Search results for "Allergy"
showing 10 items of 3181 documents
Paving the way of systems biology and precision medicine in allergic diseases: the Me DALL success story
2016
MeDALL (Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy; EU FP7-CP-IP; Project No: 261357; 2010-2015) has proposed an innovative approach to develop early indicators for the prediction, diagnosis, prevention and targets for therapy. MeDALL has linked epidemiological, clinical and basic research using a stepwise, large-scale and integrative approach: MeDALL data of precisely phenotyped children followed in 14 birth cohorts spread across Europe were combined with systems biology (omics, IgE measurement using microarrays) and environmental data. Multimorbidity in the same child is more common than expected by chance alone, suggesting that these diseases share causal mechanisms irrespective of IgE sen…
Tenofovir-induced toxicity in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells
2017
OBJECTIVE In-vivo studies suggest that mitochondria is involved in tenofovir (TFV)-induced renal toxicity, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of TFV and its prodrug, TFV disoproxil fumarate, on mitochondrial function and cell survival/viability in a renal proximal tubular cell line. DESIGN AND METHODS We evaluated parameters of cellular proliferation/survival (cell count, cell cycle, viability) and mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species production) in NRK-52E cells. Intracellular TFV was measured by HPLC and expression of antioxidant genes was analysed by real-…
H-ferritin and proinflammatory cytokines are increased in the bone marrow of patients affected by macrophage activation syndrome
2017
Summary Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is hyperinflammatory life-threatening syndrome, associated typically with high levels of serum ferritin. This is an iron storage protein including heavy (H) and light (L) subunits, categorized on their molecular weight. The H-/L subunits ratio may be different in tissues, depending on the specific tissue and pathophysiological status. In this study, we analysed the bone marrow (BM) biopsies of adult MAS patients to assess the presence of: (i) H-ferritin and L-ferritin; (ii) CD68+/H-ferritin+ and CD68+/L-ferritin+; and (iii) interleukin (IL)-1β, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interferon (IFN)-γ. We also explored possible correlations of these re…
Mast cells contribute to autoimmune diabetes by releasing interleukin-6 and failing to acquire a tolerogenic IL-10+ phenotype
2017
Mast cells (MCs) are innate immune cells that exert positive and negative immune modulatory functions capable to enhance or limit the intensity and/or duration of adaptive immune responses. Although MCs are crucial to regulate T cell immunity, their action in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is still debated. Here we demonstrate that MCs play a crucial role in T1D pathogenesis so that their selective depletion in conditional MC knockout NOD mice protects them from the disease. MCs of diabetic NOD mice are overly inflammatory and secrete large amounts of IL-6 that favors differentiation of IL-17-secreting T cells at the site of autoimmunity. Moreover, while MCs of control mice acquire…
As-needed anti-inflammatory reliever therapy for asthma management: evidence and practical considerations
2021
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease in which airway inflammation is a key feature, even in the milder expressions of the disease. The conventional pharmacological approach to mild asthma has long relied on reliever therapy with as-needed short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs), while anti-inflammatory maintenance with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) has been reserved for patients with more persistent asthma. Poor adherence to maintenance treatment is an important issue in asthma management, and can partly explain suboptimal symptom control. Over-reliance on SABA bronchodilators for rapid symptom relief is common in real life and potentially leads to an increased risk of asthma morbidity and m…
Cinnamon extract inhibits allergen-specific immune responses in human and murine allergy models.
2019
Background Ceylon cinnamon has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in many diseases including allergic inflammation. Objective The aim of this study was to analyse in more detail the effects of cinnamon extract (CE) and its major compounds p-cymene and trans-cinnamaldehyde (CA) on allergen-specific immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Methods Therefore, monocyte-derived mature dendritic cells (DC) from grass or birch pollen allergic donors were pulsed with the respective allergen in the presence or absence of CE, p-cymene, CA or the solvent ethanol and co-cultured with autologous CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, basophil activation test was performed with or without CE or ethanol…
Analysis of T and NK cell subsets in Sicilian population from young to supercentenarian: the role of age and gender
2021
Summary Ageing dramatically affects number and function of both innate and adaptive arms of immune system, particularly T cell subsets, contributing to reduced vaccination efficacy, decreased resistance to infections and increased prevalence of cancer in older people. In the present paper, we analysed the age‐related changes in the absolute number of lymphocytes in 214 Sicilian subjects, and in the percentages of T and natural killer (NK) cells in a subcohort of donors. We compared these results with the immunophenotype of the oldest living Italian supercentenarian (aged 111 years). The results were also sorted by gender. The correlation between number/percentage of cells and age in all ind…
Wheat amylase-trypsin inhibitors exacerbate intestinal and airway allergic immune responses in humanized mice.
2017
Background Amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) in wheat and related cereals are potent activators of myeloid innate immune cells via engagement of TLR4. Furthermore, ATIs have been shown to serve as adjuvants in experimental intestinal inflammatory diseases. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze whether ATIs are also modifiers of allergic inflammation. Methods Therefore, CD4 + T cells from donors sensitized to grass or birch pollen were stimulated with autologous allergen-pulsed dendritic cells in the presence or absence of ATIs or the control storage protein zein from corn. To analyze allergen-induced gut and lung inflammation, immunodeficient mice were engrafted with PBMCs from the…
The iNOS Activity During an Immune Response Controls the CNS Pathology in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
2019
Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays a critical role in the regulation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Previous studies have shown that iNOS plays pathogenic as well as regulatory roles in MS and EAE. However, how does iNOS alters the pathophysiology of the central nervous system (CNS) in neuronal autoimmunity is not clearly understood. In the present work, we show that treatment of mice with L-NAME, an iNOS inhibitor, during the antigen-priming phase primarily alters brain pathology, while in the subsequent effector phase of the immune response, the spinal cord is involved. Inhibition of iNOS during the priming phase of the immune res…
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Induces Inflammation and Predicts Spinal Progression in Ankylosing Spondylitis
2017
Objectives: To understand the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). Methods: AS patients satisfying the modified New York criteria were recruited for the study. Healthy volunteers, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients were included as controls. Based on the annual rate of increase in mSASSS scores, AS patients were classified as progressors or non-progressors. MIF levels were quantitated by ELISA in the serum and synovial fluid. Predictors of AS progression were studied by logistic regression analysis. Immunohistochemistry of ileal tissue was performed to identify MIF producing cells. Flow cytometry was used to r…