Search results for "Immunologic"
showing 10 items of 1115 documents
Search for autoantibodies to the human bradykinin B2 receptor.
1997
Adherence, compliance and persistence to oral antineoplastic therapy: a review focused on chemotherapeutic and biologic agents
2011
Introduction: To date, orally administered chemotherapy and biologic agents represent a significant percentage of all antineoplastic treatments in several types of cancer, which are most likely to increase in the near future. In this scenario, the issue of adherence and persistence to oral therapy is a key issue since poor compliance to oral antineoplastic treatments may negatively influence patients' clinical outcomes and, in turn, cause an increase in costs, number of hospitalizations and time spent in the hospital. Areas covered: The issue of adherence to new oral chemotherapeutic and/or biologic agents has not been deeply evaluated and data published in medical literature are quite scar…
Investigational agents for Crohn's disease.
2010
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Increased understanding of the biological mechanisms of Crohn's disease has opened the door to a large number of new molecules; some of these are approved for clinical use, while others remain under evaluation. In this review, we examine the clinical efficacy of all the new drugs that have been evaluated in controlled trials in the last 12 years. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: Anti-TNF therapy has been reviewed briefly, given the many comprehensive reviews on this topic; attention is focused mainly on the other biological therapies. In assessing the clinical efficacy of these molecules, we consider only the remission rate, as this is considered the most meaningful en…
Therapeutic options in vitiligo with special emphasis on immunomodulators: A comprehensive update with review of literature
2020
Vitiligo is a relatively common disorder characterized by areas of depigmented skin. It may be associated with social stigma and adversely affects the quality of life. Although many treatment options are available, none is curable. The search continues for an effective therapeutic option. New targeted options include biologics and other immunomodulatory agents, with varying degrees of evidence. We have discussed briefly the therapeutic options with special emphasis on the newer immunomodulatory agents. We undertook a comprehensive English literature search across multiple databases such as PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane using keywords (alone and in combination) and MeSH items…
Statins stimulate the production of a soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products
2013
The beneficial effects of statin therapy in the reduction of cardiovascular pathogenesis, atherosclerosis, and diabetic complications are well known. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays an important role in the progression of these diseases. In contrast, soluble forms of RAGE act as decoys for RAGE ligands and may prevent the development of RAGE-mediated disorders. Soluble forms of RAGE are either produced by alternative splicing [endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE)] or by proteolytic shedding mediated by metalloproteinases [shed RAGE (sRAGE)]. Therefore we analyzed whether statins influence the production of soluble RAGE. Lovastatin treatment of either mouse alveol…
Regulated Proteolysis of RAGE and AβPP as Possible Link Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's Disease
2009
Epidemiological studies have linked type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). In T2DM, the elevated blood glucose level promotes formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The receptor for AGEs (RAGE) is a type I membrane-protein and is also able to import amyloid-beta (Abeta) from the blood across the blood-brain-barrier into the brain. Oligomeric Abeta peptides disturb synaptic function in the brain and are believed to contribute to the development of AD. Abeta peptides are released from the amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP) after sequential proteolysis by beta- and gamma-secretases but alpha-secretase-mediated cleavage…
The Inhibitory Effects of Prednisone, 16-Methylen-Prednisolone, and Acth on Con-A Induced Lymphokines (Interferon-Y) as Measured by the Chemiluminesc…
1988
When lymphocytes are stimulated with mitogens or antigens they are enhanced via a cascade of lymphokines to produce interferon-y (IFN-y). IFN-y augments the H2O2 secretion of human monocytes which indirectly can be measured by chemiluminescence. We tested prednisone, 16-methylen-prednisolone and ACTH for their effect to inhibit the Con-A induced stimulation of the chemiluminescence-activity. All three hormones inhibited significantly the stimulation: prednisone up to 52.5% (concentration = 150 micrograms/ml, p = 0.000005), 16-methylen-prednisolone up to 22.5% (concentration = 2.5 micrograms/ml, p = 0.006) and ACTH up to 33% (concentration = 10 micrograms/ml, p = 0.0036).
Diagnostic Accuracy of a New Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 Detection
2021
Background and aims: Quick and reliable diagnostic tools play an important role in controlling the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new cyto-salivary antigen test aimed at detecting the presence of antigens for SARS-CoV-2, as compared by the gold standard RT-PCR and a lateral flow test. Methods: A total of 433 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study and the sensitivity and specificity of the new cyto-salivary antigen test were calculated, as compared to the RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab and to the lateral flow test. Results: A total of 433 samples were collected and tested at the Mediterranean Fair in Palermo from Febru…
Molecular and Translational Classifications of DAMPs in Immunogenic Cell Death
2015
The immunogenicity of malignant cells has recently been acknowledged as a critical determinant of efficacy in cancer therapy. Thus, besides developing direct immunostimulatory regimens, including dendritic cell-based vaccines, checkpoint-blocking therapies, and adoptive T-cell transfer, researchers have started to focus on the overall immunobiology of neoplastic cells. It is now clear that cancer cells can succumb to some anticancer therapies by undergoing a peculiar form of cell death that is characterized by an increased immunogenic potential, owing to the emission of the so-called "damage-associated molecular patterns" (DAMPs). The emission of DAMPs and other immunostimulatory factors by…
Comparison of adjuvant and adjuvant-free murine experimental asthma models
2009
Introduction The most widely used protocol for the induction of experimental allergic airway inflammation in mice involves sensitization by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of the antigen ovalbumin (OVA) used in conjunction with the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide (alum). Although adjuvants are frequently used, there are questions regarding the necessity of alum for murine asthma studies due to the non-physiological nature of this chemical. Objective The objective of this study was to compare experimental asthma phenotypes between adjuvant and adjuvant-free protocols of murine allergic airway inflammation in an attempt to develop a standardized alternative to adjuvant use. Method An adjuvant-…