Search results for "Immunologic"
showing 10 items of 1115 documents
Langerin+ DCs regulate innate IL-17 production in the oral mucosa during Candida albicans-mediated infection
2018
The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans frequently causes diseases such as oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) in immunocompromised individuals. Although it is well appreciated that the cytokine IL-17 is crucial for protective immunity against OPC, the cellular source and the regulation of this cytokine during infection are still a matter of debate. Here, we directly visualized IL-17 production in the tongue of experimentally infected mice, thereby demonstrating that this key cytokine is expressed by three complementary subsets of CD90+ leukocytes: RAG-dependent αβ and γδ T cells, as well as RAG-independent ILCs. To determine the regulation of IL-17 production at the onset of OPC, we…
Neuroimmune and Mu-Opioid Receptor Alterations in the Mesocorticolimbic System in a Sex-Dependent Inflammatory Pain-Induced Alcohol Relapse-Like Rat …
2021
Evidence concerning the role of alcohol-induced neuroinflammation in alcohol intake and relapse has increased in the last few years. It is also proven that mu-opioid receptors (MORs) mediate the reinforcing properties of alcohol and, interestingly, previous research suggests that neuroinflammation and MORs could be related. Our objective is to study neuroinflammatory states and microglial activation, together with adaptations on MOR expression in the mesocorticolimbic system (MCLS) during the abstinence and relapse phases. To do so, we have used a sex-dependent rat model of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced alcohol deprivation effect (ADE). Firstly, our results confirm that only CFA-…
The efficacy of BCG TICE and BCG Connaught in a cohort of 2,099 patients with T1G3 non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer
2016
BACKGROUND Potential differences in efficacy of different bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) strains are of importance for daily practice, especially in the era of BCG shortage. OBJECTIVE To retrospectively compare the outcome with BCG Connaught and BCG TICE in a large study cohort of pT1 high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Individual patient data were collected for 2,451 patients with primary T1G3 tumors from 23 centers who were treated with BCG for the first time between 1990 and 2011. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Using Cox multivariable regression and adjusting for the most important prognostic factors in this nonrandomiz…
Linking Microstructural Integrity and Motor Cortex Excitability in Multiple Sclerosis
2021
Motor skills are frequently impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients following grey and white matter damage with cortical excitability abnormalities. We applied advanced diffusion imaging with 3T magnetic resonance tomography for neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), as well as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in 50 MS patients and 49 age-matched healthy controls to quantify microstructural integrity of the motor system. To assess excitability, we determined resting motor thresholds using non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation. As measures of cognitive-motor performance, we conducted neuropsychological assessments including the Nine-Hole Peg Test, Trail Makin…
An increased body mass index is associated with a worse prognosis in patients administered BCG immunotherapy for T1 bladder cancer
2018
PURPOSE: The body mass index (BMI) may be associated with an increased incidence and aggressiveness of urological cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the BMI on survival in patients with T1G3 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). METHODS: A total of 1155 T1G3 NMIBC patients from 13 academic institutions were retrospectively reviewed and patients administered adjuvant intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy with maintenance were included. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to identify factors predictive of recurrence and progression. RESULTS: After re-TURBT, 288 patients (27.53%) showed residual high-grade NMIBC, while 867 (82.8…
Injectable Versus Oral First-Line Disease-Modifying Therapies: Results from the Italian MS Register
2021
AbstractThe current study aims to compare injectable and oral first-line disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for time to first relapse, time to confirmed disability progression (CDP), and time to discontinuation using a cohort of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, with data extracted from the Italian MS Register. This multicenter, observational, retrospectively acquired, and propensity-adjusted cohort study utilized RRMS-naïve patients from the Italian MS Register who started either injectable or oral first-line DMTs between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017, to evaluate the impact on disability outcomes in patients. Enrolled patients were divided into two groups, n…
Drug‐refractory myasthenia gravis: Clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcome
2022
[Objective] To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with refractory myasthenia gravis (MG) and to determine the effectiveness and side effects of the drugs used for their treatment.
In vitrouptake of lysozyme-loaded liposomes coated with chitosan biopolymer as model immunoadjuvants
2009
Chitosan binds to negatively charged soy lecithin liposomes by an electrostatic interaction driven by its cationic amino group. This interaction allows developing stable coated vesicles suitable as a targeted carrier and controlled release system for drugs and vaccines. In this work, we studied the effect of chitosan-coated liposomes on the uptake and antigen presentation of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) in Peyer's patches peritoneal macrophages isolated from mice. Chitosan-coated liposomes were characterized according to size, zeta potential, and antigen-loading and release properties. Results showed an increase in the positive net charge and size of the liposomes as the concentration of ch…
Characterization of Human γδ T Lymphocytes Infiltrating Primary Malignant Melanomas
2012
T lymphocytes are often induced naturally in melanoma patients and infiltrate tumors. Given that gamma delta T cells mediate antigen-specific killing of tumor cells, we studied the representation and the in vitro cytokine production and cytotoxic activity of tumor infiltrating gamma delta T cells from 74 patients with primary melanoma. We found that gamma delta T cells represent the major lymphocyte population infiltrating melanoma, and both V delta 1(+) and V delta 2(+) cells are involved. The majority of melanoma-infiltrating gamma delta cells showed effector memory and terminally-differentiated phenotypes and, accordingly, polyclonal gamma delta T cell lines obtained from tumor-infiltrat…
Comparative effects of carrier proteins on vaccine-induced immune response
2011
The efficacy of vaccines against major encapsulated bacterial pathogens -Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) - has been significantly enhanced by conjugating the respective polysaccharides with different carrier proteins: diphtheria toxoid; non-toxic cross-reactive material of diphtheria toxin(197), tetanus toxoid, N. meningitidis outer membrane protein, and non-typeable H. influenzae-derived protein D. Hib, meningococcal, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have shown good safety and immunogenicity profiles regardless of the carrier protein used, although data are conflicting as to which carrier protein is the most immunogenic. Coadmini…