Inflammation & Allergy-Drug Targets (Discontinued) - Volume 10, Issue 1, 2011

Scientific publishing is, in some way a virtual market for the best ideas, the proof of principle and concepts, influenced not only by the scientific content, which should be transported within the scientific community, but also by many other factors, like allocation of money for research, like the impetus to publish novel and non-main stream conform ideas, and to gain power in science, either personally or institutionally. It is our j Read More

Asthma is a chronic lung inflammatory disease affecting from 5 to 10% of the population. It generally appears with periods of crisis alternating with free periods, but inflammation is always present. Allergic asthma manifests with paroxysmal crisis of bronchospasm, hissing-like respiratory noises, dyspnea, and respiratory distress syndrome. Different studies have shown an increase of IgE serum levels in subjects suffering from alle Read More

Tissue factor (TF) is an initiator of the extrinsic blood coagulation, which is often susceptible to upregulation by tissue injury, advanced glycation end-product, or diverse inflammation. TF hypercoagulability is accompanied by elevated generation of clotting factors (e.g., FVIIa, FXa, and thrombin) and fibrin production, all of which are proinflammatory. In this laboratory, our in vitro experimental results show that polycatio Read More

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem connective tissue disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by inflammation, vascular dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and visceral organs. SSc is clinically diverse both in terms of the burden of skin and organ involvement and the rate of progression of the disease. Recent studies indicate that the endothelin system, especially ET-1 and the ETA and ETB receptors may play Read More

Background: Endothelial dysfunction, a common feature among hypertensive and type-2 diabetic patients, has been associated with inflammation and increased concentrations of serum soluble adhesion molecules and resistin, a monocyte-macrophage- and adipocyte-derived cytokine. The Aim of this Study: To determine if there is a correlation between the serum concentrations of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, Eselectin and resistin in h Read More

The non-sedating third generation antihistamine levocetirizine has ample evidence of efficacy in allergic rhinitis. In vitro studies suggested that levocetirizine has anti-inflammatory properties not simply related to the antihistamine activity but also to regulation of eosinophils. We performed a double-blind placebo-controlled study in 40 children allergic to house dust mites with persistent rhinitis with the primary aim to evaluate Read More

Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) is commonly used in rodent IBD models to chemically induce acute intestinal inflammation. The acute course of colitis includes colon tissue damages and recovery from wounded tissues. As skin wound repair was delayed by splenectomy, we asked whether splenectomy would induce the delay of colonic wound healing. In splenectomized mice, body weight recovery, disease score and colon l Read More

In the gut of patients with Crohn's disease (CD), one of the major forms of inflammatory bowel diseases in humans, distinct subsets of T helper (Th) cells produce large amounts of cytokines, which are supposed to orchestrate the immuno-inflammatory process leading to the tissue damage. Indeed, cytokine blockers, including the three licensed anti- TNF-α and the neutralizing IL-12/p40 antibodies, have already been tested w Read More

As elements of the antioxidant system, cofactors of enzymes, components of transcription factors, and epigenetic modulators, micronutrients, such as vitamins and trace elements, influence various metabolic processes that are directly associated with immune functions. Specifically, the vitamins C and D have been shown to have significance immune function. Therefore, the objective of this review is to elucidate interactions betw Read More

As explained in the first part of the article, vitamins and trace elements influence various metabolic functions that are directly related to immune function. In this context, secosteroid vitamin D has met with growing interest. The discussion has focused on whether and, if so, to what extent, vitamin D might contribute to the prevention and possibly the treatment of infections and autoimmune diseases. We know, for instance, Read More