526 research outputs found
Identification of a cytokine network sustaining neutrophil and Th17 activation in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis
© 2010 Cascão et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by sustained
synovitis. Recently, several studies have proposed neutrophils and Th17 cells as key players in the onset and
perpetuation of this disease. The main goal of this work was to determine whether cytokines driving neutrophil
and Th17 activation are dysregulated in very early rheumatoid arthritis patients with less than 6 weeks of disease
duration and before treatment (VERA).
Methods: Cytokines related to neutrophil and Th17 activation were quantified in the serum of VERA and
established RA patients and compared with other very early arthritis (VEA) and healthy controls. Synovial fluid (SF)
from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients was also analyzed.
Results: VERA patients had increased serum levels of cytokines promoting Th17 polarization (IL-1b and IL-6), as
well as IL-8 and Th17-derived cytokines (IL-17A and IL-22) known to induce neutrophil-mediated inflammation. In
established RA this pattern is more evident within the SF. Early treatment with methotrexate or corticosteroids led
to clinical improvement but without an impact on the cytokine pattern.
Conclusions: VERA patients already display increased levels of cytokines related with Th17 polarization and
neutrophil recruitment and activation, a dysregulation also found in SF of established RA. 0 Thus, our data suggest
that a cytokine-milieu favoring Th17 and neutrophil activity is an early event in RA pathogenesis.This work was supported by a grant from Sociedade Portuguesa de Reumatologia/Schering-Plough 2005. RAM and RC were funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BD/30247/2006 and
SFRH/BD/40513/2007, respectively. MMS-C was funded by Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship PERG-2008-239422 and a EULAR Young Investigator Award
Subjectivity and Sexuality Production in Women Living With HIV/Aids: a Sociopoetic Production
Antimicrobial activity of sodium hypochlorite associated with intracanal medication for Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis inoculated in root canals
Isolation and serological identification of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in pasteurized milk in Brazil
Long-term effects of neonatal malnutrition on microbicide response, production of cytokines, and survival of macrophages infected by Staphylococcus aureus sensitive/resistant to methicillin
Gadd45α activity is the principal effector of Shigella mitochondria-dependent epithelial cell death in vitro and ex vivo
Modulation of death is a pathogen strategy to establish residence and promote survival in host cells and tissues. Shigella spp. are human pathogens that invade colonic mucosa, where they provoke lesions caused by their ability to manipulate the host cell responses. Shigella spp. induce various types of cell death in different cell populations. However, they are equally able to protect host cells from death. Here, we have investigated on the molecular mechanisms and cell effectors governing the balance between survival and death in epithelial cells infected with Shigella. To explore these aspects, we have exploited both, the HeLa cell invasion assay and a novel ex vivo human colon organ culture model of infection that mimics natural conditions of shigellosis. Our results definitely show that Shigella induces a rapid intrinsic apoptosis of infected cells, via mitochondrial depolarization and the ensuing caspase-9 activation. Moreover, for the first time we identify the eukaryotic stress-response factor growth arrest and DNA damage 45α as a key player in the induction of the apoptotic process elicited by Shigella in epithelial cells, revealing an unexplored role of this molecule in the course of infections sustained by invasive pathogens
Effects on and transfer across the blood-brain barrier in vitro—Comparison of organic and inorganic mercury species
Online dispute resolution: an artificial intelligence perspective
Litigation in court is still the main dispute resolution mode. However, given the amount
and characteristics of the new disputes, mostly arising out of electronic contracting, courts are
becoming slower and outdated. Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) recently emerged as a set of
tools and techniques, supported by technology, aimed at facilitating conflict resolution. In this
paper we present a critical evaluation on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based techniques in
ODR. In order to fulfill this goal, we analyze a set of commercial providers (in this case twenty
four) and some research projects (in this circumstance six). Supported by the results so far
achieved, a new approach to deal with the problem of ODR is proposed, in which we take on some
of the problems identified in the current state of the art in linking ODR and AI.The work described in this paper is included in TIARAC - Telematics and
Artificial Intelligence in Alternative Conflict Resolution Project (PTDC/JUR/71354/2006), which
is a research project supported by FCT (Science & Technology Foundation), Portugal. The work
of Davide Carneiro is also supported by a doctoral grant by FCT (SFRH/BD/64890/2009).Acknowledgments. The work described in this paper is included in TIARAC - Telematics and Artificial Intelligence in Alternative Conflict Resolution Project (PTDC/JUR/71354/2006), which is a research project supported by FCT (Science & Technology Foundation), Portugal. The work of Davide Carneiro is also supported by a doctoral grant by FCT (SFRH/BD/64890/2009)
Morbidity due to Schistosoma mansoni - Entamoeba histolytica coinfection in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
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