oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species is known to contribute to the inflammatory process of bronchial asthma. reactive oxygen species are released into the bronchial tree by activated inflammatory cells. in this study, we aimed to determine the effect of vitamin c administration on leukocyte vitamin c level as well as severity of asthma. in this double blind clinical trial study ...

Leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) is a tightly regulated, multistep process that is critical to the inflammatory response. A transient increase in endothelial cytosolic free calcium ion concentration (↑[Ca(2+)]i) is required for TEM. However, the mechanism by which endothelial ↑[Ca(2+)]i regulates TEM and the channels mediating this ↑[Ca(2+)]i are unknown. Buffering ↑[Ca(2+)]i in endot...

Mycolic acids are major and specific constituents of the cell envelope of Corynebacterineae, a suborder of bacterial species including several important human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, or Corynebacterium diphtheriae. These long-chain fatty acids are involved in the unusual architecture and impermeability of the cell envelope of these bacteria. The conde...

The causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains an important worldwide health threat. Although TB is one of the oldest infectious diseases of man, a detailed understanding of the mycobacterial mechanisms underlying pathogenesis remains elusive. Here, we studied the role of the α(1→2) mannosyltransferase MptC in mycobacterial virulence, using the Mycobacterium marin...

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency-III (LAD-III) also called leukocyte adhesion deficiency-1/variant (LAD1v) is a rare congenital disease caused by defective integrin activation of leukocytes and platelets. Patients with LAD-III present with non-purulent infections and increased bleeding symptoms. We report on a novel integrin-dependent platelet dysfunction in two brothers with LAD-III syndrome caus...

CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is a prominent receptor for the monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) group of CC chemokines. Mice generated by gene targeting to lack CCR2 exhibit normal leukocyte rolling but have a pronounced defect in MCP-1-induced leukocyte firm adhesion to microvascular endothelium and reduced leukocyte extravasation. Constitutive macrophage trafficking into the peritoneal ...

Leukocyte chemoattractants regulate many leukocyte functions, including leukocyte chemotaxis, via the Rho family of small GTPases that include RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac. Previous work has revealed mechanisms by which chemoattractants regulate RhoA and Cdc42 in mouse neutrophils, but the mechanisms for regulation of Rac remain unclear even though Rac is important for neutrophil functions. Here, we ch...

T HE TRANSFUSION OF COMPATIBLE WHOLE BLOOD to patients suffering from paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria ( PNH ) is known to sometimes cause a hemolytic reaction. It has been suggested that leukocyte isoantibodies present in the patient’s serum through interaction with the donor’s leukocyte antigens are responsible for lysis of PNH red cells.’ As yet, it has not been clarified why this interac...

Mathematical models predict that the future of the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis epidemic will depend on the fitness cost of drug resistance. We show that in laboratory-derived mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, rifampin resistance is universally associated with a competitive fitness cost and that this cost is determined by the specific resistance mutation and strain genetic background. ...

Based on a wealth of in vitro macrophage studies, immunity to Staphylococcus aureus cell wall-derived peptidoglycan (PGN) and lipoteichoic acid has been attributed to TLR2. We investigated whether the in vitro paradigm of TLR2 dominance would hold true in vivo. Using an experimental peritonitis model, we challenged mice with PGN or lipoteichoic acid and found that only PGN resulted in significa...