Background: Heat shock proteins (HSP) are highly conserved molecules with many immunological functions. They are highly immunogenic with important role in cancer immunotherapy and in vaccine development against infectious diseases. As adjuvant, HSP can augment the immunogenicity of weak antigens and can stimulate antigen presenting cells. Although vaccines have been successful for many infec...

Prophylactic vaccination is arguably the most effective medical preventative method. After local inoculation, vaccines induce antigen-specific systemic immunity, protecting the whole body. Systemic antitumour immunity can cure advanced cancer, but will therapeutic vaccination suffice? A vaccine for castration-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC) was approved by regulatory authority, but its eviden...

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) has been widely presumed to be an autoimmune disease that is characterized by elevated IgG and/or IgG4, the presence of autoantibodies, and an infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells with fibrosis. However, no detailed immunological studies have been published. To define immunological changes in AIP in detail, and to review evidence for autoimmunity which may ...

BACKGROUND Inflammatory and immunological responses of vascular cells have been shown to play a significant role in the progression of atheromatous formation. Tranilast [N-(3,4-dimethoxycinnamoyl) anthranillic acid] inhibits release of cytokines and chemical mediators from various cells, including macrophages, leading to suppression of inflammatory and immunological responses. This study tested...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, with both genetic as well as environmental factors working in concert to develop the autistic phenotype. Immunological disturbances in autistic individuals have been reported and a role for food allergy has been suggested in ASD. Single gene mutations in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway are associated with the development o...

Each of 212 sera, taken from 129 patients with clinically established syphilis, was subjected to seven immunological tests. The tests were designed to detect both anti-lipoidal and anti-treponemal antibodies and to titrate antibody of both IgG and IgM molecular species. It was found that patients of similar clinical history were usually recognisable by the similarity of results obtained in the ...

After identification of a case of extrinsic allergic alveolitis due to exposure to wood dust at a sawmill, all employees at the sawmill where he worked were studied with an occupational, environmental, and symptom questionnaire, spirometry, skin prick tests, and serum specific IgG measurements. Ninety five of current and 14 of 17 ex-sawmill workers were studied. As a basis for comparison, a gro...

The underlying etiology and pathogenesis of Gulf War veterans' illnesses continue to be under intense investigation. Reports have suggested the basis for these illnesses may be an altered immune system, but compelling evidence is lacking. We sought to determine whether in vitro immune responses were abnormal in symptomatic Gulf War veterans relative to matched controls. A randomized case-contro...

Immunological programing of immune cells varies in response to changing environmental signals. This process is facilitated by modifiers that regulate the translational fate of mRNAs encoding various immune mediators, including cytokines and chemokines, which in turn determine the rapid activation, tolerance, and plasticity of the immune system. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) recruited by the speci...

The effects of trace metal contaminants (lead, cadmium, and mercury) on the immunologic responses of rats infected with Trypanosoma lewisi were investigated to determine whether chronic exposures to subclinical levels of these metals have adverse effects on the host's ability to respond to an infective agent.Earlier and higher levels of parasitemia were detected in animals exposed to cadmium, l...