In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, the baseline mRNA and protein levels of an inducible type of nitric oxide synthase were barely detectable. Interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1 beta each markedly increased mRNA and protein levels of this enzyme in parallel with the production of nitrite, a stable oxidative metabolite of nitric oxide. Actinomycin D abolished ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between inflammatory and apoptotic parameters and the severity and extent of target organ damage in patients with essential hypertension. METHODS We studied 159 consecutive patients with treated essential hypertension. An exhaustive evaluation of damage to heart, kidney, and blood vessels was performed and plasma levels of inflammato...

BACKGROUND Neutrophils are the predominant phagocytes in the early stages of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion response and are also implicated in the development of tissue damage. This study examined the role of recruited macrophages in the evolution of this tissue injury. METHODS Farm pigs were subjected to 30 minutes of myocardial ischemia followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. Biopsy sample...

Alpha-tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS), a redox-inactive analogue of vitamin E, is a strong inducer of apoptosis, whereas alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) lacks apoptogenic activity (J. Neuzil et al., FASEB J., 15: 403-415, 2001). Here we investigated the possible antineoplastic activities of alpha-TOH and alpha-TOS and further explored the potential of alpha-TOS as an antitumor agent. Using nude m...

The mechanism by which cord factor (CF), a toxic glycolipid from mycobacteria, induces cachexia was studied in BALB/c mice. Body weight was markedly reduced 48 h after CF administration; the animals became severely wasted and exhibited hypertriglyceridemia, hypoglycemia, and high levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in plasma. After CF administration, a transferable factor which caused cachexi...

OBJECTIVE The regulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was investigated in cell cultures and in a rabbit model of atherogenic neointima formation. METHODS AND RESULTS VEGF regulation of vascular CAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule), intercellular CAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule), and E-selectin were investigated in human u...

Background: Pathogenesis of anaemia of chronic disease is multifactorial. It is related with corrupted erythropoietin-dependent erythropoiesis due to C-reactive protein, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. It is also related with decreased red cell survival and impaired iron mobilization. Hepcidin level in iron deficiency anaemia is low than co...

Keratinocytes are routinely subjected to both internal and external stimulation. This study investigates the effects of interferon gamma, interleukin-4, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and the synthetic immunomodulator muramyl dipeptide on the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT. Following HaCaT stimulation with cytokines or muramyl dipeptide for different time periods, changes in the expression o...

PURPOSE These studies examined regulation of the cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), a systemic autoimmune disease. METHODS Serum levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in sera collected from 35 patients with OCP, 29 normal persons and 17 patients with ocular inflammatory diseases were determined using an enzyme-link...

Ethnic differences in the outcome of hepatitis C have been described. Our aim was to investigate ethnic differences in the distribution of genotypes associated with polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter, interleukin-10 promoter, and transforming growth factor-beta1 leader sequence in patients with hepatitis C. Genomic DNA was obtained from 71 Egyptians and 67 Caucasians (hep...