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Immunological Stimulation (immunological + stimulation)
Selected AbstractsExpression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-selectin, and P-selectin on endothelium in situ in patients with erythroderma, mycosis fungoides and atopic dermatitisJOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 9 2000Vigfús Sigurdsson Background: Erythroderma may result from different causes. At present it is unclear whether the patho-mechanisms that lead to these different types of erythroderma are identical or different. Adhesion molecules and their ligands play a major role in endothelial-leukocyte interactions, which affect the binding, transmigration and infiltration of lymphocytes and mononuclear cells during inflammation, injury, or immunological stimulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells in erythroderma in situ. Methods: Snap-frozen skin biopsy specimens from 23 patients with erythroderma were studied. Eight had idiopathic erythroderma, 5 erythrodermic atopic dermatitis, 4 Sézary syndrome and 6 had erythroderma from miscellaneous causes. As a control we studied skin specimens from 10 patients with mycosis fungoides, 5 patients with atopic dermatitis and 5 healthy non-atopic volunteers. To determine adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells in situ, sections were immuno-histochemically double stained with biotinylated Ulex Europaeus agglutinin 1 as a pan-endothelial cell marker, and for the adhesion molecules VCAM-1, ICAM-1, E-, and P-selectin. All double- and single-stained blood vessels in the dermis were counted. Results: Mean endothelial expression in erythroderma was as follows: VCAM-1 51.4%, ICAM-1 70.1%, E-selectin 43.5%, and P-selectin 52.6%. There was no statistical difference between different groups of erythroderma. Mean expression of all adhesion molecules tested, was in Sézary syndrome higher than in mycosis fungoides albeit not significant. In erythrodermic atopic dermatitis only VCAM-1 expression was significantly higher than in lesional skin of atopic dermatitis. No differences were observed in expression of the other three adhesion molecules. Conclusions: There is no difference regarding adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells between different types of erythroderma. [source] Release of prostaglandin D2 and leukotriene C4 in response to hyperosmolar stimulation of mast cellsALLERGY, Issue 12 2006M. Gulliksson Background:, Mannitol-induced bronchoconstriction in subjects with exercise-induced asthma is associated with increased urinary excretion of 9,, 11, -PGF2, a metabolite of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) serving as a mast cell marker. It has however been questioned whether or not human mast cells release PGD2 and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) after osmotic challenge with mannitol in vitro. Methods:, Cord blood-derived human mast cells were stimulated osmotically, immunologically or with a combination of both. Supernatants were analysed for PGD2, LTC4 and histamine contents with enzyme immunoassays. Results:, Significant release of de novo synthesized eicosanoids, predominantly PGD2 [12 (8.8, 14) pmol/106cells; median (25th, 75th percentile) but also LTC4 (0.1 (0.08, 0.15) pmol/106 cells] were found in mast cells in vitro in response to 0.7 M mannitol stimulation. A massive release of histamine [70 (5.3)% of total; mean (SEM)] was also found. There were no correlations between the levels of released mediators after mannitol stimulation. In contrast, there was a correlation between release of PGD2 and LTC4, following immunological stimulation. Conclusion:, The findings support that hyperosmolar challenge activates mast cells, but different than antigen stimulation. [source] Enhancement of Laser Cancer Treatment by a Chitosan-derived Immunoadjuvant,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Wei R. Chen ABSTRACT A chitosan derivative, glycated chitosan (GC), has been used as an immunostimulant for cancer treatment in laser immunotherapy. The function of GC is to enhance the host immune response after direct cancer cell destruction by a selective laser photothermal interaction. To further test its effects, laser immunotherapy was extended to include several different adjuvants for immunological stimulation and to include photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a different tumor-destruction mechanism. Complete Freund (CF) adjuvant, incomplete Freund (IF) adjuvant and Corynebacterium parvum (CP) were selected for treatment of metastatic mammary tumors in rats, in combination with a selective photothermal interaction. The solution of the immunoadjuvants admixed with indocyanine green (ICG), a light-absorbing dye, was injected directly into the tumors, followed by noninvasive irradiation of an 805 nm laser. Combined with PDT, in the treatment of tumors in mice, GC was administered peritumorally immediately after laser irradiation. The survivals of treated animals were compared with untreated control animals. In the treatment of rat tumors, CF, IF and CP raised the cure rates from 0% to 18%, 7% and 9%, respectively. In comparison, GC resulted in a 29% long-term survival. In the treatment of EMT6 mammary sarcoma in mice, GC of 0.5% and 1.5% concentrations increased the cure rates of Photofrin-based PDT treatment from 38% to 63% and 75%, respectively. In the treatment of Line 1 lung adenocarcinoma in mice, a 1.67% GC solution enabled a noncurative meso -substituted tetra(meta -hydroxy-phenyl)chlorin,based PDT to cure 37% of the tumor-bearing mice. The experimental results of this study confirmed our previous studies, showing that immunoadjuvants played an active role in laser-related cancer treatment and that GC significantly enhanced the efficacy of laser cancer treatment. [source] Comparison of apoptosis and mortality measurements in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using multiple methodsCELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 5 2005S. Glisic-Milosavljevic Death through apoptosis is the main process by which aged cells that have lost their function are eliminated. Apoptotic cells are usually detected microscopically by changes in their morphology. However, determination of early apoptotic events is important for in vitro (and ex vivo) studies. The main objective of the present study is to find the most sensitive method for apoptosis detection in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by comparing six different methods following five different means of immunological stimulation at 3 and 5 days. Each of six apoptosis quantification methods, except the trypan blue exclusion test, is a combination of two stains, one for the specific detection of apoptotic cells and the other for the unspecific detection of dead cells. Values for apoptosis and mortality were compared with a reference method. The choice of apoptosis detection method is more important following 3 days of stimulation than after 5 days of stimulation (P = 2 × 10,6 versus P = 1 × 10,2). In contrast, we find mortality measurements following the different means of stimulation highly significant at both 3 and 5 days (F2.28 = 7.9, P = 1.4 × 10,6 at 3 days and F2.28 = 8.5, P = 4.5 × 10,7 at 5 days). Variation as a result of the combination of specific PBMC stimulation and the method used to detect apoptosis is reduced considerably with time (F1.58 + 3.7, P + 3 × 10,7 at 3 days to F = (1.58) = 0.97, P = 0.5 at 5 days). Based on Tukey's test, YO-PRO-1 is the most sensitive stain for apoptosis and, when combined with 7-AAD, provides an accurate measure of apoptosis and mortality. In conclusion, we propose YO-PRO-1/7-AAD as a new combination and low-cost alternative for the sensitive detection of early apoptosis. [source] | |||||||||||||