Search results for "Immunity"

Leukocyte Redistribution: Effects of Beta Blockers in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

2009

BACKGROUND:Overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines is a well established factor in the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). Changes in cellular immunity have not been widely studied, and the impact of standard medication is uncertain. Here we investigate whether a leukocyte redistribution occurs in CHF and whether this effect is influenced by beta-blocker therapy. METHODOLOGY:We prospectively studied 75 patients with systolic CHF (age: 68+/-11 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 32+/-11%, New York Heart Association class 2.5+/-0.7) and 20 age-matched healthy control subjects (age: 63+/-10 years). We measured the response of cells to endotoxin exposure in vitro, analysed su…

Aging and asthma: pathophysiological mechanisms

2003

Antioxidant therapy and its stability on Chernobyl clean-up workers

2010

This paper describes the effects of prolonged antioxidant therapy, its stability and association with spectral parameters of the fluorescent probe ABM in blood plasma and indices of albumin auto-fluorescence in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 received placebos of identical appearance to antioxidants. Group 2 received antioxidants (vitamin E + selenium + ibuprofen). Individuals were tested three times: before supplementation of antioxidants, after therapy and one year after supplementation interruption. Applied therapy improves oxidant/antioxidant status of individuals. Interruption of therapy after one year leads to significant decrease…

Particle-Mediated Gene Transfer into Dendritic Cells: A Novel Strategy for the Induction of Immune Responses against Tumor Antigens

2003

The expression of a foreign protein in the skin following direct in vivo gene transfer results in the induction of potent cellular and humoral immune responses. This strategy, now known as genetic or DNA immunization, was first described by Johnston et al. in 1992. They reported that bombardment of murine skin with an expression plasmid encoding human growth hormone coated onto microscopic gold particles using a gene gun resulted not only in the systemic delivery of the molecule, but also in the induction of antigenspecific antibody responses (1). It is now well established that DNA immunization by particle-mediated gene transfer promotes broad-based and long-lasting antigen-specific immune…

Requirements for Th1-dependent immunity against infection with Leishmania major

2004

Protective immunity against cutaneous leishmaniasis is dependent on the induction of Th1/Tc1 immune responses resulting in efficient parasite elimination. In this review, the mechanisms leading to protection are discussed with special focus on the role of Leishmania major-infected dendritic cells (DC) in induction of Th1-dependent immunity. Murine strain-dependent differences between DC derived from Leishmania-susceptible as compared to resistant mice are highlighted.

Circulating specific antibodies enhance systemic cross-priming by delivery of complexed antigen to dendritic cells in vivo

2012

Increasing evidence suggests that antibodies can have stimulatory effects on T-cell immunity. However, the contribution of circulating antigen-specific antibodies on MHC class I cross-priming in vivo has not been conclusively established. Here, we defined the role of circulating antibodies in cross-presentation of antigen to CD8(+) T cells. Mice with hapten-specific circulating antibodies, but naϊve for the T-cell antigen, were infused with haptenated antigen and CD8(+) T-cell induction was measured. Mice with circulating hapten-specific antibodies showed significantly enhanced cross-presentation of the injected antigen compared with mice that lacked these antibodies. The enhanced cross-pre…

Destruction of Kupffer’s cells increases total liver blood flow and decreases ischemia reperfusion injury in pigs

2000

Comparison between tumors in plants and human beings: Mechanisms of tumor development and therapy with secondary plant metabolites

2019

Abstract Background Human tumors are still a major threat to human health and plant tumors negatively affect agricultural yields. Both areas of research are developing largely independent of each other. Treatment of both plant and human tumors remains unsatisfactory and novel therapy options are urgently needed. Hypothesis The concept of this paper is to compare cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor development in plants and human beings and to explore possibilities to develop novel treatment strategies based on bioactive secondary plant metabolites. The interdisciplinary discourse may unravel commonalities and differences in the biology of plant and human tumors as basis for rational …

Melanoma-Reactive Class I-Restricted Cytotoxic T Cell Clones Are Stimulated by Dendritic Cells Loaded with Synthetic Peptides, but Fail to Respond to…

2003

Abstract Immunization with heat shock proteins (hsp) isolated from cancer cells has been shown to induce a protective antitumor response. The mechanism of hsp-dependent cellular immunity has been attributed to a variety of immunological activities mediated by hsp. Hsp have been shown to bind antigenic peptides, trim the bound peptides by intrinsic enzymatic activity, improve endocytosis of the chaperoned peptides by APCs, and enhance the ability of APCs to stimulate peptide-specific T cells. We have investigated the potential capacity of hsp70 and gp96 to function as a mediator for Ag-specific CTL stimulation in an in vitro model for human melanoma. Repetitive stimulation of PBLs by autolog…

Stimulation of synovial fluid mononuclear cells with the human 65-kD heat shock protein or with live enterobacteria leads to preferential expansion o…

1992

SUMMARY T lymphocyte responses to heterologous or self 65-kD heat shock protein (hsp) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various forms of arthritis. To delineate the relationship of 65-kD hsp to different synovial fluid (SF) T cell subsets, we stimulated synovial fluid (SFMC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with different inflammatory rheumatic diseases and from healthy controls with human or mycobacterial 65-kD hsp, tetanus toxoid (TT), heat-killed or live Yersinia enterocotitica. Phenotyping of the resulting T cell lines revealed an increase of up to 97% TCR-γδ+ lymphocytes in the 65-kD hsp-stimulatcd SF-derived lines. This expansion of TCR-γδ+ cells w…