Background: Neutrophils are part of our innate immune system. They are capable of accumulation in tissues, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and digests bacteria and fungi by their lysosymes. Yet, paradoxically neutrophils are mediators in acute liver injury. Extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA) is a progressive chronic cholangiopathy of infancy, even in those who undergo timely portoenterostomy. Objecti...

BACKGROUND Intravenous salbutamol (albuterol) reduces lung water in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Experimental data show that it also reduces pulmonary neutrophil accumulation or activation and inflammation in ARDS. AIM To investigate the effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function. METHODS The in vitro effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function were deter...

Neutrophil adherence to vascular endothelial cells is the initial event in the emigration of neutrophils through blood vessel walls to tissue sites of inflammation; this process is attributed to the generation of extravascular chemotactic factors. To investigate the effect of chemotactic factors on neutrophil adherence to endothelium, we developed a sensitive, reproducible in vitro microtiter a...

Hematopoiesis in general is demand driven and adaptive, but in contrast to erythropoiesis or thrombocytopoiesis, our knowledge on how neutrophil production is adapted to individual needs remains incomplete. Recently, neutrophil homeostasis has been shown to depend on danger receptors, macrophages, and even circadian rhythms. Puzzle pieces for a broader view of neutrophil homeostasis accumulate,...

Neutrophil influx to mucosal surfaces represents one of the earliest inflammatory responses to mucosal infection. We have been studying external interactions with urinary tract epithelial cells in an attempt to understand the molecular mechanisms behind this process. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli induced urinary tract epithelial cells to secrete the neutrophil chemoattractant interleukin-8 (IL...

Neutrophil heterogeneity was described decades ago, but it could not be elucidated at the time whether the existence of different neutrophil subsets had any biological relevance. It has been corroborated in recent years that neutrophil subsets, defined by differential expression of various markers, are indeed present in human blood, calling for renewed attention to this question. The expression...

Parturition is associated with a leukocyte influx into the intrauterine tissues; however, the exact role these leukocytes play in the onset of labor remains unclear. Neutrophil infiltration of the uteroplacental tissues has been particularly associated with infection-associated preterm labor (PTL) in both women and mouse models. In this study, we investigated the role of neutrophils in a mouse ...

Clearance of neutrophils from inflamed sites is critical for resolution of inflammation, but pathogen-driven neutrophil apoptosis can impair host defenses. We previously showed that pyocyanin, a phenazine toxic metabolite produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, accelerates neutrophil apoptosis in vitro. We compared wild-type and pyocyanin-deficient strains of P. aeruginosa in a murine model of acut...

Alveolar neutrophil accumulation occurs in asbestosis. To evaluate a possible role for release of neutrophil chemotactic factor (NCF) in the pathogenesis of asbestosis, spontaneous NCF release from alveolar macrophages obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in eight individuals with asbestosis, 13 asbestos-exposed individuals without asbestosis, and five control subjects has been studied. Alv...

Escherichia coli stimulates neutrophil migration across human uroepithelial cell layers. This study investigated the role of the neutrophil chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) in this process. E. coli and IL-1alpha stimulated urinary tract epithelial layers to secrete IL-8 and induced transepithelial neutrophil migration. Anti-IL-8 antibody reduced neutrophil migration across epithelial cell layers,...