Search results for "Gens"
showing 10 items of 3762 documents
Serum Levels of Soluble CD23 in Patients with Asthma or Rhinitis Monosensitive to Parietaria. Its Relation to Total Serum IgE levels and Eosinophil C…
1999
The diagnostic value for allergies of the low affinity IgE receptor and its soluble circulating fragment (sCD23) remains unclear. In particular, little is know about seasonal influences on serum sCD23 levels in subjects with pollen allergy. In the present study, to gain insight into pathophysiological role of sCD23, we have analyzed, in blood from patients allergic to Parietaria sCD23, IgE, and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) serum levels. IgE were assessed as atopy markers and ECP as an inflammation marker. Patients were studied during and out of pollen season, and results were compared to those obtained in nonallergic subjects. The study population included 42 nonsmoking outpatients, li…
Airway inflammation in nonasthmatic amateur runners
2001
Elite athletes show a high prevalence of symptoms and signs of asthma, but no study has assessed the acute effects of endurance exercise on airway cells in nonasthmatic athletes. We measured exhaled nitric oxide (NO) and collected samples of induced sputum after 3% NaCl aerosol administration for 20 min in nonasthmatic middle-aged amateur runners after the Fourth Palermo International Marathon and 6–9 wk later (habitual training period) at baseline. After the marathon, exhaled NO ( n = 9 subjects) was higher [27 ± 9 parts/billion (ppb)] than at baseline (12 ± 4 ppb; P < 0.0005). Polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) counts in induced sputum were much higher in runners (91.2 ± 3.6% of total…
Heparin-based ELISA reduces background reactivity in virus-like particle-based papillomavirus serology.
2004
The interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) particles and cell surface heparan sulfate requires intact conformation of the HPV particles. Type-specific HPV serology is currently based on virus-like particles (VLPs) with intact conformation. Presence of incorrectly folded VLPs in VLP preparations is recognized as an important cause of cross-reactivity in HPV serology. Heparin-coated microtitre plates were evaluated for capturing conformationally correct VLPs and improving the type specificity of HPV serology. Hybrid VLPs between HPV16 and HPV11, which had been found to have significant reactivity with children's sera and a batch of HPV18 VLPs that had failed the quality control becaus…
CD4-mediated regulatory T-cell activation inhibits the development of disease in a humanized mouse model of allergic airway disease
2012
Background Based on their potency to control allergic diseases, regulatory T (Treg) cells represent a promising target for novel strategies to interfere with allergic airway inflammation. We have previously demonstrated that stimulation of the CD4 molecule on human Treg cells activates their suppressive activity in vitro and in vivo . Objective We sought to determine the effect of CD4-mediated Treg-cell activation on pulmonary inflammation in a humanized mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. Methods PBMCs obtained from donors allergic to birch pollen or from healthy donors were injected into NOD-severe combined immunodeficiency γc −/− mice, followed by allergen airway challenges and …
Occupational exposure to immunologically active agents and risk for lymphoma: The European Epilymph case-control study
2013
Objectives: Allergies and asthma may be protective for the development of lymphoma. We evaluated whether occupational allergens that provoke immune reactivity and asthma through an IgE-mediated pathway are protective for lymphoma. Methods: The Epilymph study includes histologically or cytologically confirmed Hodgkin, B-cell, and T-cell lymphoma cases from six European countries (Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Czech Republic) recruited in 1998-2004. Controls were frequency matched to cases by age, gender, and study centre. Lifetime occupational exposure to seven high molecular weight (HMW) agents was evaluated through an asthma-specific job-exposure matrix. 2205 lymphoma cases a…
Transmission of hepatitis B and hepatitis delta viruses in the households of chronic hepatitis B surface antigen carriers: A regression analysis of i…
1991
Abstract To evaluate whether clinical and laboratory features of a hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier can predict risks of infection, its chronicity, and the development of liver disease among close contacts, the authors studied a cohort of 994 first degree relatives or cohabitants (household contacts) of 226 non-drug-addicted chronic HBsAg carriers (index cases), of whom 77% had liver disease and 26% were superinfected by hepatitis D virus (HDV). A logistic form of regression analysis was used to assess the role of each feature in the index case as predictor of hepatitis B virus (HBV)- and HDV-related outcomes among household contacts. Six models of risk, expressed as odds ratios,…
The HLA locus and multiple sclerosis in Sicily
2005
The authors report the analysis of HLA-class II allelic heterogeneity in a well characterized multiple sclerosis (MS) Sicilian dataset. Family-based association analysis revealed evidence for excess transmission to affected individuals for alleles HLA-DRB1*1501, DRB1*04, and DQB1*0302. When analyzed as haplotypes, the authors observed excess transmission for the DRB1*0400-DQB1*0302 haplotype. Sicilian patients share the HLA-DRB1*1501 susceptibility allele with affecteds living in continental Italy, but also display the allelic heterogeneity that characterizes Mediterranean populations.
Blockade of interleukin 6 trans signaling suppresses T-cell resistance against apoptosis in chronic intestinal inflammation: Evidence in Crohn diseas…
2000
The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 (refs. 1-5) can bind to cells lacking the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) when it forms a complex with the soluble IL-6R (sIL-6R) (trans signaling). Here, we have assessed the contribution of this system to the increased resistance of mucosal T cells against apoptosis in Crohn disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. A neutralizing antibody against IL-6R suppressed established experimental colitis in various animal models of CD mediated by type 1 T-helper cells, by inducing apoptosis of lamina propria T cells. Similarly, specific neutralization of sIL-6R in vivo by a newly designed gp130-Fc fusion protein caused suppr…
Variability of reverse transcriptase and overlapping S gene in hepatitis B virus isolates from untreated and lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B…
2009
Background The high degree of diversity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies in chronically infected individuals raises the possibility that HBV genetic variants favouring resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) might pre-exist to treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variability of the entire HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) domain and of the overlapping S gene in a large series of untreated hepatitis B surface antigen carriers and in lamivudine (3TC)-resistant patients. Methods Sequencing analysis of the entire HBV RT domain of isolates from 100 untreated (treatment- naive group) and 59 3TC-resistant (3TC-resistant group) consecutive patients wit…
HLA and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors influence the natural course of CMV infection.
2014
Background. Natural killer (NK) cells provide a major defense against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection through the interaction of their surface receptors, including the activating and inhibitory killer immunoglobulinlike receptors (KIRs), and human leukocyte antigens (HLA) class I molecules. This study assessed whether the KIR and HLA repertoire may influence the risk of developing symptomatic or asymptomatic disease after primary CMV infection in the immunocompetent host. Methods. Sixty immunocompetent patients with primary symptomatic CMV infection were genotyped for KIR and their HLA ligands, along with 60 subjects with a previous asymptomatic infection as controls. Results. The frequency…