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Introduction of a conjugated vaccine against encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has led to a dramatic reduction of invasive Hib disease. However, an increasing incidence of invasive disease by H. influenzae non-type b has recently been reported. Non-type b strains have been suggested to be opportunists in an invasive context, but information on clinical consequences and related medic

Disruption of the homeostatic balance of intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (MQs) may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. We characterized DC and MQ populations, including their ability to produce retinoic acid, in clinical material encompassing Crohn's ileitis, Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis (UC) as well as mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) draining these sites. Increased

Thymus colonisation and thymocyte positioning are regulated by interactions between CCR7 and CCR9, and their respective ligands, CCL19/CCL21 and CCL25. The ligands of CCR7 and CCR9 also interact with the atypical receptor CCRL1 (also known as ACKR4), which is expressed in the thymus and has recently been reported to play an important role in normal alpha beta T-cell development. Here, we show that

Mary Flannery O’Connor (1925-64) was born in Savannah, Georgia as the only child of the American Irish Catholics Edward Francis O’Connor, Jr. and Regina Cline O’Connor. In 1952 her first novel Wise Blood, in 1955 the short story collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and in 1960 her second novel, The Violent Bear It Away were published. She received several fellowships and titles of Honorary Docto

Neisseria meningitidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been identified as a major determinant of dendritic cell (DC) function. Here we report that one of a series of meningococcal mutants with defined truncations in the lacto-N-neotetraose outer core of the LPS exhibited unique strong adhesion and internalization properties towards DC. These properties were mediated by interaction of the GlcNAc(beta1

For decades, in vitro expansion of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been an elusive goal. Here, we demonstrate that multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), isolated from green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transgenic mice and expanded in vitro for >40-80 population doublings, are capable of multilineage hematopoietic engraftment of immunodeficient mice. Among MAPC-derived GFP+CD4

Cross-presentation of cellular antigens is crucial for priming CD8(+) T cells, and generating immunity to intracellular pathogens-particularly viruses. It is unclear which intestinal phagocytes perform this function in vivo. To address this, we examined dendritic cells (DCs) from the intestinal lymph of IFABP-tOVA 232-4 mice, which express ovalbumin in small intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). Amo

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcome of all consecutive patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in an unselected nationwide cohort over the past 2 decades. Background Over the last 20 years, treatment with PCI has evolved dramatically, but the change in patient characteristics has not been well described. Methods We included all pa

Both pathological excess and deficiency of growth hormone (GH) are associated with cardiovascular mortality.

The advent of multiplexing technologies has raised the possibility that disease states can be defined using discrete genomic and proteomic patterns or signatures. However this emerging area has been limited by the 'content problem', arising from the uncertainty of which molecules to focus on. The human cluster of differentiation (CD) antigens are expressed on cells of the human immune system (leuk

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of stent-graft design and operator skills on outcomes after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred sixty-four patients (mean age 71 years) underwent stent-graft repair. Patients were treated with four different types of stent-graft: first-generation (n = 58) and second-generation (n = 17) Ivancev-Malm

Objectives This study evaluated the role of pre-procedural clinical variables to predict procedural and clinical outcomes of catheter ablation in patients with long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Background Catheter ablation of persistent AF remains a challenging task. Methods Catheter ablation was performed in 90 patients (76 men, age 57 +/- 11 years) with long-lasting persistent AF

The analysis of Helicobacter pylori proteins is a demanding task for the elucidation of virulence factors, antigens and vaccines, all important for diagnosis, therapy and protection. In the "pre-genomic era" the purification of proteins was mostly performed by using various techniques such as detergent treatment of the bacterial cells, ultra-centrifugation, various chromatographic methods, antibod

BACKGROUND. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for prostate cancer screening but its levels are influenced by many non cancer-related factors. The goal of the study is to estimate the effect of genetic variants on PSA levels. METHODS. We evaluated the association of SNPs that were reported to be associated with prostate cancer risk in recent genome-wide association studies with plasma

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a group of hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hernatopoiesis and peripheral blood cytopenias. Lenalidomide has dramatic therapeutic effects in patients with low-risk MDS and a chromosome 5q31 deletion, resulting in complete cytogenetic remission in >60% of patients. The molecular basis of this remarkable drug response is unknown. To