Severe sepsis involves massive activation of the innate immune system and leads to high mortality. Previous studies have demonstrated that various types of TLRs mediate a systemic inflammatory response and contribute to organ injury and mortality in animal models of severe sepsis. However, the downstream mechanisms responsible for TLR-mediated septic injury are poorly understood. In this articl...

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Clinical and microbiological features of maternal sepsis in the peripartum period (7 days before to 7 days after delivery) were analyzed to determine possible risk factors, optimal treatment and outcome. In 43 483 deliveries during 1990-98, laboratory-confirmed bacteremia was found in 41 (5.1%) out of 798 clinically suspected septic infections. RESULTS Preterm deliverie...

Genetic susceptibility to infection and sepsis It seems obvious that there must be a genetic component to the susceptibility of individuals to infection and also sepsis. The key question revolves around the relevance of any data indicating that there are indeed recognisable genetic polymorphisms that predispose individuals to either becoming infected, or having a disproportionate response to a ...

Genetic susceptibility to infection and sepsis It seems obvious that there must be a genetic component to the susceptibility of individuals to infection and also sepsis. The key question revolves around the relevance of any data indicating that there are indeed recognisable genetic polymorphisms that predispose individuals to either becoming infected, or having a disproportionate response to a ...

Sepsis can induce an overwhelming systemic inflammatory response, resulting in organ damage and death. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) negatively regulates signaling by cytokine receptors and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). However, the cellular targets and molecular mechanisms for SOCS1 activity during polymicrobial sepsis are unknown. To address this, we utilized a cecal ligation and p...

Incorporation of locally produced signaling molecules into cell-derived vesicles may serve as an endogenous mediator delivery system. We recently reported that levels alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2MG)-containing microparticles are elevated in plasma from patients with sepsis. Herein, we investigated the immunomodulatory actions of A2MG containing microparticles during sepsis. Administration of A2MG-...

There is an increasing incidence of sepsis among hospitalized patients. Also, high mortality associated with sepsis and septic shock persists despite appropriate antibiotic therapy. Recent investigations have demonstrated that bacterial antigens stimulate a cascade of cellular mediators or cytokine release. In sepsis and septic shock the response of these cytokines often exceeds natural downreg...

Bacterial sepsis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among neonates. It is characterized as generalized bacterial infection indicated by positive blood culture in the first four weeks of life (Agarwal et al., 2001). The common causative agents for neonatal sepsis are Staphylococcus spp, Enterococci spp, E. coli, Klebsiella spp, Enterobacter spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acin...

BACKGROUND Apart from inducing apoptosis in tumor cells, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) influences inflammatory reactions. Murine colon ascendens stent peritonitis (CASP) represents a model of diffuse peritonitis. Recently, it has been demonstrated that administration of exogenous TRAIL not only induces apoptosis in neutrophils but also enhances survival i...

Sepsis results in a state of relative immunosuppression, rendering critically ill patients susceptible to secondary infections and increased mortality. Monocytes isolated from septic patients and experimental animals display a "deactivated" phenotype, characterized by impaired inflammatory and antimicrobial responses, including hyporesponsiveness to LPS. We investigated the role of the LPS/TLR4...