnesium or sodium salts) and ascorbyl palmitate (AP), and more recently the ascorbyl glucoside (AG). Bearing in mind that all these chemicals in skin-whitening cosmetic products must be determined in order to control the efficacy of such products, this paper focuses on developing a wide-ranging LC analytical method able to determine th…

Characterization of porous alumina membranes for efficient, real-time, flow through biosensing

2015

Abstract Nanofluidic sensing devices promise high performance by overcoming issues of mass transport of analyte molecules to the sensing surface, whilst micro-porous membranes promise high sensitivity due to a large surface for their capture. Anodic alumina (AAO) filter membranes allow the flow through of samples, and could be used as a convenient and readily available fluidic platform for the targeted delivering of analytes to bioreceptors immobilized on the pore walls. The relatively small pore dimensions, compared to fluidic diffusion lengths, promise highly efficient capture of analytes from the whole sample volume, enabling relatively fast sensing response times and the use of small sa…

Flow cytometric immunophenotyping: principles and pitfalls

1992

Within the last decade flow cytometry (FCM) has become an integral part of basic immunological research. Elaboration of this technology has been intensively stimulated by a rapidly growing sophistication in monoclonal antibody technology and vice versa. At present numerous applications are established that allow an increasingly detailed insight into the immune system, however, automation still must be considered the "cinderella of the arts". Thus, transition of this powerful approach from a basic to a routine clinical procedure is much more difficult than expected. Sufficient usage of flow cytometers still requires some knowledge of physics and its technical applications. Moreover, several …

Generation of monoclonal antibodies against human regulatory T cells.

2009

Abstract Natural CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) control the activation of the immune system and therefore have become a major area of research in immunology. The generation of monoclonal antibodies against human Tregs offers the possibility to discover novel Treg-specific or Treg-associated surface markers and to identify targets for a therapeutic modulation of Tregs. Here we present a methodology optimized to efficiently induce and select mAb against human Tregs by repeated immunization of mice with Tregs from a single donor and a differential two-step flow cytometry-based hybridoma screening procedure.

Low dosage liposomal amphotericin B in the treatment of Candida infections in critically ill patients.

2011

What Is the Most Recent Evidence on the Prevention and Early Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infections in Nonneutropenic Critically Ill Patients?

2017

: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are associated with high morbidity and mortality in intensive care units. Candida species are the most important fungal pathogens and among the most frequent causes of infection in critically ill patients. Studies have evaluated the correlation between the onset of antifungal treatment and survival. However, definitive diagnosis of IFI is time-consuming in clinical practice. Antifungal prophylaxis and preemptive or empirical treatments are among therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat early fungal infections in selected patients. Recently, new evidence from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews has been published. Moreover, new clinical p…

Comparative analysis of radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds present in everyday use spice plants by means of spectropho…

2010

Comparative analysis of radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of phenolic compounds present in everyday use spice plants was carried out by means of spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods. Six spice plant samples, namely onion (Allium cepa), parsley (Petroselinum crispum) roots and leaves, celery (Apium graveolens) roots and leaves and leaves of dill (Anethum graveolens) were analyzed. Total amount of phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activity (RSA) was the highest in celery leaves and dill extracts and was the lowest in celery roots. Comparing commonly used spectrophotometric analysis of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) RSA of extracts with the results obtained …