Search results for "Disease Susceptibility"
showing 10 items of 145 documents
Leptin: A pivotal mediator of intestinal inflammation in mice
2002
Abstract Background & Aims: In addition to acting as a regulator of food intake and energy expenditure, leptin can also modulate immune and inflammatory responses. The role of leptin in intestinal inflammation is the focus of the present study. Methods: Acute and chronic colitis were induced in leptin-deficient ob/ob or wild-type (WT) mice using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) or trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). The severity of colitis was evaluated, and possible mechanisms were studied. Results: Leptin directly stimulates intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs). In the DSS acute model, ob/ob mice exhibited a 72% reduction of colitis severity and sp…
Serum antibodies to Vibrio vulnificus biotype 3 lipopolysaccharide and susceptibility to disease caused by the homologous V. vulnificus biotype
2011
SUMMARYIn 1996 an outbreak of severe soft tissue infections caused byVibrio vulnificusunexpectedly erupted in fish consumers in Israel with relatively little morbidity in fish farmers. To test the hypothesis that recurrent exposure of fishermen to the virulent strain may have provided protection against severe or symptomatic disease, we investigated the association between the immune response toV. vulnificusbiotype 3 lipopolysaccharide (BT3 LPS) and disease susceptibility in fish farmers and fish consumers. Serum samples were tested for IgA and IgG of anti-BT3 LPS in fishermen and fish consumers who suffered fromV. vulnificusBT3 infections and their matched controls. Pre-existing levels of …
Association between MICA Gene Variants and the Risk of Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Hepatocellular Cancer in a Sicilian Population Sample
2018
There are currently no biomarkers that predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. We investigated the relationships among major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A (MICA) polymorphisms, plasma levels of soluble MICA (sMICA), and HCC risk in patients with HCV-related HCC. One hundred fifty-four HCV-related HCC patients, 93 HCV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) cases, and 244 healthy controls, all sampled from the native Sicilian population, were genotyped using the KASP™ single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping method. The MICA rs2596542 polymorphism showed that the G/G genotype was significantly more frequent…
An immune escape screen reveals Cdc42 as regulator of cancer susceptibility to lymphocyte-mediated tumor suppression.
2007
Abstract Adoptive cellular immunotherapy inducing a graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect is the therapeutic mainstay of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for high-risk leukemias. Autologous immunotherapies using vaccines or adoptive transfer of ex vivo–manipulated lymphocytes are clinically explored in patients with various cancer entities. Main reason for failure of ASCT and cancer immunotherapy is progression of the underlying malignancy, which is more prevalent in patients with advanced disease. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms contributing to immune escape will help to develop strategies for the improvement of immunologic cancer treatment. To this end, we have und…
Sex Differences in the Neuroadaptations of Reward-related Circuits in Response to Subchronic Variable Stress
2018
Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, fewer studies in rodent models of depression have used female animals, leading to a relative lack of understanding of the female brain’s response to stress, especially at a neural circuit level. In this study, we utilized a 6-day subchronic variable stress (SCVS) mouse model and measured novelty suppressed feeding as behavioral criteria to evaluate susceptibility to SCVS in male and female mice. First, we showed that SCVS induced a decrease in latency to eat (susceptible phenotype) in female mice, but not in males (resilient phenotype). After determining behavioral phenotypes, we investigated the firing activ…
Comprehensive platelet phenotyping supports the role of platelets in the pathogenesis of acute venous thromboembolism - results from clinical observa…
2020
Background: The pathogenesis of arterial and venous thrombosis is in large part interlaced. How much platelet phenotype relates to acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) independent of the underlying cardiovascular profile is presently poorly investigated.Methods: Platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet aggregation in whole blood and platelet rich plasma (PRP), platelet-dependent thrombin generation (TG) and platelet surface activation markers were measured under standardized conditions. Machine learning was applied to identify the most relevant characteristics associated with VTE from a large array (N = 58) of clinical and plateletrelated variables.Findings: VTE cases (N = 159)…
Lipidomic profiling identifies signatures of metabolic risk
2020
Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), the clustering of metabolic risk factors, is associated with cardiovascular disease risk. We sought to determine if dysregulation of the lipidome may contribute to metabolic risk factors. Methods: We measured 154 circulating lipid species in 658 participants from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and tested for associations with obesity, dysglycemia, and dyslipidemia. Independent external validation was sought in three independent cohorts. Follow-up data from the FHS were used to test for lipid metabolites associated with longitudinal changes in metabolic risk factors. Results: Thirty-nine lipids were…
Immunity, Inflammation and Heart Failure. Their Role on Cardiac Function and Iron Status
2019
Aims: Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by subclinical systemic inflammation and immune system activation associated with iron deficiency. No data exist on the various activations of immune-mediated mechanisms of inflammation in heart failure patients with reduced/preserved ejection fraction. We aimed to (1) investigate possible differences in inflammatory parameters and oxidative stress, and (2) detect a different iron status between groups. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 50 consecutive Caucasian outpatients with heart failure. All patients underwent echocardiographic measurements, laboratory determinations, evaluation of iron status and Toll-like receptors, and NF-κB …
Interspecies differences in cancer susceptibility and toxicity.
1999
One of the most complex challenges to the toxicologist represents extrapolation from laboratory animals to humans. In this article, we review interspecies differences in metabolism and toxicity of heterocyclic amines, aflatoxin B1, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and related compounds, endocrine disrupters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tamoxifen, and digitoxin. As far as possible, extrapolations to human toxicity and carcinogenicity are performed. Humans may be more susceptible to the carcinogenic effect of heterocyclic amines than monkeys, rats, and mice. Especially, individuals with high CYP1A2 and 3A4 activities and the rapid acetylator phenotype may be expected to have …
Autoimmune hepatitis following hepatitis A virus infection.
1995
A 7-year-old patient is reported who suffered from fatigue and jaundice due to chronic hepatitis. He had acquired hepatitis A virus infection in his community and communicated the disease to his German family 4 weeks later. While the other family members recovered from acute viral hepatitis A, the patient presented 10 weeks after the onset of hyperbilirubinemia (12 mg/dl) with the histology of chronic hepatitis, absence of markers for viral persistence, presence of autoantibodies against smooth muscle (1:320) and the asialoglycoprotein receptor (1:600), and marked hypergammaglobulinemia (3700 mg/dl), leading to the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. The patient received immunosuppressive th…