Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 13, Issue 36, 2007

Atherosclerosis is a disease of multifactorial origin which represents a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. The presence of macrophages, as a major cell-type, in the atheromatous plaque and the role played by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in its pathogenesis clearly support a robust immunological involvement in this disease. On these grounds, the present issue of Current Pharmaceutical Design, entitled: “Im Read More

Modern bony fishes or teleosts are increasingly being used as model organisms for human diseases. Ambitious mapping programmes have revealed parts of or entire genomes of several species. This information suggests that there are several similarities between the mammalian and teleost immune systems, but also important differences. These differences are especially evident in the anatomical and functional const Read More

Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) or Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by local angiodysplasia affecting different organism districts. From a clinical viewpoint, HHT patients suffer from epistaxis, mucocutaneous telangiectases and arteriovenous malformations in various organs. Mutations in two known genes (ENG and ALK1) account for the majority of HHT pati Read More

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a group of pathogen-associated molecular pattern receptors, which play an important role in innate immune signaling in response to microbial infection. It has been demonstrated that TLRs are differentially up regulated in response to microbial infection and chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis. Furthermore hyperlipidemic mice deficient in TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88 signaling exhibit di Read More

The role of the adipose tissue in immunity has recently emerged, and there is now ample evidence that this role is elucidated by a number of cytokine-like hormones produced by adipocytes - called adipokines. The most relevant adipokines are leptin, adiponectin and visfatin, and all have marked effects on metabolic and immune function. The discovery of adipokines has led to the development of a novel concept that the Read More

Atherosclerosis is a major global cause of morbidity and mortality, and diabetes patients are at increased risk of coronary heart disease development. Advanced glycation of proteins occurs in the body due to raised concentrations of reducing sugars and reactive oxygen species, and is a causal factor behind complications of diabetes. Glycated proteins, through alteration of protein structure and function, and from liga Read More

The study of the role of glycemia in the causation of cardiovascular disease has been limited by several factors, above all by its measurement over time. Non enzymatic glycated proteins in the blood, the product of the non enzymatic reaction of a reducing sugar with the reactive amino acid of a target protein, are an integrated measure of blood glucose over days to weeks. They have been used in the management of clinical dia Read More

Obesity represents a chronic inflammatory status and adipocytes release either cytokines or an array of adipokines such as leptin, endowed with immunomodulating and systemic activities. The involvement of cytokines in obesity as well as of the adipokine leptin is supported by the notion that weight reduction normalizes mediators of inflammation. In this framework, we will demonstrate that in obese children, subjected for a p Read More

Accumulation of inflammatory cells identifies atherosclerotic plaque at risk for rupture. Typically, activated immune cells occupy the rupture-prone areas of the atherosclerotic lesion. These cells are an appealing therapeutic target for novel strategies of plaque stabilization. Biologic consequences of plaque inflammation ultimately depend not only on the cellular players populating the lesion but also on triggers of im Read More

Donkey's milk is the best substitute of human milk for its content in lactose, proteins, minerals, and ω-3 fatty acids. Here, we have evaluated the effects of colostrum and milk from donkeys (Martina Franca breed) on the function of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at different intervals from lactation. Colostrum induced more IgA responses, while milk induced predominantly more IgG responses. Both Read More

Evidence has been provided that red wine possesses antiatherogenic activities in virtue of its content in polyphenols (flavonoids and non-flavonoids substances). Here, some red wines (Negroamaro, Primitivo and Lambrusco) were tested for their ability to trigger nitric oxide (NO) production from human healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Negroamaro was the strongest inducer of NO from PBMC and deprivation of Read More

Inflammation and genetics play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). This is supported by epidemiological studies which have thoroughly investigated the association between CHD and gene polymorphisms of the inflammatory molecules. Moreover, efforts to find elective therapy have not been rewarding and, despite the increasing appreciation of the role of genetics in CHD and myocardial inf Read More