Chitin-Induced Airway Epithelial Cell Innate Immune Responses Are Inhibited by Carvacrol/Thymol.

Chitin is produced in large amounts by fungi, insects, and other organisms and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. Airway epithelial cells are in direct contact with environmental particles and serve as the first line of defense against inhaled allergens and pathogens. The potential contributions of airway epithelial cells to chitin-induced asthma remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that chitin directly stimulates airway epithelial cells to release cytokines that promote type 2 immune responses and to induce expression of molecules which are important in innate immune responses. We found that chitin exposure rapidly induced the expression of three key type 2-promoting cytokines, IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP, in BEAS-2B transformed human bronchial epithelial cells and in A549 and H292 lung carcinoma cells. Chitin also induced the expression of the key pattern recognition receptors TLR2 and TLR4. Chitin induced the expression of miR-155, miR-146a and miR-21, each of which is known to up-regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Also the expression of SOCS1 and SHIP1 which are known targets of miR-155 was repressed by chitin treatment. The monoterpene phenol carvacrol (Car) and its isomer thymol (Thy) are found in herbal essential oils and have been shown to inhibit allergic inflammation in asthma models. We found that Car/Thy inhibited the effects of chitin on type 2-promoting cytokine release and on the expression of TLRs, SOCS1, SHIP1, and miRNAs. Car/Thy could also efficiently reduce the protein levels of TLR4, inhibit the increase in TLR2 protein levels in chitin plus Car/Thy-treated cells and increase the protein levels of SHIP1 and SOCS1, which are negative regulators of TLR-mediated inflammatory responses. We conclude that direct effects of chitin on airway epithelial cells are likely to contribute to allergic airway diseases like asthma, and that Car/Thy directly inhibits epithelial cell pro-inflammatory responses to chitin

La ideología en la literatura infantil y juvenil

La finalidad moralizante, en mayor o menor grado, siempre ha estado presente en la literatura infantil y juvenil (LIJ). La fascinación que producen los textos literarios entre los más jóvenes favorece la transmisión de determinados valores. En el presente trabajo mostramos tres ejemplos claros de transmisión de ideas en la LIJ vasca: los estereotipos sexuales, las actitudes ante la violencia y las ideas religiosas

Blake, Ludwig Meidner and Expressionism

Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966), who belonged to the mystical wing of German Expressionism, developed his existing interest in Blake when he was forced to leave Germany in 1939. It is during his exile years that Meidner’s new style matured, and this was partly due to his new appreciation of Blake. The article examines the British context of Meidner’s engagement with Blake and outlines how he understood Blake in a cultural setting dominated by Neo-Romanticism as well as the existential fear of exile experience

The reaction of diethylphthalate with ethyl magnesium bromide

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Bills of attainder

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kansas, History, 1916. ; Includes bibliographical references

Modeling the steady-state growth of porous anodic alumina

Porous anodic alumina films are produced by anodic oxidation in various acidic electrolytes. The self-organized structure consists of an evenly spaced hexagonal array of mutually parallel pores. Interpore distances range from ten to several hundred nanometers. The film is easily produced with control over the pore geometry, and it can be extremely well ordered. These features have found use in various applications including the production of nanomaterials. Recently, porous films have been shown on other metals. An improved mechanistic understanding would aid exploration of other systems and lead to new applications.;Results based solely on ionic migration within the electric field were evaluated with respect to the requirement that steady-state geometries have time invariant interface evolution profiles. Two models were developed to simulate the processes occurring during steady-state pore growth. The first used the assumption of no space charge in the oxide, and the second applied current continuity. Both were coupled to high-field ionic conduction. Neglecting space charge in the oxide yielded unrealistic behavior with highly nonuniform interface motion, suggesting the importance of space charge. In contrast, interface motion predicted by the current continuity model was uniform, except in a localized region near the convex ridges of the metal-film interface between neighboring pores. Ionic conduction alone is unable to fully rationalize the porous structure.;The current continuity model was expanded to include transport by stress-driven material flow in addition to ionic migration. This phenomenon is indicated by experimental tracer studies as well as measurements of accelerated pore growth relative to interfacial progression into the metal. Direct simulation of experimental tracer experiments revealed quantitative results that are in excellent agreement. The flow is driven by compressive stress in the pore base near the film-solution interface. This compressive stress is largely attributed to electrostriction. The overall stress distribution also depends on the volume change at the metal-film interface during oxidation and the nonlinear current-electric field relationship governing ionic conduction. The stress distribution at the metal-film interface generated by flow suggests interface diffusion toward the ridges, which is consistent with observations involving dilute aluminum-gold alloys. This interface diffusion can qualitatively explain the time invariance of the metal-film interface near the ridges